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

SEDA Funding for Small Business

16th August 2017 12:00

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Perfect your Telephone Etiquette Workshop

17th August 2017 08:30

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Social Media for the Eyes and Ears: YouTube and SoundCloud

18th August 2017 08:00

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Khayelitsha Chapter - A Business Start-Up Workshop

21st August 2017 10:00

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Powerful Presentation Skills Workshop

22nd August 2017 08:30

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Helderberg Chapter Cocktail Networking event - Women making a difference in the Helderberg

22nd August 2017 18:00

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ECIC/Cape Chamber: Taking Exporting to the next level

23rd August 2017 10:00

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Agri Sector Status – 2017: Western Cape overview

23rd August 2017 13:30

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LATEST NEWS

15 Aug

Credibility of campaigns against women abuse undermined by cabinet

The credibility of Women’s Day and government campaigns against the abuse of women have been undermined by two members of the cabinet. The actions of deputy Higher Education Minister, Mduduzi Manana, who has admitted assaulting two women outside a night club and his defence by ANC woman’s league president, Bathabile Dlamini, are a major setback for gender equality and fairness. Women’s right are so important, we have a public holiday to further the cause and celebrate the contributions women have made to the country and all this is betrayed by the scandalous behaviour of someone who, as a person responsible for the education of children, should set an example. The sheer hypocrisy and the obviously scripted apology was nauseating and did little to repair the damage. As Forrest Gump’s mother said in the movie ‘handsome is as handsome does’ and we have seen something decidedly unhandsome. The deputy minister has proved himself to be grotesque. Of greater concern was the fact that Minister Dlamini said there were other senior government leaders who were even worse. This tells us that the bullying and assaulting of women is tolerated at very high levels. She seems to be telling us that this assault was […]

15 Aug

Vote of No Confidence: What the DA got wrong

Vote of No Confidence: What the DA got wrong Mmusi Maimane made a lucid and compelling plea for members of the ANC to support the no confidence vote in our President. However, he failed to convince enough ANC MP’s to vote in favour, with the result that the motion was defeated. The problem was that although it was painted as the right thing to do for the good of the country, it missed a crucial point: wiifm (what’s in it for me). If we look at studies in behavioural economics, people are risk averse when it comes to potential losses, so if Maimane identified what they had to lose, they would behave in a way that would mitigate that risk. So what did the ANC have to lose if the motion was defeated? Well, firstly, we need to look at the gain – which quite simply was that they could show a united front against the onslaught of opposition parties – that the ANC was still a strong organisation that would not bend to the dictates of those who did not identify with the struggle for democracy. What Maimane should have done, was to point out what the ANC had […]

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7 Aug

Urging our Members to support the march to Parliament

We, the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, urge our members to support the peaceful march to Parliament to protest against corruption and state capture. We have reached a state where it has become necessary for all good men and women to stage a public demonstration of support for real democracy and the values enshrined in our Constitution. We cannot prescribe to our members but we believe they share our values and will support our actions. We have given our own staff permission to participate in the march. In addition, we have written to Federation of Unions of South Africa to assure them of our support for their role in the demonstration. It’s now necessary for both organised business and labour to stand together and say enough. The people of South Africa have been the victims of massive theft while the authorities have done little to bring the criminals to book. We hope the collaboration between organised business and labour will mark the beginning of a new co-operative approach to find lasting solutions to the country’s social and political problems. The country is crying out for new leadership and we will support every lawful and peaceful attempt to achieve this aim. […]

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7 Aug

Be careful what you tell yourself – it could very well be true

Be careful what you tell yourself – it could very well be true Like all humans, we eventually reduce every confusing element of our life down to two questions: Where did we come from and why are we here? According to David McRaney, the author of You can beat your brain, all groups and cultures ask these questions and existentially speaking, some find an answer while others are content to live their lives without an explanation. The emerging field of narrative psychology adds a third fundamental question: Why do you want to know the answer to these questions in the first place? Dan MacAdams (as quoted by McRaney) asserts that, when your attempts to put together a narrative fail you, that’s when you free-fall into malaise and stagnation. Without a narrative, our wants, needs and goals fall apart and that is why people often lose themselves after retirement. Storytelling appears in every human culture, and according to MacAdams ‘to make meaning is to create dynamic narrative that render sensible and coherent the seeming chaos of human existence.” There has to be a reason for you to get up. This may be as base as slogging through another day, but meaning […]

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4 Aug

SA does not yet realise the true cost of corruption

South Africans do not yet realise the true cost of corruption and the long-term damage it has already done to the country. Corruption leads to bad decisions as we have already seen with PRASA and its purchases of locomotives totally unsuitable for local conditions. When decisions are taken on the basis of the kick-backs on offer we end up paying too much for unsuitable goods or services. We end up with inferior equipment that costs more than the quality products that would have done a better job The effect of the bad decisions have accumulated and that is one of the main reasons for the breakdown in service delivery. The Gupta leaks have given us a frightening picture of the way procurement decisions have been made and the many billions of rands lost through over-payment. Now we must deal with the enablers and those who covered up corruption. Fortunately there were enough honest people who were now taking great personal risks to leak information to the public. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude and at the same time we must encourage more people to come forward with more information. The balance was starting to tip in favour of […]

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3 Aug

It will be unfortunate if the City Partnership is unable to continue

It will be unfortunate if the City Partnership is unable to continue but there is no threat to the essential task of keeping the central city clean and safe. The original task of the partnership, which was created by the SA Property Owners Association, the Chamber of Commerce and the City, was to restore order to the streets of the city by increasing security and cleansing services and it carried out this work with distinction. The partnership also succeeded in solving graffiti problem and dealing with the aggressive car guards who had taken over the City’s parking meters. This work was taken over by the Central City Improvement District in 2007 while the City Partnership focused on more general development issues. Fortunately, the CCID has maintained the standards set by the original partnership and the improvement district continues to be a model for both the City and the country. They have done outstanding work over the years and deserve our congratulations. Without the work they did we would not have the thriving tourist industry that has brought so much life, opportunities and jobs to Cape Town. Janine Myburgh President of the Cape Chamber

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1 Aug

Help us support our children

As part of our Women’s Day celebrations in August, the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be collecting and donating sanitary towels to learners who live in disadvantaged communities. Many girls in disadvantaged communities do not have access to sanitary towels and are unable to attend school during their menstrual cycle. The Chamber would like to assist with their education by providing them with this basic necessity. Should you wish to help us with this initiative please send your donations by 8 August 2017 to: Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, 33 Martin Hammerschlag Way and we will receive your donations at our offices on the 4th floor of the building, or if you wish to assist with a cash donation for the purchase of sanitary towels, then please contact us on Tel: 021 4024300 or email: carmen@capechamber.co.za

Why wait to build trust when you can generate it?

Why wait to build trust when you can generate it? People buy from people they like and trust. All things being equal that is (but admittedly there comes a point where price saving compensates for lack of trust). There are a probably a number of attributes (that differ across product classes) that affect the relationship between the consumer and the brand, but I would postulate that trust ranks pretty much up there. Today, there are so many features on electronic products that it makes it difficult to rank them in preference. We have to go with how we feel about the brand. Or the salesperson. In the book Pres-suasion by Robert Cialdini, he relates the story of how Jim (his real name) managed to induce trust during the sales process of a somewhat complicated product. Jim’s company made expensive heat-activated home fire alarm systems. Pretty serious stuff. Trust, according to Cialdini, is one of those qualities that leads to compliance with requests, provided it has been planted before the request is made. The sales sequence taught to Jim and all the sales reps, was pretty standard. After a bit of small talk to build rapport, the prospects (usually a couple) […]

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27 Jul

Five remarkable SA business women chosen to receive awards from IWEC

Five remarkable South African business women have been chosen to receive awards from the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. They were nominated by the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry and they all run multi-million rand businesses with and combined annual turnover of nearly half a billion rands. They are: • Lesley Waterkeyn who runs Colourworks, an advertising and marketing company. • Vino Govender, who runs LA Consulting Engineers. • Tara and Tiffany Turkington, two sisters who run Flow Communications. • Savanah Maziya Danson who runs the Bunengi Group which specialises in project development in infrastructure, agriculture and natural resources. A fifth award goes to Jill Bysshe who runs National Ethical Trading, a company that deals with natural and organic products. Her award will take the form of a mentorship programme to help accelerate growth in her business. It’s inspiring to see these women building successful businesses in a difficult economic climate. They embody the spirit of enterprise that we so desperately need in this country and they set an outstanding example for others. The awards will be presented at a conference in Seattle in November. They will also meet other winners from different parts […]

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24 Jul

When PowerPoint is your cash register

When PowerPoint’s your cash register The cash register in a company is often the PowerPoint presentation (not just the PowerPoint, but the whole package that comes with it – which is usually you). Although we frequently sell our work (or rather ourselves) on paper, and even sometimes verbally; in many cases the success of the sale depends on the persuasion of the PowerPoint presentation. Unfortunately, we often use PowerPoint as a drunk uses a lamppost – more for support than illumination. We place an extreme amount of focus on our product or service and yet we will spend very little time on effective presentation to sell that product or service. That’s like giving your wife a Gucci handbag wrapped in newspaper. Or your husband a radio controlled plane without the batteries. It’s about control Contrary to popular belief, the product does not sell itself. If presentation skills are so important – and they are the veritable buttons on the cash register, why do we just plug away, using whatever natural talents we were blessed with, to stand up in front of a critical audience and state our case? Having control of your bodily functions (in the non-gastrointestinal sense) is crucial […]

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17 Jul

Creative Destruction and Schumpeter’s Gale

Creative Destruction and Schumpeter’s Gale In the early 1900s, the economist Joseph Schumpeter coined the term Creative Destruction (also known as Schumpeter’s Gale). Basically (and I am probably upsetting a few ‘real’ economists here) creative destruction describes an economic order that can only develop out of the destruction of some prior economic order. [1] We can draw the conclusion that (although I have probably drawn it to its limit), that there is no such thing as a generic winning formula, because the market is in a constant state of flux. That means, what worked for company X may not work for company Y, especially in a different time and space. Also, with the exception of a few companies (so far), profitability of the individual firm itself does not endure, due to the erosive forces of imitation, competition and profit-taking that continuously change the landscape. What Creative Destruction then infers. is that you can never get the same result as a successful competitor by just copying that competitor – unless you are that successful competitor. Feelosophy The previous sentence is somewhat reminiscent of the philosophical debate that has been raging since 1270 on the question “How many angels can dance on […]

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17 Jul

Eskom considers paying their Executives R5.5m bonuses

The time to consider bonuses for Eskom executives will come when they start cancelling corrupt contracts and recovering stolen funds and not a day before. This comes after weekend reports that the Eskom board wanted to pay bonuses totalling R5.5m to three of its most controversial executives. I am amazed that bonuses have even been mentioned. It shows that the Eskom board has no understanding of the damage it has done to the South African economy, the reputation of the country or of the anger of their customers. Over the past 10 years, a succession of boards and well-paid executives has presided over the decent of Eskom from one of the top five utility companies in the world to junk status. How is it possible to even think about paying bonuses for such a disastrous performance? The country now needs to see the Asset Forfeiture Unit swing into action. There is more than enough evidence to justify the seizure of at least one coal mine that I can think of, and that’s just for starters. The whole electricity industry is changing with the advent of renewables. Eskom needs a board which understands the challenges that lie ahead and not one with […]

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11 Jul

Five reasons clients reject their advertising

Five reasons clients reject their advertising The agency gets the brief – they do the work – they show the work and get either a yay or a nay. The work is probably of a high standard, so when it is rejected they probably feel the pain acutely. However, if agencies knew the secret sauce, the frequency of rejections should decrease markedly and so should the term ‘Oh well, back to the drawing board’. Here’s the problem: agencies are just taking briefs. They should never be taken; briefs are there to be discovered. The agency is not there to answer the client’s brief – they are there to solve the client’s problem. There’s a big difference. We often ask ourselves what do we need to do to sell the product, when sometimes it’s better to ask why people don’t buy (more) of the product. Surely if you provide an answer, there must be a question? That’s why work gets rejected so often – it does not answer a question. There is no problem, so the ‘solution’ is either liked or disliked by the client – whatever takes their intuitive fancy. Granted, the more seasoned the client, the more accurate their […]

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7 Jul

ICC finds that South Africa had a duty to arrest the Sudanese President

The decision of the International Criminal Court finding that South Africa had a duty to arrest Sudanese president, Omaar al-Bashire, should come as no surprise since it is in line with the decisions made by our own courts. Unfortunately it will be a mark against South Africa’s name and undermine trust in the country. We cannot choose which international agreements to observe and which to ignore when we are a party to those agreements. If we do that there will be no point in making agreements with South Africa. South Africa had once been seen as the polecat of the world and the last thing we need is to re-earn that epithet. Unfortunately, ignoring the commitment and defying our own courts is also in line with recent decisions to avoid prosecuting political and well-placed executives against whom there is growing evidence of corruption. We are approaching territory where we allow the powers that be to choose which laws and commitments they enforce. That is dangerous, undemocratic territory and we must retreat from it before it is too late. Janine Myburgh President of the Cape Chamber

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3 Jul

Mandela Day – Want to make a difference? Be involved!

With the country in recession and the daily stories on corruption, it has never been more important to remember and to honour the values Nelson Mandela gave to the new South Africa. He said: “I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities.” We can best do this by reaching out to a community less fortunate than we are. This year the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry will celebrate Mandela Day holding out a hand to the people of Lavender Hill. You are welcome to join the Chamber staff who will be serving bread and fruit at the CAFDA Family Centre in Grassy Park on Tuesday, July 18. Help us add meaning to the occasion by donating warm clothes, non-perishable food and blankets before noon on Monday, July 17. Our address is 33 Martin Hammerschlag Way and we will receive your donations at our offices on the 4th floor of the building. For more information please contact Mary-Jean Thomas-Johnson on 021 402 4300 or email mj@capechamber.co.za

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3 Jul

South African Airways has been given another R2.3 billion bail-out

South African Airways has been on life support for far too long and it’s time to pull the plug. SAA is an essentially commercial operation and, as such, I do not believe it is entitled to regular financial transfusions from South African tax payers. If it stopped operating tomorrow it would not be missed. Other airlines would simply step in to fill the gap and we would no longer have to pay billions of rands every year to keep it going. It is wasteful spending. Telkom, which does provide an essential service, have been successfully privatised and is now a taxpayer rather than a drain on precious state resources. Kulula.com have proved that it is able to make a profit and pay taxes in the market where SAA is failing. The country would be better off with additional private airlines that provided good services and paid taxes. SAA has been given every possible opportunity to sort itself out and it has failed every time. It’s like a terminally ill patient who has been on life support for years and now the time has come to pull the plug. Instead it had been given another R2.3 billion bail-out even though there […]

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3 Jul

How to sell crazy ideas

How to sell crazy ideas With the world just a click away, the new competitive currency is ideas. Crazy ones. After all, who was crazy enough to think you could sell insurance on the net? 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 you can’t sell it to the rest of your team. Vital organs So, how do you sell crazy ideas? Just as a rugby ball needs to be well placed before kicking for posts, you need to set up the problem to enable conversion. That simply means phrasing the problem in a certain way. Say you are asked to prepare a campaign to increase the awareness of organ donation. You could come back with an awareness campaign communicating that you may very well save a life if you register as an organ donor. However, here’s the award-winning campaign by Leo Burnett Tailor Made for the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplantation as described by D&AD [1]: (Image extracted from the D&AD website) People are not shocked by the burying of organs. But they are by […]

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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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