Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry

Established in 1804, the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the oldest member-based business organisation in Africa. It is mandated to serve, enable and lead business. This is achieved through a multitude of services, networking opportunities as well as robust advocacy on behalf of business.

The Chamber represents business of all sizes and virtually all sectors. Our members count on us to be their eyes and ears in the Western Cape as well as on a national level, and we work tirelessly to ensure that we serve our members’ needs.

As a key player in the business landscape, the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry truly believes that we are Where Opportunity Meets.

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Upcoming Events

Skillful Stock Control Workshop

27th June 2017 08:30

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Department of Labour: A dialogue with business on policies, practices and new developments

28th June 2017 14:00

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Human Resource Management for HR Administrators Workshop

30th June 2017 08:30

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Microsoft Excel 2010: VBA

30th June 2017 09:00

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Cape Chamber Central Chapter Coffee Club

4th July 2017 08:00

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Chairing Disciplinary & Incapacity Hearings Workshop

6th July 2017 08:30

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Office Administration Workshop

11th July 2017 08:30

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Employment Equity Workshop

13th July 2017 08:30

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LATEST NEWS

26 Jun

(VACANCY) Membership Manager

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the largest, independent business organisation in the Western Cape. It provides support and services to its membership which comprises a wide spectrum of small, medium and large businesses in the Province. WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING VACANCY: MEMBERSHIP MANAGER The incumbent will be responsible for member acquisition & retention as well as obtaining sponsorships. This is a full-time position, and flexibility is required in terms of attending after hour activities. MAIN DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES • Manage the sales and membership departments comprised of one full-time salesperson, one freelance salesperson and a membership administrator. • Meet personal and department sales targets. • Find sponsorship for Chamber events. • Optimise the onboarding of new members. • Reduce the attrition rate of members. • Reinforce the relationship with existing members. • Present on behalf of the Chamber at events. • Provide an annual strategy for the department. • Devise ad hoc marketing strategies. • Attend external stakeholder engagements on behalf of the Chamber. QUALIFICATION / KNOWLEDGE / SKILLS REQUIRED • Minimum requirement is a tertiary qualification in a related field. • Have at least 3 years’ experience in management, servicing a large member base. • The […]

Where does brand hate fit into the scheme of things?

Where does brand hate fit into the scheme of things? We often measure the affinity people have with brands (call it love), but like any relationship you can love someone dearly but hate it when they drink milk straight out of the carton. That doesn’t mean you’re going to leave them any time soon. Although I have seen no research on the matter, I’d hazard a guess you either love Marmite or you hate it. In an advertisement I saw for the product, a young man brings home a really hot date. They kiss – he is repelled – we then see that there is Marmite on the kitchen table, of which she had just had some. Did this polarise the audience? It sure did. But if you hate it, what’s the point of telling you how great it is? When Marmite XO (the extra strong version) was launched in the UK, they identified only 30 consumers who were devotees of the brand, inviting them to taste testings. They then set up a Facebook group which received 54,000 visits and 300,000 page views. Now I know that counts for diddly squat, however XO sold out on the first day. (1) […]

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22 Jun

Use of a secret ballot in the motion of no confidence against President Zuma

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the ruling by the Constitution Court which forces the Speaker of Parliament to consider the use of a secret ballot in the motion of no confidence against President Zuma. This will place tremendous pressure on the Speaker who will have to deal with some very strong arguments in favour of a secret ballot. The Chief Justice has said that the voting process should not be a fear or money inspired sham. Given the system of patronage that has grown under President Zuma and the way competent ministers have been fired for resisting pressure from outside Parliament, it is clear that both money and fear already feature strongly in political decisions. The fact that there has been so much resistance to a secret ballot is an indication that there is also fear on the side of the government that its own members will rebel against the party line. The judgement also called on the speaker to ensure that her decision strengthens rather than weakens democracy. The President was elected in Parliament by a secret ballot and this surely set a precedent for secret ballot on the President’s exit from leadership. Janine Myburgh […]

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20 Jun

Wake up and prepare for the fourth industrial revolution

It is time for South Africa to wake up and prepare for the fourth industrial revolution. Change, especially change driven by technology, is happening much faster than most of us realise and we have to have to prepare for it. The best way to do this is to change our way of thinking and we hope that our new Design for Future Living Exhibition in the Century City Conference Centre will help people do this. A good example is the response to the water crisis. This has really shaken up our ideas and there will be evidence of a new way of thinking about water on the show. In fact, it is heartening to see the positive response of business and the City Council. We have all been guilty of taking things like electricity and water for granted. Many people are still coming to terms with the third industrial revolution (information technology and the digital age) but the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution are going to be even greater. We have to prepare for a world of robots, driverless electric cars that don’t need servicing and 3D printers. There are huge implications for us as machines take over much of our […]

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20 Jun

How to break through with creative marketing

How to break through with creative marketing There is so much messaging that consumers are faced with today, that you have no other choice than to be creative with your communication. Although neuroscience identifies parts of the brain that ‘light up’ during creative moments, perhaps great ideas come from the darkest recesses of our minds. Who knows. But that doesn’t really matter if creative communication does not see the light of day. Brief moments Most of the time we just take a brief and do we what need to – we answer it, usually using the same vernacular we were given, such as brand values, competitor set and consumer insights, the latter usually being some descriptive nonsense required to fill in that block (you don’t seriously still have blocks in your briefs do you?) When we return with our work, the team will firstly decide whether it meets the brief, and then ‘buy in’ to the concept – if they like it. The first thing we need to accept is this: you are not there to answer a brief – you are there to solve a problem! How can you give an answer if there is no accompanying problem? Vital […]

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13 Jun

Thousands of commuters stuck due to crime and to a large extent corruption

Thousands of commuters stuck in Cape Town’s congested traffic are victims of crime and to a large extent corruption. It has become clear that the traffic situation worsens when Metrorail system is in trouble and it is becoming clearer by the day that money which should have been spent on maintenance, security and modernisation has been consumed by crime and corruption. Business is also a victim because unreliable public transport resulted in late arrival at work, a loss of productivity and stressed-out staff. One cannot forgive the torching of trains which is totally unacceptable, it only makes the situation worse. One can however understand the anger and frustration of commuters torching the trains but in no way is it the solution. The release of leaked e-mails had shed light on Transnet and PRASA’s strange deals and revealed that “middlemen” milked billions of rands out of funds destined to buy locomotives. This is corruption of the worst kind and the people of Cape Town are feeling the pain. We even had a chief engineer with fake qualifications involved in the ordering of the Spanish locomotives that proved to be unsuitable for our narrow rail tracks. There is however room for sympathy […]

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12 Jun

The five enigmas of strategic planning

The five enigmas of strategic planning Strategy is part science (based on fact) and part art (based on ideas). The result is that there is no one right answer. However, there are some wrong ones, and I have listed the five common causes below. 1. Top of the list is the fact that most strategies fail, because the market (people) did not do what we expected it to. We treat every initiative as if the consumer behaves subject to the ‘economic man’ model. People do not think in a reasonable way and very often they can’t even explain their behaviour. There are times when people do behave subject to the normal demand curve – when prices go down, demand goes up. That’s why we have sales. That works fine most of the time, but reducing prices, adding more features etc befuddles us when the market does not respond in the way we expected it to. 2. Not sticking to the 55/5 rule. Although of unknown origin, this quote attributed to Einstein explains it nicely: “If I had one hour to save the world, I would spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions” We often […]

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9 Jun

SA officially in recession after shock GDP number

The plunge into a technical recession is the result of the failure to manage our economy efficiently and bad governance. The last time we experienced recession was in 2009 when the whole world was in trouble after the sub-prime crises and the financial melt-down which followed. This time we are alone and we have only ourselves to blame. Economists would provide many reasons for the slump into negative growth but I think we all know that corruption has taken a great deal of money out of the system. It is money that could have been used productively to stimulate the economy. We have also been dragged down by the failure of the State-Owned Enterprises like Eskom, Transnet and SAA. They have simply consumed too much money while providing very little in return. We have a huge and bloated public service that we cannot afford. We have been living beyond our means for too long. Economic growth comes from the private sector but confidence has been undermined by policy uncertainty and the promise of legislation that will affect property rights and impose additional administrative burdens on business. The private sector needs freedom to grow, create jobs and pay taxes, but its […]

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5 Jun

The five things we get wrong when pitching for new business

The five things we get wrong when pitching for new business When pitching for new business, we tend to act differently. It is quite acceptable to ‘be on your best behaviour’ when starting a new relationship. It requires some restraint and a degree of bravado, but to the extent that the latter does not cross the line into absurdity. Here are five common errors when pitching for new business. 1. Making it all about you No one is really interested in your vision, mission and values, at least not in the way they are usually described on the inside front pages of annual reports. Although people like to know who they’re dealing with, these sterile strategic statements push people away as opposed to drawing them in. I have sat through so many presentations where the list of values borders on the ridiculous – of course, you are an inclusive company, operating with honesty and integrity with the client’s interest paramount. What drivel. 2. Thinking they’ll remember you for more than one thing when you walk out the room When Bill Clinton ran for president, he realised you always have to bring your message back to the one thing. In his […]

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5 Jun

Small Business Development Expo – bigger and more important than ever

The Small Business Development Expo on June 8 at the River Club will be bigger and more important than ever with a record number of exhibitors and prizes worth R320 000. The Expo is being organised by The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry in association with ABSA. The show has been growing every year. Last year, for instance, we had 52 exhibitors and this year there will be 90. It will now fill the River Club venue. There is no charge for visitors and there will be prizes to the value of R320 000, mostly in the form of assistance to small businesses and training. Exhibitors range from Government, Provincial and municipal departments to consulting firms, business brokers, financial institutions and a wide range of service providers. The Small Business Development Expo has become the place to visit to solve all your business problems. It has become an expo which empowers small businesses and where solutions and opportunities are on show, and many of them are free. The expo starts at 10 am (after traffic) and runs until 3pm (before afternoon traffic). To register to attend this event, please click here For more information regarding this event, find the […]

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1 Jun

The introduction of a wealth tax would be counter-productive and lead to capital flight

The Cape Chamber has told the Davis Tax Commission that the introduction of a wealth tax would be counter-productive and lead to capital flight. Instead measures to stimulate the economy, broaden the very narrow tax base are needed not new measures with additional administration costs. It is also vital that tax revenue is spent more efficiently and is seen to produce value for money. The Tax Ombudsman, Judge Bernard Ngoepe, had warned recently “If we don’t spend tax prudently then people will begin to justify their reluctance to pay tax.” South African business men were being courted by countries like Mauritius and Cyprus where tax rates were low. The Africa 2016 Wealth Report said about 240 South African dollar millionaires moved to Mauritius between 2007 and 2015. Mauritius offers company and personal income tax rates of 15% with no inheritance or capital gains taxes. It offers automatic citizenship with the purchase of an expensive home and there was less red tape. South Africa can not afford to lose its millionaires as they are the people who built businesses, grew the economy, created jobs and provided a substantial portion of the government’s tax revenue. Land ownership is not necessarily an indication […]

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30 May

New opportunity for innovative Western Cape firms to break into the market

The Cape Chamber has created a new opportunity for innovative Western Cape firms to break into the market and align their businesses to the changing demands of the future. It takes the form of a new exhibition based on the Chamber’s highly successful Design for Living exhibition, but this time the focus will be on the future and some of the astonishing possibilities that lie ahead. Design for Future Living kicks off at the Century City Conference Centre on June 23 and the first show will run for just three days. Exhibition rates have been pitched as low as possible to make it affordable for small firms and start-ups, while Century City provides an ultra-modern and safe venue. The thinking behind the new exhibition is that in this rapidly changing world it has become essential for the public and businesses to keep one eye on the future. The changes are driven largely by advances in technology and they will impact on every aspect of our lives. The show will be an opportunity for people to see new products and services and to engage with exhibitors. It should be particularly exciting for the young who have embraced innovation across a wide […]

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30 May

Protest action on the N2 reached a new and unacceptable level

Protest action on the N2 reached a new and unacceptable level yesterday morning. We have no problems with democratic protests, but when a main route into the City is blocked and people are prevented from going to work then it is no longer a protest but at economically damaging action. The people most affected were workers who could not afford to lose a day’s wages and businesses which provided the jobs and kept the economy going. This kind of violent, disruptive action is self-defeating. If protesters want better service delivery they should protest to the authorities responsible for the services and not to the public. Many of those affected are also victims of poor service. The Chamber was also concerned about the decision of the authorities to close the road. Their job is to open the road and keep the traffic flowing. Simply telling people to take alternative routes is no solution. The N2 is a major access route and it must be kept open. To close it simply gives in to the demonstrators. The N2 connected a major industrial area with the City and the port and keeping it open should be a major priority. Janine Myburgh President of […]

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30 May

What exactly is a strategic plan?

‘Strategic’ and ‘Plan’ are two different concepts. A strategy is what we need to do to get from A to B (and deciding on what point B actually is). The plan is more specific and tells us how we will get to point B (the details). We use ‘planning’ in everyday speech A strategy can have a plan appended, but they are two different concepts. I have no gripe with anyone calling a strategy a strategic plan, but the word ‘plan’ has just become that – an appendage when it should actually be a distinct entity. To complicate matters further, we use the word ‘plan’ in our everyday speech: “Do you have plans for tonight?” “Can I see the architectural plan?” “Where is The United Nations Peace Plan and pass me the ammunition?” The cunning plan A most entertaining use of the word plan comes from the Blackadder series where Baldrick always comes up with a ‘cunning plan’: Captain Blackadder: Baldrick, what are you doing out there? Private Baldrick: I’m carving something on a bullet, sir. Captain Blackadder: What are you carving? Private Baldrick: I’m carving ‘Baldrick’, sir. Captain Blackadder: Why? Private Baldrick: It’s part of a cunning plan, sir. […]

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24 May

Drought has turned the Western Cape into a disaster area

The Cape Chamber has appealed to all businesses throughout the province to do everything possible to save water and to make plans to use less water in the future. The drought has turned the Western Cape into a disaster area and we have to take urgent measures to reduce water use, but we must also see it as a long-term problem. We have all been guilty of taking water for granted and that has to stop right now. We can look back and see some of the things we should have done, but that does not solve our immediate problems. I appeal to all businesses that use a lot of water to do their own recycling and reuse water in toilets for example. It may require some re-plumbing but these emergency measures can become permanent water-savers for years to come. There is no doubt that water will become more expensive in the future and every business should plan to use water more efficiently. The electricity crisis and the shocking tariff increases forced people to find way to use less electricity and now we must do the same with water. Rain water tanks are an obvious measure. Many industrial buildings have […]

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22 May

Genes, memes and your survival

Genes, memes and your survival The term ‘meme’ was popularised by Richard Dawkins in his book The Selfish Gene. The reason that our genes are ‘selfish’ essentially boils down to survival of the fittest – your genes are selfish, because they want to replicate themselves. That’s why ‘a chip off the old block’ sounds so comforting. The strong survive – hence the term ‘good genes’. Anything that spreads is a meme For our purposes, a meme is any cultural product that spreads. The miniskirt was a meme. So are jokes and social interaction. And most notable of all – viral videos. Anything that spreads through a community or culture is essentially a meme. Memes are important in social media, because the greater the advantage of the receiver passing on your message, the greater your reach and the lower your CPM (cost per thousand). There must be some value in the meme to the person passing it on. It could be something to make others laugh, a great retail deal, a valuable article or an interesting course. Or the favourite meme: gossip. So, although it is somewhat challenging to produce a viral meme, it provides an exceptional return. Viral memes seldom […]

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17 May

Call for nominations: Become a Board Member of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry

NOTICE TO MEMBERS In terms of Clause 20.3 of the Constitution of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Cape Chamber requires a minimum of nine (9) Board Members to serve on the Board. As per Clause 20.5.1.1 of the Constitution, 3 (three) Board Members have stepped down. Nominations for Board Members must be submitted to the Cape Chamber via email jennifer@capechamber.co.za or delivered to the offices of the Cape Chamber i.e. 4th floor, 33 Martin Hammerschlag Way, Foreshore, Cape Town. CLICK HERE FOR THE NOMINATION FORM As per Clause 20.6.4 of the Constitution, in addition to the details required on the Nomination Form, we also require: • A written motivation indicating the reasons for the nomination, including particulars of the attributes, skills and experience of the nominee. • The curriculum vitae of the nominee. The closing date for the receipt of nominations is Monday 29th May 2017. Kind Regards S. PEIMER EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

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15 May

The power of social proof

The power of social proof Mrs Keech (a pseudonym) was gifted with automatic writing. Basically she got messages from The Guardians of outer space, and would share the information with a small group who also believed the messages to be real. It became a serious matter when one day The Guardians advised Mrs Keech that the world would end, and only she and her group of believers would be saved. The group, firm in their conviction, needed no social proof, and sold all their belongings in anticipation of the fateful night. Social Proof existed before social media Social Proof is a concept that existed before social media became so pervasive. Basically it says that the more people who find an idea correct, the more the idea is correct for everyone else. So we often look for cues on how to behave ourselves when we see the actions of others. A sort of herd behaviour. The Mrs Keech phenomenon is well documented, because three researchers joined the group and could relate in detail to what actually happened. The first phenomenon they noted was that pre-doomsday the group kept very much to themselves. In fact, they avoided publicity completely. The group was […]

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8 May

Is brand loyalty eroding for tech products?

Is brand loyalty eroding for tech products? Today we have seen the introduction of what was unthinkable ten years ago. This includes everything from biometric socks and other ‘wearables’ to 3D printers, drones, robotics, virtual reality, driverless vehicles and TVs where the clarity is best described as ‘breath-taking’. However, in a Brandwatch Report as far back as 2014 on consumer technology (and yes, in today’s terms, that is far back), it was reported that 78% of consumers are not loyal to one particular brand. I have not seen the original research, but I have seen the writing on the wall for technology brands where both genders value features at a decent price above all other factors. Where has loyalty gone? Of all the factors taken into consideration when purchasing a tech product, brand loyalty is not a major determinant as can be seen in this table: So, what has changed? The question is: what has changed? The answer is simple: the amount of information readily available at the swipe of a smartphone screen. Before the advent of social media and product review sites, we were relatively in the dark, or at best we could […]

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3 May

City’s new draft by-law on outdoor advertising

The City’s new draft by-law on outdoor advertising is an improvement on the first version but it is still too complicated and full of unnecessary detail. One example is the regulations for neighbourhood watch sign boards. According to the by-law the boards have to be 580 mm wide and 680 mm high. Why be so exact? Why not simply make the dimensions 60 cm by 70 cm and have done with it? The regulations also stated that the board could not be illuminated. Why? If any sign should be illuminated it is surely the anti-crime signs in residential areas where some of the worst dangers occur during the dark hours of the night. The Chamber believes that these signs should be as visible as possible so that they would act as a deterrent to criminals. In my letter to the Council, I also complained about the insistence on the “portrait” shape of the sign and asked why it could not be turned on its side to give it a “landscape” shape. And what about a triangular sign which will emphasis danger? Please leave some scope for creativity! I was surprised to see that the council had even come up with […]

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