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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 Coast Chapter Networking Breakfast

24th October 2018 08:30

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Cutting Edge Selling Skills - Workshop

25th October 2018 08:30

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Lunchtime Networking Event - Winelands

26th October 2018 12:00

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Information Session on Ukraine

29th October 2018 13:00

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International Trade and Tourism Portfolio Committee - AGOA Workshop

30th October 2018 09:00

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City Meets Cape Flats Business Symposium

31st October 2018 08:00

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How to benefit from B-BBEE if you do it right

31st October 2018 12:00

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VAT Masterclass 2-Day Workshop

1st November 2018 09:00

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Events

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LATEST NEWS

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 […]

Featured Item Press Releases
19 Sep
Alan Winde as the DA’s candidate for premiership is a positive move for business

Alan Winde as the DA’s candidate for premiership is a positive move for business

The nomination of Mr Alan Winde as the DA’s candidate for the premiership of the Western Cape, is a positive move for business and the local economy. What we like about Winde is that he has stayed clear of the political scraps and concentrated on creating economic opportunities and jobs and that is what we need. He was also remarkable for his “open door” evenings in which he welcomed entrepreneurs and business people from all sectors of the economy. He is one of those rare politicians who spends more time listening to people than making speeches. His approach was to enable business and to remove the obstacles to growth such as unnecessary red tape. This policy, which was endorsed by the whole provincial cabinet, is one of the reasons why the Western Cape has performed better than other provinces and why our unemployment rate is significantly below the National unemployment rate. Technology is driving so many changes so fast that new approaches are required to anticipate problems and take early advantage of the opportunities opening up. Old style politicians are not very good at this so we need a new approach and Mr Winde may be the person to provide the […]

Featured Item Press Releases
19 Sep
Chamber welcomes Dan Plato as the City’s Mayor

Chamber welcomes Dan Plato as the City’s Mayor

The Chamber has welcomed the nomination of Mr Dan Plato as the City’s new Executive Mayor. He is well respected and he has more than 20 years of experience in local government both as an official and as a leader. We can now look forward to a calmer and more productive management of the City with fewer storms and distraction. Also important is that he has worked well with the Deputy Mayor, Mr Ian Nielson. Mayor Plato has done the job before and his experience in many areas of the City’s administration makes him the most knowledgeable “new” mayor for many years. In addition, his service in the provincial cabinet has equipped him well to deal with the new challenges the City faces. We need some major repair work to our image after the recent drought. We need to rebuild the film industry and get tourism back onto a growth path. The City and the Province have worked together well to grow the local economy and he is ideally placed to continue this work. The Chamber congratulates him and I would like to assure him that he has the full support of the Chamber and business for this important work. Janine […]

Featured Item Press Releases
10 Sep
Recent violent crimes against Metrorail passengers

Recent violent crimes against Metrorail passengers

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been deeply shocked by the murder, robberies and brutal assaults on Metrorail passengers between Lynedoch and Eerste River at the weekend. What is bitterly disappointing is that it is now clear that the Passenger Rail Agency (PRASA) is falling down on its commitments to upgrade safety and security on the trains’. The details of the attack are sickening and reveal that criminals have a level of contempt for train security and vulnerable passengers that we have not seen before. Unfortunately, it has come at a time when the Province, the City and business have united to help PRASA and Metrorail deal with passenger safety and rail infrastructure sabotage problems. PRASA had signed an agreement to contribute R16 million to a R48 million project to train a new unit to enforce safety on the trains. The Province and the City made similar commitments and the City was busy training recruits at present, but PRASA had failed to come up with its promised contribution. PRASA is fighting a losing battle. The Chamber supports the call for a state of emergency to be declared so that more national resources could be released to counter the […]

Featured Item Press Releases
10 Sep
Relaxation of water restrictions following reasonable rainfall and rising dam levels

Relaxation of water restrictions following reasonable rainfall and rising dam levels

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the slight relaxation of water restrictions following reasonable rainfall and rising dam levels. The Challenge now is to get the message out to tourists and the film industry so that we can revive these sectors. Unfortunately the drought and the Day Zero story made people look elsewhere for holiday destinations and filming locations. They may have liked the alternatives so we will have to fight hard to get the business back. The easing of restrictions on October 1 means that 50 litres per person per day now rises to 70 litres and the tariffs will decrease by 26.6% for those using less than six kilolitres per month. Those using between 10 and 35 kL will see tariffs drop by 56% while those using more than 35 kL will see a 70% reduction in tariffs. The tariff for commerce and industry will be reduced by 18% to R37.5 per kL. It’s unlikely that water use would return to the old levels once the dams were full as businesses and residents had learned to reduce water use and they had invested in water saving devices, tanks and other measures. All this puts us […]

Featured Item Press Releases
4 Sep
5c petrol increase a band aid for a broken leg

5c petrol increase a band aid for a broken leg

The Cape Chamber welcomes the decision not to increase the price of diesel and to reduce the petrol price increase to only 5 cents a litre but warns that this remedy may prove to be a band aid for a broken leg. The problem is that the rand has already weakened further to R15.22 to the US dollar and the price of Brent Crude oil increased to 78 US dollar per barrel. Both numbers are going in the wrong direction for us and it may not be possible to avoid shock increases in October. In addition, South Africa has slipped into a technical recession so a shrinking economy would make dealing with rising fuel prices even more difficult than it has been in recent months. Sadly much of the damage has been self-inflicted. There are international emerging economies problems, but what has really spooked investors is the land issue and expropriation without compensation. We could not have picked a worse time for the debate. This followed even more details on the mismanagement and the corruption in State Owned Enterprises and the country’s credit down-grades. One of the things we need to do to get out of this hole is to […]

Featured Item Press Releases
3 Sep
Cape Chamber Council and Staff sign Plastic Pledge

Cape Chamber Council and Staff sign Plastic Pledge

Members of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry have signed a plastic pledge to tackle the growing problem of plastic pollution. The plastic pledge commits members to supporting the goal of reducing the plastic footprint that is so damaging to our ecological environment. We will promote the drive toward attaining zero packaging waste in landfills, as well as the initiative to ensure that all packaging is either reusable or recyclable and the phasing out of single-use plastics. Awareness of the dangers from the overuse of plastic has increased dramatically in the last year or two and what is now required was a change of thinking. Anyone who recycles household waste quickly realises that most of the waste is plastic and paper and both can be recycled instead of being sent to landfill sites. In spite of this, the use of plastic, especially in the food industry, is increasing and in many shops it is virtually impossible to buy green vegetables that aren’t prepacked in plastic and polystyrene. There is a belief that this somehow adds value but it does not. It adds everlasting plastic to the environment. One problem is that there are many different kinds of plastic and […]

Featured Item Press Releases
29 Aug
14 of Cape Town’s brightest businesswomen heading to Shanghai, China for IWEC

14 of Cape Town’s brightest businesswomen heading to Shanghai, China for IWEC

Fourteen of Cape Towns brightest businesswomen will be heading for Shanghai, China, next month to look for opportunities in Asia and to meet with another 291 outstanding business women from 39 countries. The occasion is the annual conference of the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge (IWEC) and award ceremony. IWEC is a New York based non-profit company with a mission to connect and develop a global network of successful women business owners. The delegation will be led by myself, Janine Myburgh, President of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and includes seven women who have all won IWEC awards in previous years. Also in the party will be Jaqueline Naughton, owner of the BYC Group, who will receive an award this year. The second Cape Town winner, Jill Bysshe, is recovering from a recent motor accident and will not be able to make the trip. IWEC conferences provided a wonderful opportunity for women to inspire each other, exchange ideas, build new business contacts and explore export markets. The women at the conference own businesses which generate a combined revenue of 26.6 billion US dollars a year. I think these numbers tell us that we will be meeting some very dynamic […]

Featured Item Press Releases
29 Aug
2018 IRP is the first credible plan for the country’s energy future

2018 IRP is the first credible plan for the country’s energy future

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry has welcomed the new 2018 IRP as the first credible plan for the country’s energy future in decades. We have not yet been able to study the details but we recognise a new realism and an understanding that new technology will bring fundamental changes to the electricity industry. The Chamber has argued at public hearings before the obsolete 2010 IRP was produced that assumptions on the increased demand for electricity were exaggerated, the cost of nuclear power understated while the cost of renewable energy had been overstated. The new IRP has vindicated the Chamber’s view. The old IRP lead to bad planning and when you add the cost of corruption the result has been crippling increases in electricity tariffs that has seriously undermined economic growth and made alternatives like gas and solar water heating viable alternatives to electricity. We are now using 30% less electricity that the 2010 plan said we would be. The new projections for 2030 look balanced with coal providing 46% of the electricity, wind and gas 15% each and PV solar about 10%. When hydro power is added to the mix roughly half our electricity will come from renewable […]

Featured Item Press Releases
22 Aug
Deliberate destruction of public transport infrastructure

Deliberate destruction of public transport infrastructure

Cape Town is facing a deliberate attempt to destroy its public transport infrastructure and this could have a devastating effect on the local economy. The comment comes after yet another Metrorail coach was torched this week. If you put these arson attacks together with attacks on the signalling system and copper theft which paralyses the rail service it is difficult to draw any other conclusion. Last month there were three arson attacks and a failed one. In July 32 coaches were damaged in attacks which inflicted more than R50m of damage to trains and rail infrastructure. In addition, both Golden Arrow and the MiCiti bus services have lost vehicles in arson attacks. The cumulative damage to Metrorail is staggering for it is now down to just 50 full trainsets and this means it has lost more than 40% of its trains over the last few years and we still don’t know why. Some of the attacks had taken place in the main station in the CBD where one would assume security was good. We are also looking at a failure of law enforcement as neither the Police, the Railway Police or the private security companies employed by Metrorail have been […]

Featured Item Press Releases
21 Aug
The huge role the business community has played in the battle to defeat Day Zero

The huge role the business community has played in the battle to defeat Day Zero

The Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry says it is time to recognise the huge role the business community has played in the battle to defeat Day Zero and equip the city to deal with future droughts. This month we have seen the announcement by Old Mutual that they have taken their whole office complex off the water grid and they deserve our thanks and congratulations. Last month Growthpoint properties took its District building in Woodstock off the grid and announced that it planned to do the same with other buildings in the city. Tsogo Sun is building a desalination plant to supply water to its Cape Town hotels and the V&A Waterfront will do the same. Sea Harvest and the Oceana Fishing group have both built their own sea water desalination plants. The airport company is in the process of taking the entire airport off-grid using underground water, their own filtration plant and they will also inject flood water back into the boreholes. Golden Arrow are using the vast roof space of their bus sheds to collect rain water for their own use. These are just the projects we know about and I have no doubt that there are […]

Featured Item Press Releases
15 Aug
Cape Town named in yet another list of the worlds greatest cities

Cape Town named in yet another list of the worlds greatest cities

Seeing Cape Town named in yet another list of the world’s great cities is an important boost for business confidence at a time when there is a shortage of good economic news. Cape Town was featured as the best city of opportunity in Africa and the 24th best in the world, in a report compiled by the international auditing firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers. I think one of the main reasons for this new success is the co-operation between the private sector and local and provincial government in industries like tourism. We are fortunate in that a lot is being done to create a more enabling environment for business and to reduce red tape. This makes the city more attractive to investors and that creates further opportunities and jobs. Cape Town’s other great advantage is the way in which it connected to the world particularly in the age of the internet. The world is shrinking and that means we are no longer an isolated city on the southern tip of Africa. It’s clear that this connectedness will increase and pointed to the redevelopment of the International Airport. In 10 years most of the international airlines will operate from Cape Town and we will become […]

Featured Item Press Releases
6 Aug
Dispute between Mayor and DA comes to a satisfactory conclusion

Dispute between Mayor and DA comes to a satisfactory conclusion

The Chamber is pleased that the dispute between the Mayor of Cape Town, Ms Patricia de Lille and the DA appears to have come to a satisfactory conclusion. It means that we can once again concentrate of the really important issues for the City rather than these distracting sideshows. We’ve assured the City of the Chamber’s support for good governance although this support could take the form of constructive criticism where necessary. Note that Ms De Lille said she would concentrate on land issues in the three months until her resignation came into effect. I hope this means that there will be a focus on the three old and underused airfields in the City. Young’s Field, Wingfield and Ysterplaat are ideally situation for housing within easy commuting range of the City and the main industrial areas. The Defence force doesn’t need them because it has a modern airfield at Langebaan Road and the main airport is to be enlarged and upgraded. This underused land is an opportunity to solve one of the City’s biggest problems that stemmed from apartheid special planning. Making this land available for housing would also be a massive boost for building, jobs and the local economy. Janine […]

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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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