Major Chambers of Commerce affiliated with ASAC, not with SACCI (South African Chamber of Commerce & Industry)

The major Chambers of Commerce & Industry in South Africa wish to make it clear that we are not in any way affiliated to the South African Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SACCI), we are affiliated under the Association of South African Chambers (ASAC).

The Association of South African Chambers (ASAC) is a voluntary apolitical association established in 2019 by the country’s largest chambers, namely the Cape Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Durban Chamber of Commerce & Industry Pietermaritzburg & Midlands Chamber of Business, Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, Border Kei Chamber of Business and the Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce & Industry. A number of other Chambers have subsequently affiliated.

The aim of the Association is organised business sustainability. This requires that ASAC give voice to shared business challenges and represent the mandated and agreed common interests of members on national issues of a policy and/or regulatory nature.

SACCI does not represent our views. We particularly wish to distance ourselves from the position taken by the President of SACCI in a recent television interview regarding the DTIC’s proposed transformation fund.

ASAC embraces transformation as an economic imperative but supports Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) in opposing the establishment of such a fund.

Firstly, because we already have a mechanism in place (BBBEE) so this would amount to a form of double-taxation, and secondly, we are of the strong opinion that it will not yield the desired outcome. We are at the coalface of business, empowering black-owned enterprises and supporting their sustainability as part of our mandate, so we know what interventions are working and which are not. Business doesn’t need an additional tax, we need government to enable us to do what we do best and to create an enabling environment for our members to operate in.

It’s becoming more and more impossible for local companies to compete globally, given the operating environment, and we’re making it increasingly difficult to attract the level of investment that we need to address our unacceptably high levels of unemployment.

The DTIC has for years neglected its primary mandate, which is to create an enabling environment that stimulates investment and growth.

Onerous policies and an unconducive environment are what’s causing the South African economy to seriously underperform, so we’d encourage the Minister to prioritize interventions that address these challenges. We really can’t afford to make things worse.

Melanie Veness
Chairperson of ASAC (Association of South African Chambers)