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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

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Cape Chamber Central Chapter Coffee Club

5th February 2019 08:00

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Business Writing & Email Writing Skills - Workshop

5th February 2019 08:30

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VAT Masterclass 2-Day Workshop

5th February 2019 09:00

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Cape Chamber welcomes the Diplomatic and Consular Corps to Cape Town

6th February 2019 14:30

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Office Administration - Workshop

7th February 2019 08:30

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Debt Collecting with Assertiveness and Conflict Management -Workshop

12th February 2019 08:30

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Intellectual Property: What you need to know about the law

13th February 2019 17:00

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Payroll Innovation - What makes payroll so intriguingly innovative today?

14th February 2019 11:00

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Events

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LATEST NEWS

9 Jan
Eskom’s 59% tariff increase over three years

Eskom’s 59% tariff increase over three years

The Eskom disaster has reached a stage where its problems can no longer be solved by price increases and drastic action is now required. In fact price increases will make things worse and reduce Eskom’s chances of recovery. One of the problems was that Eskom’s request for three 15% increases for the next three years did not tell the full story. Nersa has already granted an increase of 4.41% and when we add this to 15% we are already looking at an increase of nearly 20% in year one. The next 15% increase will be applied to a tariff that has already been increased and the third 15% increase will apply to a tariff that has already been increased twice so the total increase over three years will be nearly 59% and not the 45% that has been reported. The second problem is that demand for electricity is falling and would continue to fall as people turned to alternatives like gas, more efficient electric appliances and LED lighting. The only solution is to reduce costs. We know from independent studies that Eskom is over staffed by about 60% and that salaries are much higher than similar utility companies in other […]

Featured Item Press Releases
7 Jan
2018 matriculants do well to improve pass rate

2018 matriculants do well to improve pass rate

The matrics of 2018 have done well to improve the pass rate in difficult circumstances but there is still a great deal of room for improvement in the basic standard of education in the country. Some of the stories of individual successes against all the odds have been truly inspiring and fill us with hope for a better South Africa. The class of 2018 had to cope with an array of modern distractions like social media yet they still managed to do the work and produce the results. They deserve our congratulations. However it’s important not to be carried away by the success of the few because the real challenge is to improve the literacy and numeracy of the many. Politicians are rightly concerned about the number of learners who fall by the way before matric, but I believe there is a bigger challenge for the future and that is to make sure our education system produces matriculants who are equipped to deal with the changing demands of the modern world. There is no doubt that we are becoming more reliant on technology and this meant more emphasis should be placed on the STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and maths. Students […]

Featured Item Press Releases
12 Dec
Breaking the Eskom monopoly

Breaking the Eskom monopoly

The ongoing threat of load shedding means that breaking the Eskom monopoly and allowing the Cape Town City Council to buy electricity from independent power producers has become an urgent matter. The City has already made an application to the High Court to be allowed to deal directly with IPP’s but its arguments were based largely on the threat of climate change and the court decided that it was not an urgent matter. The situation has now changed and we are living with a daily threat of load shedding. We urge the City Council to again approach the court with new evidence and a request for the matter to be treated as urgent. Cape Town is already buying surplus electricity from people who have installed rooftop solar panels but in small quantities. One of the problems is that joining the electricity department’s scheme to have their solar panel tied to the grid is expensive. The City charges R450 a month to connect solar to the grid and R8 000 for a new meter. One member of the Chamber said it was unlikely that he could sell enough surplus electricity to recover the monthly fee and the cost of the meter was […]

Featured Item Press Releases
11 Dec
Cape Town voted best City in the World for six years in a row

Cape Town voted best City in the World for six years in a row

The Chamber is delighted that Cape Town has been voted the best City in the world by the conservative readers of Britain’s Daily Telegraph for the sixth year in a row. The news comes a week after Cape Town was voted as the second best city by a much wider audience of the magazine Travel and Leisure. We should bear in mind that we are being judged largely as a holiday city and as a summer refuge for “swallows” from the northern countries. This is also a great compliment to the people of Cape Town who have made visitors so welcome. As a city we still have many challenges ahead of us but this accolade should spur us on to extend the City’s international appeal well beyond the tourist season. We should also bear in mind that the Telegraph readers are sick and tired of the Brexit debate and that this has probably put them off Europe but it was satisfying to note that Cape Town came out ahead of Tokyo, Vancouver, New York, Sydney and San Francisco as well as the historic Italian cities of Venice, Florence and Rome. Janine Myburgh President of the Cape Chamber

Featured Item Press Releases
5 Dec
Business needs to be less reliant on Eskom power

Business needs to be less reliant on Eskom power

Eskom’s problems will take many months or even years to fix and the Chamber believes it is time for businesses to plan to be less reliant on Eskom power. The City of Cape Town has already gone to court in a bid to get round the Eskom monopoly and be allowed to buy electricity directly from independent power producers. This is a good move and we applaud the City for taking the initiative. But it is not enough. Business has to do its own planning. Eskom’s main problems are the coal supply and the lack of maintenance on its generating plants. South Africa has huge reserves of coal but the problem is that most of this coal is being transported by road at great cost and that problem will not go away quickly. Eskom has failed to develop the mines near the power stations and to do so now will cost money that Eskom doesn’t have and it will take years. Maintenance problems are partly the result of a loss of skills and, once again, there’s no quick fix. If the City wins its case to buy power directly from independent power producers all the necessary investment will come from the private […]

Featured Item Press Releases
5 Dec
Economic growth shows we’re regaining lost ground

Economic growth shows we’re regaining lost ground

Economic growth of 2.2% in the third quarter of this year is encouraging but South Africa has a long way to go before it shakes off the effects of policy confusion and under investment. The figures show that the big problem is the mining industry which slumped by 8.8%. This is a self-inflicted wound and stems from the policies the government planned to introduce in the Zuma years which had the effect of discoursing investment in new mines and exploration. It will take a long time to catch up. Also encouraging is the 6.5% growth in agriculture despite drought problems in parts of the country. This matters because agriculture is a big employer and it is a timely reminder of the expropriation threats to this growing industry. It is an industry which is vital and we can’t afford to see it go the same way as mining. Prospects for the Western Cape are also improving after the drought and the indications are that we are in for a good tourism season. The film industry is also recovering and it is now clear that we are regaining ground lost last summer. Janine Myburgh President of the Chamber

Featured Item Press Releases
3 Dec
Significant drop in fuel prices ahead of the festive period

Significant drop in fuel prices ahead of the festive period

The Chamber has welcomed the significant drop in the price of both diesel and petrol as a Christmas bonus for the hard-pressed people of South Africa. It will make a big difference to the holiday season and we could see a boost in internal tourism. This will be welcome after the tourism losses during last year’s drought. The second thing to note was that we were having to deal with fairly wild fluctuations in fuel prices and this made planning difficult for business. I understand that the reasons were that the exchange rate and the oil price both moved in our favour at the same time, but we need to find ways to stabilize the prices. I know that these are factors beyond our control but we must bear them in mind in the review of the fuel price review. The priority has to be to get our economy performing again to remove most of the exchange control variations. In the short term we should make the most of the Christmas bonus and try to put some money away to help us deal with the inevitable increases next year. We know that OPEC and the Russians have already agreed to reduce their […]

Featured Item Press Releases
7 Nov
Anger and excitement at last night’s Rumble in the Urban Jungle

Anger and excitement at last night’s Rumble in the Urban Jungle

There was both anger and excitement at last night’s Rumble in the Urban Jungle debate but it proved to be a good opportunity to examine widely differing points of view on land expropriation and the consequences for the economy of the country. The debate was organised by the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry and sponsored by Nandos. The participants were Andile Mngxitama of Black First Land First and economist Dawie Roodt. Events of this nature encourag people to face up to difficult issues and unpack the various aspects of the problem. I wish to thank everyone present for taking part in the robust but respectful debate and hope that it brings us a little closer to a solution. In the debate Dr Roodt argued that land was not the real issue as it did not have any intrinsic value and that it was only modern farming methods, technology and investment that gave land its value. Because of this any piece of land in South Africa was at least a 100 times more productive than it had originally been. He said surveys showed that only 5% of black people considered land to be the most important issue facing the country. The […]

Featured Item Press Releases
5 Nov
Gang violence giving Cape Town a dangerous reputation

Gang violence giving Cape Town a dangerous reputation

The recent murder of city advocate Pete Mihalik in a gangland style “hit” brings home the urgency of dealing with the criminal gangs who are giving Cape Town a dangerous reputation. It came just a few days before the new anti-gang unit lead by top cop Major-General Jeremy Vearey went live on Thursday, November 1. We have a situation where the gangs are out of control and desperate measures are needed. Any fatal shooting is bad but murder in front of a school, women and children shows a complete disregard for society and civilised values. We are dealing with the worst kind of thugs who have taken the law into their own hands and believe they can get away with it. The fact that the victim was a member of the legal profession and that his young son was also shot shows contempt for everything we believe in. Major-General Vearey faced a huge challenge but I would like to assure him that the Chamber and all the law-abiding people of Cape Town are behind him and wish him every success. Some of the gangs have been in existence for 50 years and clearly new thinking and new methods are needed. From […]

Featured Item Press Releases
1 Nov
Unemployment rises in third quarter but improvements are expected

Unemployment rises in third quarter but improvements are expected

It’s disappointing to see a further increase in the unemployment figures for the third quarter of the but we expect an improvement in the fourth quarter. In the Western Cape we’re still feeling the effects of the drought but there are encouraging signs that the new tourism season will improve the situation. In addition the film industry seems to be active again and we are now in the growing season for agriculture so that should also mean more jobs, even if they’re of a seasonal nature. Generally, unemployment rates in the Western Cape are significantly lower than those for the other provinces but that only means we are doing less badly than the country as a whole. The national problem is overwhelming and that encourages migration to the Cape. The hard fact of the matter is that in the third quarter of the year 127 000 people lost their jobs taking the jobless total to 6.21 million. Only 92 000 new jobs were created. In percentage terms the unemployment rate increased from 27.2% to 27.5%, giving South Africa one of the highest unemployment rates in the world. Making it worse is that our population is growing faster than the economy and […]

Featured Item Press Releases
29 Oct
Nando’s to fire up the Rumble on expropriation

Nando’s to fire up the Rumble on expropriation

Expropriation laid bare in upcoming ‘Rumble in the Urban Jungle’ The Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry, together with Nando’s, is hosting a debate on the hottest topic in town: land expropriation without compensation. This ‘heavydebate championship’ will be between the leader of Black First Land First – Comrade Andile Mngxitama, and Dawie Roodt – the acclaimed economist of the Efficient Group. The land issue and expropriation without compensation have been at the centre of public debate for nearly a year, but most of the discussion has been at a fairly academic level. We feel it is now time that we overcome the raw emotions and start to deal with the facts. We appreciate that the choice of speakers is somewhat controversial, but we want to cover as full a spectrum as possible, so that we can move from having an opinion to taking a stance. A positive business climate requires certainty. The issue of land expropriation without compensation has created anything but certainty. And this event intends to change that. If you have any interest in our economic future, this is one event not to be missed. Nando’s believes that the best way to develop policies that’ll benefit the […]

Featured Item Press Releases
25 Oct
Mid-term budget policy speech focusses on implementation, better management and accountability

Mid-term budget policy speech focusses on implementation, better management and accountability

The Chamber is pleased to see the mid-term budget policy speech focus on implementation, better management and accountability. These have been missing factors in the past and they led to the huge leakage of money and corruption in the administration of the country. Good policies and plans mean nothing if they are not well implemented and that is what the Minister of Finance, Mr Tito Mboweni, has promised. I was also pleased to see that he promised action against officials found wanting in the Auditor General’s reports. These measures are necessary to repair the damage done by years of slack management and corruption. Unfortunately the numbers on our economic growth and rising debt levels are weak and they won’t help us to attract the new investment we need. But there are some positives. We are be delighted to learn that the backlog in VAT refunds will be dealt with and that could give a lot of relief to struggling businesses. The Chamber is also pleased to see a new attitude toward the private sector. The promise to demolish the walls between the public and private sectors is welcomed as is the belief in partnerships with seasoned professionals from the private sector. […]

Featured Item Press Releases
19 Oct
WC Cabinet changes make a great deal of sense

WC Cabinet changes make a great deal of sense

The changes in the Western Cape Cabinet were inevitable as Mr Dan Plato returns to the City Council as the new Mayor but they make a great deal of sense. Mr Alan Winde has done an outstanding job as Minister of Economic Opportunities but he, too, will soon be moving on to become the Province’s new Premier. Allowing him to take over as Minister of Safety and Security will broaden his experience in preparation for his new responsibilities. Ms Beverley Schafer’s move from DA chief whip to Economic Development and Agriculture gives her a chance to settle in before next year’s election. She has already indicated that she will continue the policies put in place by Mr Alan Winde. Ms Schafer has big shoes to fill but her commitment to creating an enabling environment for business is a good start. We can assure her of the support of the Chamber as she goes about this work. The economic performance of the Western Cape has been good compared to other provinces and the national government, but we still need to do better. It will be a big challenge and we will watch the performance of the new minister with interest and encouragement. […]

Featured Item Press Releases
19 Oct
Exporter of the Year 2018 – Winners

Exporter of the Year 2018 – Winners

Research Unit, a firm which manufactures designer handbags, and All Women Recycling which makes gifts and gadgets from used plastic were the big winners at last night’s Exporter of the Year Gala Awards Dinner. The competition which is in its 28th year is organised by the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry and sponsored by the Export Credit Insurance Corporation. For the first time in the history of the competition one firm, Research Unit, won four awards while All Women Recycling won three. Research Unit was the overall winner of the ECIC/Cape Chamber award as well as winners of the Transnet Port Terminals award for Manufacturing, the Small Exporter category and the Innovation award. All Women Recycling won the Finex SA award for the best non-engineering exporter, the Cape Chamber award for Design, and the Nedbank award for Transformation. Folio Online, a translation service, won the Gerald Wolman award for excellence in doing business in Africa. The overall winners were announced at a Gala Dinner at the Westin Hotel, Cape Town on the 18th October 2018. Certificates were also presented to three outstanding business women from the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge, Dr Birgit Andrag of By den Weg and Jill Byssche […]

Featured Item Press Releases
17 Oct
Who’s land is it anyway? Mngxitama VS Roodt – Rumble in the Urban Jungle

Who’s land is it anyway? Mngxitama VS Roodt – Rumble in the Urban Jungle

The land issue and expropriation will be the subject of the next Rumble in the Urban Jungle on 6th November. The two prize fighters in the “heavydebate championsip of South Africa” will be Comrade Andile Mngxitama, the fearless leader of Black First Land First and Dawie Roodt, the brave and acclaimed chief economist of the Efficient Group. The bout takes place over two rounds after a dinner at the Cape Sun. It will be followed by a question and answer session with the audience. The land issue and expropriation without compensation has been at the centre of public debate for nearly a year. Most of the discussion has been at a fairly academic level and the Chamber felt that it was time to get down to basics and look at the facts as well as the emotions. We warn that some of the debate could be rather raw and it won’t be for the squeamish or the politically correct. Sometimes one has to push arguments rather hard to get the message across, but perhaps that is what’s needed at this time. The combatants will be dealing with questions like “whose land is it, anyway?” and we can expect the facts […]

Featured Item Press Releases
10 Oct
Will the new Finance Minister bring some stability to SA’s finances?

Will the new Finance Minister bring some stability to SA’s finances?

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry hopes that the appointment of the former Governor of the Reserve Bank, Tito Mboweni, as the new Finance Minister will bring some stability to South Africa’s finances. It will be a very difficult job with most of the State Owned Enterprises in a state of virtual bankruptcy and little prospect of the economic growth we desperately need. Mr Mboweni has a solid background and he earned respect as governor of the Reserve Bank, but the new challenge will be the ultimate test. The post of finance minister had been bedevilled by politics in recent years so it is to the country’s advantage to have someone in the position who has not been involved in the political scrap. What we need now is clear financial planning and not political thinking. There will be some very difficult decisions ahead, especially on the future of the SOE’s. We wish him well and we can assure him of the support of business as he tries to steady the ship and get South Africa moving. Janine Myburgh President of the Cape Chamber

Featured Item Press Releases
1 Oct
Water restrictions relaxed from 6B to level 5

Water restrictions relaxed from 6B to level 5

The relaxation of the water restrictions from 6B to level 5 is a welcome respite for the city. We are in a substantially better position than this time last year and we trust that there will be no Day Zero in our future. We don’t have the mineral wealth of Gauteng, nor its summer rainfall, so water plays a key role in our tourism and agriculture industry. We are encouraged by the water savings at a domestic, commercial level and industrial level. We urge all users of this precious resource to continue on this trajectory. Janine Myburgh President of the Cape Chamber

Featured Item Press Releases
1 Oct
Simultaneous torching of three Metrorail trains

Simultaneous torching of three Metrorail trains

The Chamber is most concerned with the simultaneous torching of three Metrorail trains on Friday. We cannot accept the status quo, where the rail system is supposed to be the backbone of commuter transport, yet is today very far from it. We already have insufficient train sets, and putting more carriages out of commission just exacerbates the problem. It is ironic that the Province and the City have each committed R16 million to train a new unit to enforce security, yet it is PRASA’s R16 million that was only paid of late – many months into the exercise. There are three primary issues that we have identified. These include bringing a climate of law and order into the system, preventing theft of infrastructure and having enough rolling stock. The latest incident affects all three. It is clear that PRASA is simply not capable of operating the service that we need. It is becoming clearer by the day that Metrorail has to be taken out of PRASA’s hands and we should even consider the severe step of privatisation. The Chamber supports the call for a state of emergency to be declared, so that more national resources will be released to counter the […]

Featured Item Press Releases
1 Oct
Fuel prices to reach most expensive level yet

Fuel prices to reach most expensive level yet

The Cape Chamber is disappointed, but not surprised, with the increase in fuel prices which will reach its most expensive level yet on Wednesday. Unfortunately this is to be expected with the weakened rand and the crude oil increase – a situation that we predicted early September that might result in a shock increase. This shock increase is now a reality. Coupled with a shrinking economy, this fuel increase is particularly onerous on both business and domestic users. Much of the damage has unfortunately been self-inflicted with widespread corruption, mismanagement of our State Owned Enterprises and the looming expropriation issue not engendering any confidence in investors. South Africa has so much potential, yet we seem to be pushing down on the accelerator, hoping to go faster, yet pushing as hard as we can on the brakes at the same time. The result is that we are going nowhere – fast. Janine Myburgh President of the Cape Chamber

Featured Item Press Releases
21 Sep
Visa regulations to be revised

Visa regulations to be revised

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that visa regulations for tourists are to be revised to ease their entry into South Africa. This will make a big difference in the Western Cape which has invested heavily in its thriving tourist industry. The stimulus package is generally positive and it has certainly brightened the outlook for the country. What the visa changes show is that ways can be found to boost the economy without spending money. Sometimes all the government has to do is remove the hurdles and growth will take place. The Chamber would now like to see a systematic search for hurdles and red tape to free up the economy and give business the space to grow and create jobs. The visa problems and the solutions have been set out very clearly for the government only to be met with stubborn resistance and a refusal to understand the damage being done to the economy and job creation. Finally, someone has listened, but why do we always have to fight against brick walls? We’ve also welcomed plans to develop agriculture but warned against simplistic views on land reform. Successful agriculture depends […]

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ABOUT CAPE CHAMBER

Established in 1804, the Cape Chamber of Commerce is the oldest member-based organisation in Africa. The Chamber has remained contemporary and relevant with a wide range of services, including information, training, networking, trade facilitation and robust advocacy on behalf of our members. We are the voice of business.

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