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

Lunchtime Networking Event – Tygerberg & Winelands Chapters

26th July 2017 12:00

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How to produce a Business Plan for a new venture - Workshop

27th July 2017 08:30

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Junk Status: How this will impact South Africa's Economy, Business and Citizens

27th July 2017 10:00

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Brand Positioning Workshop 101

28th July 2017 08:00

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Cape Chamber Central Chapter Coffee Club

1st August 2017 08:00

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How to successfully induct a member into a team Workshop

1st August 2017 08:30

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How business can develop and implement an effective Talent Management Strategy

2nd August 2017 14:00

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How to Create Health & Wellness in Your Workplace Workshop

3rd August 2017 08:30

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LATEST NEWS

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 […]

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 […]

Featured Item Press Releases

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 […]

ED’s Blog Featured Item

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

Featured Item Press Releases

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 […]

Featured Item Press Releases

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 […]

ED’s Blog Featured Item

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 […]

Featured Item Press Releases

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 […]

Featured Item Press Releases

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 […]

ED’s Blog Featured Item

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 […]

Featured Item Press Releases

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 […]

ED’s Blog Featured Item

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 […]

ED’s Blog Featured Item

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 […]

Featured Item Press Releases

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 […]

Featured Item Press Releases

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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