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121st AGM and Executive Election 2024

121^st AGM and Executive Election 2024

Save the date! MCCI’s 121^st Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held on 14 March 2023 at 17:00, at Rustique Boutique Hotel, Old Belfast Road (R104) Rondebosch, Riverside Estate, Middelburg.

Your presence is crucial in ensuring competent Executive Members are elected, representing the Middelburg business community. MCCI Members are invited to nominate candidates for the 2024/25 period at the 121st AGM. Nomination forms are available at the office.

Members are urged to confirm their attendance by 13 March 2023 to ensure a successful AGM. If you are unable to come to the AGM, please fill out a proxy form and send it back to the office by March 12th, 2024.

We have emailed the notice, nomination, proxy forms and minutes to the membership. Please contact Zelda on 013 243 2253 or member.support@middelburgchamber.com for more information

CSOS opened the Mpumalanga Office

CSOS opened the Mpumalanga Office

Community Schemes Ombud Services (CSOS) opened their Mbombela Office on Thursday, 10 January 2024. The office will operate at Riverside Park, Mbombela.

The CSOS serves as the Ombud for all community schemes in South Africa. Its services include resolving disputes, ensuring the quality of governance documents for community schemes, and offering training and consumer education.

A Community Scheme refers to any arrangement where land and buildings are shared and responsibilities are shared among multiple parties. This includes sectional titles’ development schemes, share block companies, homeowner’s associations, retirement housing schemes, and housing cooperatives. Contact CSOS at info@csos.org.za.

MCCI welcomed the CSOS office in Mpumalanga, and trust that another satellite office will be established in the Highveld Region of Mpumalanga.

MCCI connected with Hong Kong

MCCI connected with Hong Kong

Moeketsi Mpotu, President of the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), met with the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong at the end of September.

There are trade delegations between different countries and direct trade from company to company in the world. But sometimes you need a helping hand, the right contact or confirmation from the company you are planning to trade with. How can you make sure that it is a reputable company and not a front for various criminal activities?

MCCI is part of the global chamber network and with one call and your MCCI credentials; many chamber doors are open to you. You can also check if a business is a genuine business by asking MCCI to contact their counter part in the part of the world where you want operate in. We can at least confirm if the Chamber knows about the business.

Moeketsi met with the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong, the second largest chamber in Hong Kong, which has nearly 6,000 members. They indicated their willingness to sign a memorandum of understanding with SACCI and MCCI. We have already made the first contact. Moeketsi also met with the Africa Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong. They know the African continent well and offered their help in accessing the Hong Kong market and thus also the Chinese mainland.

Your MCCI membership opens many doors for our members. Contact us if you are travelling overseas to make global contacts, the Chamber can connect you with our network. Members interested in contact details and other information on doing business with Hong Kong should contact A Ott at ceo@middelburginfo.com.

It’s Back! MCCI’s famous mine map in A0 wall format!

It’s Back! MCCI’s famous mine map in A0 wall format!

To demystify the coal industry in the Highveld of Mpumalanga, the Middelburg Chamber has published a map of mines within a 200 km radius of Middelburg.

According to GlobalData, South Africa is the world’s seventh largest coal producer in 2022, with production up 12% from 2021. In the five years to 2021, South African production has declined at a CAGR of 3.05% and is expected to increase at a CAGR of 0.74% between 2022 and 2026. GlobalData uses proprietary data and analysis to paint a complete picture of this market in its Global Coal Mining to 2026 report.

South Africa’s coal exports increased by 11% in 2022 compared to 2021, with the largest share exported to India. South Africa’s coal exports are expected to grow at a CAGR of 0.67% between 2022 and 2026.

7 of the 10 largest operating coal mines are located in Mpumalanga and 6 of South Africa’s 10 largest coal mines under development are also located in Mpumalanga.

There are only place for 12 available advertisement spots. We have already received more than half of the sponsorships. Secure your place before it’s too late. Sponsor a medium-sized ad for R5 500 excl. VAT until the end of October and you will receive 5 printed A0 printed maps. The 3 landscape ads cost R6 466,09 per ad (only three available)

Facts about the map:

Annual publication since 2010
Format A0 – large – printed on both sides
Front – Map, table of contents and the sponsor advertisements
Listing of all mines, Eskom power stations and industry within a 200 km radius
GPS coordinates

iii. Contact information

Space for the sponsor ads
Back – map in full grey scale format, edge to edge to optimise the map size for easy reference.

Why should you support this initiative?

– Use it to showcase your business

– Use it to draw attention to your businesses or supply points

– Use it as an eye-catcher in your office or boardroom

– Use it as marketing material for your company

– Use it for public relations

MCCI has published this map of mines within 200 km of Middelburg to demystify the coal industry in the Highveld of Mpumalanga. Your support is highly appreciated. Contact Mmabatho Phathakge today for more information on

013 243 2253 or info@middelburginfo.com.

Business Pledge new Jobs

Mr Moeketsi Mpotu, President of the Middelburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), and Steve Tshwete, Mayor of the Municipality, Cllr Masilela, met on Friday 22 September 2023 with a strong delegation from the mining, manufacturing, ICT, higher education, medical, and retail sectors strongly supporting the Steve Tshwete Municipality (STLM) delegation and delivering their message. This meeting was many years overdue and initiated the debate on the future of Steve Tshwete Municipality.

Mpotu introduced the debate by saying, “If we do nothing, we will end up remembering the golden days instead of embracing the future with focus and optimism.” He challenged business representatives to talk about what they need from STLM to create the thousand new jobs we need to boost our town’s economy.

Mr Chris Swartz of Twizza opened the debate, saying that if the town can bring the water quality back to what it used to be, they could create several hundred new jobs. He said that 60% of the country’s economic activity is within a 300 km radius and the city offers many opportunities for businesses and our economy to grow. The future water security not only for industry but also for our community is vital, and he urges STLM to secure the water from the mining sector.

Mr Sizwe Siyila of Samancor said that Middelburg Ferrochrome will be 60 years in Middelburg next year and plans to stay in the town for many more years. He assured the community of Samancor’ s support, but for our town to grow, we need a reliable electricity.

Mr Junior van Niekerk of Nashua said that the favourable environment in Middelburg has helped the company to expand to Ermelo and the Lowveld. He also said that they want to invest in a battery factory in town. An easy accessible investment support package will attract even more business to the area.

Mr Mike Tammadge of Middelburg Mall said that Middelburg Mall is one of the best malls in the company’s portfolio. However, he urged the municipality to work with other stakeholders to reduce crime in our town.

Mr Mondli Kl Kgalema, the chairperson of STLM LED, said the LED Forum is aware of community structures that threaten established businesses and the mining sector in particular. He urged all parties to use the STLM portal so that the community can access opportunities without the interference of vested interests.

Cllr Masilela, the Mayor of STLM, replied that he was encouraged by the commitment of the companies to create jobs. He summarized the SCADA system and said that the faster the system is up and running, the faster Middelburg will have less load shedding. The municipality acknowledged the comments on bureaucratic hurdles and delays in approving building plans. STLM will collaborate with MCCI and the business community to eliminate these obstacles.

Other members expressed their support for the town and the community they work and live in by contributing their input and pledging their support. The conclusion of the debate was that a fully functional municipality is necessary for the business community to ensure timely delivery of services and maintenance of infrastructure. Businesses will prosper and flourish with such a municipality. The breakfast was the first of many and members interested in attending the next event should contact Anna-Marth Ott at ceo@middelburginfo.com.

National Media Houses visited our town.

The Information Officer of the Middelburg Tourism Information Centre, Mmabatho Phathakge, accompanied a delegation from multiple media houses and the Mpumalanga Parks and Tourism Agency on a tour to promote the town’s tourism attractions. The Steve Tshwete Municipality hosted the tour.

The media tour is part of the municipality’s investment drive to promote expose the various tourism attractions to enable the growth of the tourism sector. The tour lasted two days, as there was a lot to do and see in the area.

The tour started at the construction site of the new Radisson Hotel, which will be completed next year. The hotel will have 151 rooms, a restaurant, and a conference facility. The second stop was at the Middelburg Dam, where our tour guide Ben Mokoena explained the history of the dam and how it was built. They then drove to Middelburg Station, where we met Johan Janse van Rensburg gave them interesting information and anecdotes about the station and his plans for it. A visit to the historical landmark Botshabelo to highlight the potential and the visitors saw the beautiful view of the Loskop Dam. Last but not least the Ubetyan-O-Africa.

The media tourists left Middelburg eager and well informed about our beautiful town. Do you want to hear about some stories of the places you drive by daily? To book our various town, historical and ghost tour packages you can contact the Middelburg Information Centre on 013 243 2253.

TVET Nkangala – Middelburg Campus – Business Buzz

TVET Nkangala – Middelburg Campus – Business Buzz

The Business Buzz held at the Middelburg Campus of Nkangala TVET on 24 August 2023 was very informative and members could see the training workshops and the various equipment used to train students.

The Principal of the Middelburg Campus, Catin Maimela, proudly announced that the campus had been accredited to conduct vocational examinations. Members could see with their own eyes how the students were trained.

The next business networking event will be a Business Buzz at the new Regis Offices, hosted by Nungu Properties on 21 September 2023. Invitations will be sent out in the first week of September.

For more information or to host a Business Buzz, please contact Mmabatho or Christo at the MCCI office on 013 243 2253 or email info@middelburginfo.com.

BRICS any value for Middelburg?

BRICS any value for Middelburg?

Several members, notably Anna-Marth Ott, attended various BRICS meetings. Ott attended an ABSA breakfast with the Confederation of Indian Industry delegation for the 2023 BRICS Summit.

Various members of the delegation already have businesses in South Africa and are interested in possible joint ventures and investments in the Steve Tshwete Municipality. The 2023 MCCI Business Guide circulated by Ott was well-received with great enthusiasm.

Some of the valuable information available at the Chamber is the DIRCO (Department of Industrial Relations and Cooperation) Quarterly Magazine UBUNTU, which ran a BRICS Special titled BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development, and Inclusive Multilateralism, BRICS and the World Order: A Beginners Guide (Note this is until 2019), XV BRICS Summit Johannesburg II Declaration, South African Reserve Bank (SARB) BRICS Joint Ministers of Finance and Central Bank Governors Statement under the South African Presidency, The Journal of BRICS Studies is envisioned as an open-access, peer-reviewed non-disciplinary academic journal focused on the critical and inter-sectoral study of subjects related to the BRICS, the agency of emerging powers and South-South cooperation.

Members interested in some contacts Ott made or the information regarding all the documents that are available, please contact Anna-Marth Ott at ceo@middelburginfo.com.

Outdoor Map of Middelburg

Outdoor Map of Middelburg

The Middelburg Tourism Information Centre (MTIC) created the Outdoor Map of Middelburg prior to the 2010 FIFA World Cup and has updated the information regularly to ensure that it remains as accurate as possible.

The MTIC has been working diligently to update the Outdoor Town Map with the latest information from the Steve Tshwete’s Town Planning Department. First, we printed the map so that Middleburgers would have a map available when we do not have a mobile phone or data connection. This map is freely accessible in a well-lit and secure environment 24 hours a day and is visited several times a day.

MTIC would like to thank our sponsors: ACDC Express, Brimis Engineering, Columbus Stainless (Pty) Ltd, Mbita Electrical, MCD/Shockwave, Olifants River Lodge, Precision Aluminium, and Thos Begbie. Without your support, MTIC would not have been able to provide this service to the community.

MTIC encourages our community to look at our outdoor map. If you need a printed map, you can pick one up at the MTIC office for a small fee. For more information, you can contact Mmabatho Phathakge at info@middelburginfo.com.

Africa Durban Trade Indaba 2023

From the 9^th to the 11^th of May 2023, Durban ICC was the host site for the African Trade Indaba. This spectacular event drew in people from all across the continent as well as international investors who were all looking for ways to showcase all the best parts of Africa.

This event provided a wonderful opportunity for all those in attendance to market themselves as well as their province or country. There were a lot of companies from all across Africa that were looking for ways to generate more interest in their country to help improve their business as well as their country’s economic growth from tourism revenue.

The Middelburg Info center managed to reach out to several of these companies and foster good relations with them in order to get brochures and pamphlets which we can use to showcase all the awe inspiring sights across our continent.