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Economic development through collaboration between industry, academia and government

Dolphins jumping just off the Port Elizabeth Coast (source: Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism)

A catalyst for economic growth in the region

The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber is a not-for-profit organisation representative of a broad spectrum of businesses in Nelson Mandela Bay. It is one of the largest business associations in the Eastern Cape, with a membership of more than 700 businesses employing over 100 000 people in a diverse array of sectors.

The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber is a leading catalyst for economic development, through its strategic Triple Helix model of collaboration between industry, academia and government, which serves as the foundation of creating a competitive Nelson Mandela Bay.

The Business Chamber has been the heartbeat of business success in the region for over 150 years. The Business Chamber is driven by a team of dedicated staff and volunteers, lobbying on issues affecting the ease of doing business and companies’ sustainability. The organisation also builds international relations to form a vital link between business owners and international markets.

Nomkhita Mona, Chief Executive Officer

Vision

To be a leading catalyst for economic development in Nelson Mandela Bay.

Mission

By influencing the factors and key stakeholders that create a competitive enabling business environment.

Task Teams

The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber has established a structure of seven task teams to facilitate the ease of doing business.

The task teams are:
  • Water Task Team
  • Roads and Storm Water Task Team
  • SME Task Team
  • Electricity and Energy Task Team
  • Transport and Logistics Task Team
  • Metro Collaboration Task Team
  • Trade and Investment Task Team

An eighth task team, called Industry 4.0, began its work in 2019 to prepare local businesses for the digital shift.

Enterprise Development and Exporter Development

The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber Enterprise Development Programme was launched in 2014, to develop the skills that enhance and grow small businesses. In 2018 the Business Chamber successfully hosted the fifth phase of the Enterprise Development Programme, with SMEs set to graduate in March 2019. Over 120 entrepreneurs have benefited from this programme.

Meanwhile, the pilot phase of the Business Chamber’s Exporter Development Programme concluded at the end of 2018, with 10 companies finishing this programme in its first year. The programme is aimed at empowering SMEs to position themselves as emerging exporters.

Events

Events at the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber keep business owners up to date and informed on a wide variety of topics affecting business in Nelson Mandela Bay. Regular networking functions offer business owners the chance to make new professional contacts.

The Business Chamber’s flagship events – the Annual Business Chamber Golf Day, the Annual Ladies’ Breakfast and the Annual Banquet – are highlights on the Bay’s business and social calendar. The Events Department hosted a total of 61 events in 2018.

Other Services

Publications and marketing

As another value-added service to members, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber provides members with a variety of publications across print and electronic platforms, including the member magazine Infocom (distributed three times a year, as of 2019) and the annual Business Guide. Both of these publications are ABC-certified, glossy publications.

The Business Chamber regularly updates its website, and engages with members on popular social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Help desk

In line with its vision of providing an enabling environment for business, the Business Chamber set up an Ease of Doing Business help desk in 2018. The help desk assists members through reducing red tape and engaging with the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro regarding these members’ obstacles in conducting business. The Business Chamber also engaged with the city’s leadership in 2018 towards the goal of establishing a One Stop Shop for existing and potential investors and will continue these engagements in 2019.

Research unit

The Business Chamber established an in-house cluster research unit in 2018. Its aim is ultimately to identify several catalytic projects that can be marketed to investors and can contribute to the development of key sectors. The new unit will provide a library of business intelligence and insights for the development of essential clusters.

Certificates of Origin

A Certificate of Origin is a document which states the origin of goods being exported and this “origin” is a key requirement for applying tariffs and other important criteria. As an accredited provider of this service, the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber signs Certificates of Origin for member and non-member companies requiring these services in Nelson Mandela Bay. The Business Chamber also offers exporters the opportunity to certify electronically through the ECOO system.

Corporate Social Investment

Because the majority of our membership’s workforce is based in the city, the region of Nelson Mandela Bay is the direct beneficiary of their Corporate Social Investment programmes – including skills development initiatives, bursaries and scholarships. Many of our member companies significantly contribute to alleviating poverty and specifically unemployment in the region of Nelson Mandela Bay through various initiatives purposed to grow the local economy.

Every year the Business Chamber adopts NGO organisations and collects goods and services from our member companies in order to create awareness around the NGOs. In 2018 the Business Chamber adopted Elsen Academy and the Kleinskool Initiative and collected several items from our companies, including office equipment, computers, stationery and school clothes.

www.nmbbusinesschamber.co.za

 

Lighting the Eastern Cape with LED energy-saving lights

The lighting at St George's Park includes theatrics. Image: Maritz Electrical.

Following the successful installation of the world’s first International Cricket Council-compliant, LED-lit stadium at St George’s Park Cricket Ground in Port Elizabeth and the first athletics stadium in South Africa to have an LED lighting solution, Coetzenburg Stadium at the University of Stellenbosch, Maritz Electrical has expanded its range of projects in the Eastern Cape.

Work at the East London Airport, and at the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality, show Maritz Electrical’s versatility, especially in large-area LED lighting.

Project Manager Diketso Kumalo

Project Manager Diketso Kumalo reports that the six-month contract to install LED energy-saving lights at East London Airport was completed on time and in budget. Says Kumalo, “One of our goals for all projects is to provide total client satisfaction, on top of saving on energy costs.”

LED lighting significantly reduces power consumption. Maritz Electrical’s pre- and post-installation testing confirmed that East London Airport will save on electricity costs.

The Maritz contract with the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality includes the provision of mast lighting to informal settlements across the municipality. “We are providing them with 20m-high masts with LED luminaires,” says Kumalo. “LED consumes far less power compared to high-pressure sodium or metal halide, although with LED, lux levels are better.” So, costs are reduced, and the power of illumination will be better for residents.

Kumalo says that a Maritz Electrical Eastern Cape office could be a possibility. “Our presence is growing,” he notes. “Depending on the projects we receive from the province, an Eastern Cape office would be an advantage.” Kumalo points out that Maritz Electrical’s expertise extends beyond lighting. “We do a variety of electrical works and we offer project management, consulting, compliance services, hazardous area classification and MV and LV maintenance.”

More from Maritz Electrical here >>

The ELIDZ has attracted a number of new investors in 2019

Simphiwe Nicholas Kondlo, the Chief Executive Officer of the ELIDZ, holds a Master’s Degree in Engineering Management and has more than 24 years’ experience spanning various fields including civil and agricultural engineering. With him at the forefront, the ELIDZ is a front-runner in the field and continues to flourish as a multi-sector Industrial Development Zone.

Simphiwe Nicholas Kondlo
Please name some of the significant recent investments.

The East London IDZ recently announced two new investors worth over R500-million, Meek Mines South Africa and Nulatex South Africa. These two investments offer a response to the government’s clarion call to promote regional integration, promote beneficiation and create meaningful jobs. Meek Mines SA is a diamond cutting and polishing plant. Nulatex SA will produce male and female condoms for domestic and African markets. In 2018, we announced Yekani Manufacturing as the first black industrialist factory to locate within the ELIDZ’s Zone 1B precinct. The company is the beneficiary of the dti’s Special Economic Zone (SEZ) Fund and Black Industrialist Scheme (BIS), the government’s financial support programmes aimed at accelerating growth of manufacturing.

How important is the location of Mercedes-Benz SA in building ELIDZ as an automotive hub?

Mercedes-Benz SA is a key strategic partner not only for the growth of the IDZ but for regional economy. Through our relations with the auto giant, we have been able to attract more automotive-oriented investments.

As such, the East London IDZ has various incentives, which can be accessed by qualifying industries. These include a Specialised Customs Controlled Area benefit (some VAT exemptions), no import duties on raw materials for manufacture, goods for storage and capital goods used in the CCA. There are also specialised local incentives and access to national manufacturing and other generic government incentives.

Tell us about the ELIDZ internship programme.

The ELIDZ internship programme is two-pronged: the first year serves as an introductory phase where the interns receive on-the-job training. The second phase, Junior Professional, is centred on allocation of more responsibilities and quarterly assessments to monitor performance.

What conference facilities do you have?

The state-of-the art facility has four conference rooms which are interconnected and can open into one room accommodating up to 250 delegates. The four meeting rooms are room One, which can accommodate up to 30 people seated cinema-style, room Two (90 people), room Three (60 people banqueting-style) and room Four, which accommodates 16 delegates. The number of delegates that each room can take is subject to the seating arrangement.

www.elidz.co.za

An attractive business and investment destination

The Stortemelk Hydropower Plant in the Free State Province. Picture source: Murry and Dickson Construction.

Investing in the Free State Province

Free State Province is situated in the heart of South Africa and shares borders with Lesotho and six other provinces. It provides easy access to the main ports of Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth.

The Free State is an attractive business and investment destination. The province is at the centre of South Africa and the dominant sectors are agriculture, mining, manufacturing and the tertiary sectors, making it ideal for transport logistics and agro-processing.

Companies locating to Free State not only enjoy the opportunity to source inputs at competitive prices, but also to benefit from domestic, regional and international markets for their products and services. Because South Africa has been engaging with our economically large trading partners, access to international markets is facilitated through various trade preferences and free-trade agreements.

As far as long-term investment is concerned, there are industrial parks and a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) that are supported by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition. Industrial parks are situated in Maluti-A-Phofung, Botshabelo and Thaba Nchu. Maluti-A-Phofung SEZ is situated in Tshiame.

The Free State’s strengths for inward investment are boosted by:
  • openness to business, trade and foreign investment;
  • abundance of natural resources;
  • low factory rentals;
  • incentive packages uniquely developed for Special Economic Zones;
  • incentives associated with the revitalised industrial parks;
  • Free State Development Corporation (FDC) support services for priority sectors such as agro-processing and manufacturing;
  • a large labour pool;
  • diverse cultures;
  • competitive land and building cost;
  • world-class transport and telecommunications infrastructure;
  • an idyllic climate and recreational and lifestyle facilities.

Select investment opportunities available in:

  • Agriculture and agro-processing
  • Tourism and property development
  • Medical and pharmaceutical production and distribution
  • Manufacturing
  • Renewable and clean energy
  • Medical tourism

Domestic and international investors are invited to invest in South Africa’s most centrally located province

MP Mohale, MEC for Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.

MEC for Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, MP Mohale, outlines how human capital formation is at the heart of the creation of a conducive environment for investment in the Free State Province.

It is with pleasure and gratitude that we, as the department charged with promoting investment into the Free State Province, introduce Free State Business 2020 edition. We welcome this well-known publication’s regular description of the economic environment of our province and are pleased to contribute to its pages.

Our department also published a dedicated investment prospectus. The purpose of the Free State Investment Opportunities Prospectus is to provide pertinent information about large-scale investment opportunities currently available in various sectors. These initiatives represent the Free State’s response to President Ramaphosa’s clarion call for increased long-term investment necessary for inclusive growth and job creation.

Contact the DESTEA below for a copy of the Free State Investment Prospectus.

While investment is an essential ingredient to economic growth, it should be pointed out that at the centre of the Free State government’s economic development strategy is human capital formation and development through universities and colleges, and various institutions pursuing innovation and offering proof-of-concept services, to name a few.

The Free State is poised to become a laboratory for excellence in education outcomes, research and innovation, particularly in the fields of health, agriculture, agro-processing, manufacturing, water management, ICT, pharmaceuticals and rural development.

Domestic and potential investors from around the world are invited to contact the DESTEA:

[contact-form-7 id=”14410″ title=”Free State DESTEA”]

Get more Free State business and investment insight (digital journal):

….or explore Free State regional content 
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