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Wade Howard, Director and Senior Photographer, OD Media (Pty) Ltd We have just finished covering a conference in Rimini, Italy, and are now enjoying a few days’ holiday. It struck me why our UK-based client of 11 years keeps asking a company on the other side of the world to work for them. We are often asked this question by delegates when they say, “You came all the way from South Africa?” Here are a few reasons why international and local clients keep coming back, and how businesses can build long-lasting relationships through service and consistency. Going the Extra Mile South Africans have a reputation for being hard workers who are not afraid to get stuck in. These conferences, for example, last four days and the days often run from 7am until 10pm or even midnight. We are paid to be there, so we work whatever hours are needed to get the job done. Part of this comes from my own passion to always get the best photo I have ever taken. At these events you will often see me running to some far-off corner, climbing to the top of a building or heading across the water just to get a different perspective and a unique image that will wow the client. They may never even use the image in their marketing because they have very specific briefs, but it creates the impression that you are willing to go the extra mile for them. That effort is remembered. Clients notice when service providers genuinely care about the result and not just about clocking hours. Consistency Builds Trust Our clients know exactly what they are going to get from us because we show up every time and deliver the same professional service year after year. Over time, clients begin to see you as part of their team rather than simply another supplier. In fact, one or two clients even mentioned on this trip that we feel like family to them. When clients trust you, there is very little reason for them to look elsewhere. Relationships are critical. It is important not only to know the marketing manager or the person who hired you originally, but also to build relationships with the wider team. If your only contact leaves the company and nobody else knows who you are, there is a good chance the next event will go to someone else. Consistency also means showing up regularly. At many of these events, we see the same tourism representatives attending year after year. They become familiar faces, and it becomes easier for potential clients to do business with them because they recognise them and know they are committed. They are not afraid of back-to-back meetings and long days because they understand that visibility and relationship-building are essential to growing business opportunities. Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff Sometimes businesses get too caught up in the small things. We can become consumed by the fact that we quoted for four hours and now the event is running for four-and-a-half hours. Instead of immediately worrying about charging for every extra minute, sometimes it is worth asking whether staying a little longer and helping the client out will create more value in the long run. Clients appreciate flexibility. They appreciate not having to go back to procurement for another purchase order or explain why an event ran over budget. If you are already there and the event is still going, often the best thing you can do is simply get the job done professionally. Often, that goodwill is rewarded with repeat business. Understand the Client’s Needs We have been covering airline and airport conferences since 2015. The events are all similar, just in different venues, so it would be easy to keep doing the same thing every year. But businesses that continue to grow are the ones that keep asking clients what they need and where they can improve. Take the time to meet with clients regularly. Find out what you are doing right and where you can offer more value. We introduced a new service to our overseas client that happened to meet a need they already had, and it almost doubled our revenue at each event. The key is understanding how the client uses your work and how it helps them sell their products or services. If your work contributes to their success, they will continue to hire you. A good example for us has been testimonial interviews. We now do as many of these interviews at events as time allows. Although it has increased our workload, it offers massive value to the client. They post these testimonials online, and prospective delegates get to hear directly from people explaining how beneficial the event has been for them. There is no better marketing tool than hearing someone else say, “This event was worth attending.” Keeping the Client Happy Clients also like to feel valued personally. Our UK client works as hard as anyone else at these conferences and they enjoy having professional photographs taken of their team during the event. We encourage regular team photos, even though gathering everyone together in a busy venue can be challenging. The effort is worth it because people love seeing themselves and their teams recognised professionally. Something as simple as updating someone’s LinkedIn profile photo during an event can make a big impression. Small touches like these add value beyond the original brief and show clients that you genuinely care about them and their business. Make It Easy One of the simplest ways to lose clients is to make working with you difficult. Keep all your important documents and accreditations up to date and easily accessible. If a client asks for a tax clearance certificate, BBBEE certificate or COIDA compliance document, send it immediately. Delays create frustration and slow down the client’s processes. Professionalism is not only about the service you provide at an event; it is also about how efficiently you operate behind the scenes. Show Gratitude Finally, always show appreciation for your clients. Many businesses believe that because they are providing a service and getting paid, no further effort is required. But successful long-term relationships are built on gratitude and mutual respect. Clients want to know that you appreciate their support, enjoy working with them and are invested in helping them grow their business. When clients feel valued and supported, they are far more likely to keep coming back year after year. M: +27 (0)83 331 6796 E: wade@odmedia.co.za W: www.odmedia.co.za ODM Media in Rimini, Italy ODM Media in Rimini, Italy

By Peter Barnard, Partner and Chantal Mitchell, Partner, Cox Yeats Recent court decisions in the construction and engineering sector have reinforced the importance of properly identifying individuals responsible for unlawful conduct before seeking an interdict. Broad allegations against undefined groups may weaken urgent court applications and prevent relief from being granted. Threats, intimidation, and violent disruptions by community groups, business forums or disgruntled employees are a common occurrence on South African construction and engineering sites and have led to many applications seeking a court interdict to stop the unlawful conduct. Recent court decisions have highlighted the importance of ensuring you are able to clearly identify who is responsible for the conduct before rushing to court against broad, undefined groups. In Commercial Stevedoring Agricultural and Allied Workers’ Union v Oak Valley Estates, the Constitutional Court considered a situation where a protected strike had escalated into violence and intimidation. The employer sought to interdict a broad group of workers. While the Court accepted that serious misconduct had taken place, it found that the employer had not established a sufficient link between the alleged conduct and the specific individuals it wanted to restrain. The Court made it clear that being part of a group, such as a group of striking workers, is not enough. An interdict can only be granted where there is evidence connecting the individuals cited to the unlawful acts, or at least a proper basis to infer their involvement. A similar and more recent example arises from Witbank Taxi Association v Local Taxi Association and Another (Mpumalanga High Court, 2026). In that matter, an urgent interdict was sought following allegations of threats, intimidation and aggressive conduct between two taxi associations over a dispute regarding access to facilities at a newly opened mall. The applicant’s case was framed in broad, general terms and alleged that “members” of the respondent association made threats and acted aggressively, but failed to identify which individuals were involved, what exactly was said or done, or where and how the incidents occurred. This created a fundamental difficulty for the court. Interdicts are granted against specific parties, and the court must be satisfied that those parties have engaged in, or are likely to engage in, the conduct complained of. If there is any doubt about who did what, the interdict cannot be granted. Accordingly, even though the matter was urgent and the concerns serious, the application ultimately failed. These cases highlight that courts are cautious about granting wide-ranging interdicts against groups where only some members may be responsible for wrongdoing. Without clear identification, even serious and ongoing misconduct may not result in the court order being granted. If you are affected by threats or unlawful conduct and need urgent court protection, you need to ensure you gather clear evidence that identifies the individuals involved, or at least clearly links them to the complained-of conduct. W: www.coxyeats.co.za Peter Barnard & Chantal Mitchelle

THE SIX MARKETING METRICS THAT DEFINE WHETHER YOU WIN OR WONDER Terry Flack, Business Success Leader at Cannect Digital, Performance Marketer & Business, Growth Specialist Peter Drucker said it best, and he said it decades before a single dashboard was ever opened on a laptop in Umhlanga: “What gets measured, gets managed.” In 2026, I would add a Cannect Digital amendment to that, “What gets measured, gets monetised.” Because here is the uncomfortable truth most KwaZulu-Natal business owners are still ducking, you cannot improve what you do not measure, you cannot defend what you cannot prove, and you certainly cannot scale what you cannot see. And right now, most KZN businesses are flying blind. Globally, only 36% of marketers say they can accurately measure marketing return on investment (ROI), and only 30% of chief marketing officers are confident in their ability to do so at all (Improvado, Genesys Growth, 2026). Nearly half (47%) cannot pull a multi-channel attribution view together. Yet the same body of research shows that businesses that do measure properly enjoy 15% to 30% higher marketing ROI (HBR Analytic Services, 2025). The gap between the businesses that win and the businesses that wonder is no longer creativity. It is clarity. For mid-size, owner-managed businesses in KZN, this is not an abstract debate. It is monthly cash flow. KwaZulu-Natal contributes around 16% of South Africa’s gross domestic product, anchored by manufacturing, logistics through Durban and Richards Bay, tourism and a sprawling professional services corridor from Umhlanga to Ballito. We compete on speed, service and trust. None of those can be optimised on gut feel. “You cannot improve what you do not measure, you cannot defend what you cannot prove, and you cannot scale what you cannot see.” Six Marketing Metrics every KZN Business Owner Must Watch These are the metrics that connect a Google click to a customer in your Customer Relationship Management (CRM), and ultimately to revenue in your bank account. Get these six right, and the rest of the noise quietens. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC). Total sales and marketing spend, divided by new customers won. If your CAC is R4,000 and your average customer pays you R3,000 in year one, you have a business model problem, not a marketing problem. Neil Patel rightly argues that CAC alone is meaningless, it must be read alongside customer lifetime value. Customer Lifetime Value (LTV). Average order value multiplied by purchase frequency, multiplied by how long the customer stays. A healthy business runs an LTV:CAC ratio of at least 3:1 (Neil Patel, SaaS Hero, 2026). Below that, you are subsidising growth. Conversion Rate (CR) - by channel and stage. Visitors who become leads. Leads who become quotes. Quotes who become sales. Measured per channel, per campaign and per funnel stage. The average conversion rate from organic search hovers near 1.76%, but visitors who arrive from ChatGPT are converting at 15.9% (Omnibound, 2026). Knowing where conversion lifts or leaks is profit intelligence. Cost Per Lead (CPL) and Cost Per Qualified Lead (CPQL). Total spend on a channel, divided by the leads it produced. CPQL takes it further by only counting leads who match your ideal customer profile. A Durban logistics firm I worked with discovered that LinkedIn was producing leads at twice the cost of Google, but at three times the qualification rate. The expensive channel was the profitable one. Response Time and Speed-to-Lead. Harvard Business Review’s Lead Response Management study found that businesses contacting a lead within five minutes are up to 100 times more likely to qualify it than those who wait 30 minutes. In KZN, where 96% of internet users are on WhatsApp (DataReportal, 2025), every minute of silence is a minute your competitor is talking. Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI). The big one. (Revenue attributable to marketing minus marketing cost) divided by marketing cost. McKinsey’s data shows that rigorous ROMI tracking can improve marketing returns by 15% to 20%. Yet 83% of marketing leaders cite “demonstrating ROI” as their top 2025 priority, the same priority they cited in 2015 and 2005 (Improvado, 2026). The problem is not the metric. It is the discipline. ROMI: The Uncomfortable Truth Most businesses are not short of marketing activity. They are short of marketing accountability. The CMO Survey shows that companies are trying to improve performance tracking and prove financial impact, but the marketing-finance partnership remains only moderate, with CMO-CFO (chief financing officer) collaboration around the business case for marketing still scoring just 4.5 out of 7. That is the problem in one number. Marketing is still too often defended as a cost instead of proven as an investment. For KZN’s owner-managed businesses, the economic life blood of our province, this is critical. These businesses cannot afford bloated marketing teams, disconnected agencies, slow sales follow-up or dashboards that arrive three weeks after the opportunity is dead. They need live visibility! What generated the lead, how fast the team responded, whether the quote went out, whether the deal closed, and what it cost to win. Terry Flack, Cannect Digital: The Modern Customer Journey The Dashboard is the Deal. Each of these six metrics needs a home. That home is a live marketing dashboard. Not a monthly PowerPoint. Not a quarterly report. A real-time view that the owner, the CFO and the sales lead can interrogate before their first cup of coffee. Modern dashboards pull data from Google Analytics 4, Meta Ads, LinkedIn, your CRM, WhatsApp Business and your accounting platform. They surface the six numbers above in plain language and traffic-light colours. Half of top-performing companies ensure that analytics teams and execution teams use the same metrics in the same dashboard (HBR Analytic Services, 2025). This is the single biggest accelerant of decision speed. For an Umhlanga professional services firm, a dashboard means deciding on Tuesday morning to double LinkedIn spend because last week’s CPQL halved. For a Midlands hospitality brand, it means killing a Meta campaign that drove bookings at a loss and reallocating the budget to a Google campaign delivering 4:1 ROAS (Return On Ad Spend – another key metric.) For a Westmead manufacturer, it means seeing that 30% of qualified RFQs are coming through ChatGPT citations of their technical content and investing accordingly. An agentic environment is a connected system of AI agents that can observe, analyse and act within clear guardrails. It is not one chatbot sitting on a website. It is a practical commercial operating layer. For example, a lead intake agent watches website forms, email and WhatsApp. It timestamps the enquiry, checks whether the lead fits the ideal customer profile, asks qualifying questions and updates the CRM. A response agent drafts a first reply in the company’s tone, sends a brochure or booking link, and alerts the right salesperson when the lead is hot. A dashboard agent reviews GA4, Google Search Console, paid media, CRM and sales data every morning. It flags falling conversion rates, slow response times, high cost per lead or quote bottlenecks. An AI visibility agent runs monthly prompts such as “best logistics company in Durban”, “top accounting firm in Umhlanga” or “family accommodation in the Midlands” across LLM tools and records whether the business appears, which competitors appear, and what trust signals are cited. The KZN Business Bottom Line Marketing Metrics and measurement are not a cost. It is the only path to compounding profit. Analytic Partners’ ROI Genome shows roughly 40% of annual business growth is attributable to marketing, yet only 35% of CMOs track revenue as their top metric versus 70% of CEOs. That misalignment is exactly why marketing budgets get cut first when times tighten. Build the dashboard. Watch the six numbers. Speak the language of cash, not clicks. The businesses that win the next decade in KZN will not be the loudest or the largest. They will be the most measured. Marketing metrics do not just inform decisions. They make money. Use them, or fund someone who does. M: +27 (0)84 555 0005 T: 086 111 2939 (SA Sharecall Only) E: Terry@cannectdigital.com W: www.cannectdigital.com

Mike Myers, Security & Emergency Services Advisor, CEO Mobi Ventures There was a time when scams were relatively easy to spot. Poor spelling, suspicious emails from foreign princes and impossible lottery winnings tended to raise enough red flags for most people to walk away. Today, fraud has evolved into something far more sophisticated, personal and sinister. Recently, a close friend and colleague experienced this firsthand. Her mother received WhatsApp messages from somebody pretending to be her son-in-law. The messages sounded convincing. The details were accurate. Then came the phone calls. It sounded exactly like him. Except it was not him. Using voice cloning technology and personal information gathered online, criminals were able to convincingly impersonate a family member and manipulate somebody into “lending” a substantial amount of money to a scammer. Unfortunately, this type of fraud is becoming increasingly common. Artificial intelligence has opened huge opportunities for business, communication and innovation, but it has also handed criminals a completely new toolkit. Today, with only a short sample of somebody’s voice taken from social media videos, WhatsApp voice notes or online content, software can replicate tone, cadence and speech patterns extremely well. The result is a dangerous new era where hearing a familiar voice is no longer enough to establish trust. While these scams often target families and elderly relatives, businesses should be paying very close attention. Corporate environments are ideal hunting grounds for this type of fraud. Imagine this: A finance department receiving a voice note that sounds exactly like the CEO requesting an urgent payment release. A procurement manager receiving a WhatsApp message from what appears to be a trusted supplier requesting updated banking details. A staff member receiving a convincing call from “IT support” asking for login credentials during a supposed system emergency. Large corporations are not immune simply because they have sophisticated systems. In many cases, the bigger the organisation, the easier it becomes for criminals to exploit layers of communication, urgency and assumed authority. Cybersecurity today is no longer only about firewalls and antivirus software. Human verification processes are becoming just as important. One of the more subtle tactics now being used by scammers starts with something as simple as a “wrong number” phone call. The caller may appear polite or confused, but the real objective is often to get you talking. Many people instinctively answer with phrases like “yes”, “no” or “thank you” without thinking twice. Mobi Ventures - The New Face of Fraud Has Your Voice Those short responses seem harmless, but recorded voice samples can potentially be used in voice cloning systems, fraudulent verification and social engineering attacks. Even a brief conversation provides criminals with speech patterns, tone and pronunciation that can be manipulated. The safest approach with unknown callers is to keep responses minimal or even just cut the call. If you do answer, rather say: “Wrong number.” “You have dialled incorrectly.” Their next question will often be: “Do you know this person?”, they are trying to get you to say the word “No”. At this point, do not answer and make sure you cut the call. Avoid answering unnecessary questions, confirming personal information or allowing conversations with unknown callers to continue longer than necessary. It sounds paranoid, but unfortunately, this is the reality of modern fraud. Criminals are no longer simply trying to steal passwords or bank cards. They are assembling digital versions of people using fragments collected online: voice samples, profile photos, names, relationships, company structures and behavioural information. In many ways, trust itself has become the target. Businesses should be actively educating staff about AI-assisted fraud, implementing strict payment verification procedures and encouraging a culture where employees are comfortable verifying unusual requests, even when they appear to come from senior management. Because in the age of artificial intelligence, your next scam may not some with broken English and other obvious warning signs. It may just come from a voice sounding exactly like someone you know. Be careful, it could cost you or your company a fortune. T: +27 (0)31 109 1888 E: care@mobiventures.co.za W: www.mobiventures.co.za

THE UNSTOPPABLE MOMENTUM OF A CONTINENT ON THE RISE By David White CEO of DRG, South Africa Leader for the South African Chamber of Commerce UK, and Head of TAMI (The Africa Marketing Initiative). Before diving into the immense economic potential of our African continent, may we first please acknowledge and give thanks to Aletta Rochat. As the phenomenal ‘Africa Leads the Way’ value creation symposium, held online on the 25 May 2026, was her superb passion project and brainchild. As the first African International President in Toastmasters’ 100-year history, Aletta conceptualised this grand vision from her roots and experience right here on the continent. Aletta’s profound desire has been to showcase that Africa is ripe and ready for colossal transformation, and for Africa to not only have a voice in global conversations, but to lead cross-border trade integration and aligned decision making. With the backing of Toastmasters International, Aletta’s vision was supported and encouraged by the past International Director Frank Tsuro, alongside Kerri-Lea Adlam, Maud Nale, and a dedicated dream team. The rest of us, representing Rotary International, Dube TradePort, and the South African Chamber of Commerce UK (SACC UK), were deeply honoured to be brought in as guest speakers and contributors, to support Aletta and Toastmasters International’s voice and ambitions. To say the Toastmasters’ team struck a vein would be an understatement. The global response to the event was so overwhelming that the organisers literally had to upgrade their Zoom facilities on the fly to accommodate the many delegates attempting to log in. The enthusiasm from people on that live call was electric, with hearts and thumbs-up pulsating through each speaker’s contribution. Watching the phenomenal response to the YouTube replay afterwards simply cemented the wonderful reality that people in Africa, and people looking in from outside Africa, are longing to do business together. Sitting here in South Africa, building the bridges that allow international capital to land safely and compliantly in African markets, I can tell you that Africa’s borderless business ecosystem is no longer a futuristic vision. It is happening right now. The Economic Reality: Hard Facts for a Bright Future It is easy to be swept up in the motivational energy of a beautifully organised Africa Day celebration but let me give this enthusiasm some commercial perspective. The positive outlook for Africa is securely anchored in hard, irrefutable macroeconomic facts and geographic realities. If you look at the global economic trajectory, Africa is the ultimate growth scenario. Here is exactly why smart money is moving south: The Demographic Dividend The global north is ageing rapidly, facing shrinking workforces and soaring pension burdens. In stark contrast, Africa is the youngest continent, with roughly 60% of its population under the age of 25. By 2050, one in four people on Earth will be African. We are cultivating the global talent pool and workforce of the future. The AfCFTA Advantage The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is rewriting the rules of global trade. With 54 participating nations, it unites a market of over 1.3 billion people with a combined GDP exceeding $3.4 trillion. Stripping away legacy tariffs is creating a massive, unified commercial opportunity that simply cannot be ignored. The Engine of the Green Transition The developed world’s transition to sustainable energy is physically impossible without Africa. The African continent holds roughly 30% of the world’s mineral reserves, including the vast majority of the globe’s platinum group metals, and huge reserves of cobalt, copper, and lithium. Global Food Security As global supply chains face unprecedented pressure, Africa holds 60% of the world’s uncultivated arable land. The future of global agriculture rests squarely on this continent’s potential. Digital Leapfrogging Unburdened by centuries of legacy infrastructure, African businesses operate with an incredible ‘mobile-first’ agility. From mobile money to fintech and agritech hubs, we build capital-efficient, highly adaptable solutions that the developed world is now actively attempting to replicate. Building the Ecosystem The true brilliance of the ‘Africa Leads the Way’ webinar was how each panellist perfectly articulated the synergy required to turn these raw economic facts into commercial reality. A light was shone on leaders shaping Africa’s future, proving that success requires a combination of voice, heart, connection, and physical infrastructure. Shaping the Global Conversation Aletta Rochat highlighted Africa’s inherent resilience, making a powerful observation: African leaders are no longer politely asking for a seat at the global table; they are actively shaping the conversation. By equipping young African professionals with the confidence to communicate, Toastmasters is producing world-class leadership that thrives even when operating in less-than-optimal environments. Ethical and Practical Leadership Olayinka ‘Yinka’ Hakeem Babalola, the incoming President of Rotary International, noted the powerful combination of Rotary and Toastmasters. As he beautifully stated: “Africa is not just a place of growth. Africa is a place of leadership. The world increasingly looks to Africa for ideas, for innovation, and for vision.” He reminded us that the governance required to propel Africa forward must come from everyday professionals putting essential skills into action. The Power of Connection and TAMI Svend Littauer, CEO of the SACC UK, spoke directly to the core of what chambers do as connectors. In an era flooded with endless data, human trust and vetted connections are the ultimate scarce resources. He highlighted the creation of TAMI, a vital platform linking African chambers globally. As Svend noted, “‘Africa Leads the Way’ is not just about the conversation ... we are building something meaningful together.” Building the Physical Framework Human capital must be matched with physical capability. Hamish Erskine of Dube TradePort grounded these grand visions in physical infrastructure, while Jorge Munguambe of FNB Mozambique highlighted the localised resilience required to succeed. We as Africans must bring manufacturing and logistics closer to the domestic market through Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and robust intra-African corridors. The Way Forward As a connector sitting in South Africa, looking out at the rest of the world, I see a continent that has truly arrived. The structural rails are being laid – both physically through world-class infrastructure projects, and digitally through networking, compliance and marketing initiatives like TAMI. This symposium was, at its heart and soul, far more than just an event. It was a clarion call to be part of Africa’s rising story of leadership, resilience, innovation, and practical economic collaboration. The overwhelming response to this gathering proves that the global appetite is voracious. As Aletta Rochat so warmly expressed to the many in attendance: “Thank you for believing in this vision of Toastmasters International, and for adding your voices and presence. Because of you, ‘Africa Leads the Way’ is becoming a living reality.” Africa is open for business. Let us keep building authentic connections, because without a shadow of a doubt, Africa’s long-awaited opportunity to shine has arrived. For more information E: info@tami.co.za W: www.tami.co.za

By Dylan Naidoo Cold weather just hit Durban recently, quite the departure from the days before. It feels like the Durban weather is having mood swings. One day it is bright and hot, the sun beating down with extreme humidity. And the next day? Cold like when it snowed on Drakensberg. As such, it is important to get to work in a car that manages every adolescent phase of the Durban weather, with strong air-conditioning to handle those humid days, and cozy heating to handle those cold rainy days too. And the Suzuki DZire? Well, let’s just say climate control is only scratching the surface of the positives about this car. Technology and Engineering The Suzuki DZire is a small, budget friendly sedan similar to its rivals the Honda Amaze and the South African built Corolla Quest. The model for review is the base manual model, featuring a 1.2L engine paired with a 5-speed manual. Power is great, even with the aircon on, the car managed to hold its own at higher speeds. As standard, the DZire is equipped with a touchscreen infotainment system, electric windows and a bright personality. It features six airbags and scored an impressive 5 - star safety rating at the Global NCap. This took me by surprise as it is quite rare to see small cars in this segment with a full 5-star safety rating. So why did I talk about the weather? Honestly it’s due to how great the climate control is, which instantly cools or warms the car. Along with this feature, the climate control is simple to use, with easy to adjust switches and buttons. The ride was also great. It is quite common for cars in this price range to be pretty rough, but I did not have this issue with the DZire, which drove smoothly with very little bumps being felt on the road. The turbulence was not too bad, and the car handled pretty well at high speed. Funky Design The first thing that stood out to me when I first heard what we were testing was the name of the car. Do you remember watching old Top Gear and one of the reasonably priced cars was called the Kia Cee’d, with the apostrophe there just to ‘look cool?’ I got the same vibe from the Suzuki Dzire. Whilst no apostrophe, I’m guessing the choice to misspell ‘Desire’ was to again ‘look cool’. Suzuki is thriving in the South African market (Look at my Grand Vitara article on that), catering to many demographics of people including the Gen Z, so Dzire is a snazzy name for the younger demographic. I like that the name as it gives a funky nature for the car. The design of the car is a massive upgrade over the previous model, the choice to make something original is a great change. It looks attractive and vibrant. The grill is tastefully designed, and the proportions make the car look a bit sporty. So yes, on top of the snazzy name, the Suzuki DZire has a design that pairs well with it. Interior For the price point, the interior of this test vehicle is great. The mix of a cream and black covered interior gives the look of something more upper class. Compared to its rivals, the DZire’s interior looks more expensive than it really is. Suzuki is really ramping up what budget cars should look like at this price point. And one look at the interior of the Dzire clearly showcases this point. Pricing and Overall Thoughts Pricing of the Suzuki DZire starts at R229,900, with the CVT models starting at 272,900. However, I would suggest the manual. For the price, you are getting a very capable sedan that redefines what a budget car should be. It’s priced well below its competitors, and ticks all the boxes for a car in its class. Suzuki Dezire BUSINESS SENSE Published by: KZN Top Business, 71 Underwood Road, Hatton Estates Features & Advertising: Grant Adlam: +27 (0)83 262 9529 Editorial: Gayle Adlam: +27 (0)83 653 0465 | +27 (0)31 267 1977 | gayle@mweb.co.za Accounts: Maryke Dickinson: +27 (0)82 877 7906 | maryke@kzntopbusiness.com Design & Layout: Kerri-Lea Adlam | Kezlea Graphics | kezlea@mweb.co.za Website: www.kznbs.com

Trevor Clark, Business coach, executive coach, professional speaker and global trainer Here’s a conversation I have more often than I’d like. A business owner calls me, frustrated. A solid team member has just handed in their resignation. Someone they trained, invested in, relied on. “I don’t understand it, Trevor. We pay well. We’re a good company. Why do good people keep leaving?” It’s a fair question. And the honest answer is usually not what they want to hear. It’s rarely about the money. Why People Actually Leave Research consistently shows that people don’t leave companies. They leave managers. They leave environments where no one has clearly defined what good performance looks like, where they never receive meaningful feedback until something goes wrong, where meetings are chaotic or don’t happen at all, and where they feel invisible. In short, they leave because of poor management. Not bad intentions. Just an absence of structure, clarity, and consistent communication. Most business owners genuinely care about their team. The problem isn’t caring. It’s the systems, or the lack of them. Don’t Wait for the Mack Truck Here is a pattern I see constantly in owner-managed businesses. Things start small. Two team members who aren’t quite clicking. Someone who seems a little flat. A shift in attitude you notice but can’t quite put your finger on. We call these taps on the shoulder. Little signals that something needs attention. Most business owners respond in one of two ways. The first is optimism. “It’ll sort itself out.” “They’re just having a bad week.” And sometimes it is. But often, it isn’t. The second is ‘busyness’. You see it. You make a mental note. Then the day swallows you whole, and the conversation never happens. Some owners fall into a third trap: being Mr or Mrs Nice Guy. There’s an acronym for NICE that’s worth sharing: Nothing Inside me Cares Enough. Avoiding uncomfortable conversations is not kindness. It’s avoidance. And avoidance has a cost. Those taps on the shoulder don’t disappear. They build. What started as friction becomes resentment. Resentment becomes a blow-up. And here is the painful part: it is almost always the high performer who walks. You are then left holding the problem you were trying to avoid, minus your best person, wondering where it went wrong. The answer is almost always back when it was still just a tap on the shoulder. Act early. Have the conversation when it is still small. A five-minute check-in today is worth infinitely more than a crisis three months from now. The Two Things Good People Need High-performing people need two things above almost everything else. First: Clarity. They need to know what success in their role looks like, how it is measured, and how it connects to where the business is going. Second: Growth. Good people are not looking for a comfortable rut. They want to learn, develop, and be challenged. A Structured Approach Makes the Difference Lions Meeting At ActionCOACH, we work with business owners on a practical management framework that covers daily priorities, weekly team meetings, and a simple reporting tool we call the LION Report. LION stands for: Last Week (what did I accomplish?) Issues (what problems or blockers do I have?) Opportunities (what ideas or leads should you know about?) Next Week (what are my priorities for the week ahead?) Every team member completes this brief report weekly. It takes minutes. But the impact is significant. You get a real-time pulse on your team. Problems surface before they become crises. And you are far more likely to catch that tap on the shoulder early. Alongside regular one-on-one LION Meetings, add behavioural profiling, weekly team meetings and 90-day planning/review sessions, and you have the foundations of a team that performs, communicates, and stays. It is not magic. It is management. Done well, consistently, week after week. One Last Thought If you have lost a good person recently and you are not sure why, it is worth asking yourself some honest questions. Were there taps on the shoulder along the way that you wish you had acted on sooner? If the answer is yes, the opportunity now is not regret. It is to build an environment where great people want to stay. This week, we close registrations for our 12-Week Management Masterclass, a practical online programme designed to give business owners and managers the tools, systems, and confidence to lead high-performing teams. Limited seats remain. If you have been thinking about it, now is the time. To your success. T: +27 (0) 31 266 2258 E: mastery@actioncoach.com W: www.mastery.co.za

By Chelsea Brand For over a decade, Lupa Osteria Westville has been a firm favourite within the Westville community – a place where friends gather, families celebrate, and exceptional food is shared around the table. Now, owners Leon and Colleen Roux are bringing something new, warm, and wonderfully inviting to the neighbourhood with the official opening of Vovo telo Bakery and Café. Conveniently located right next door to Lupa Westville – the new bakery and café, part of the renowned Famous Brands group, officially opened its doors on Tuesday 12 May. From the moment you step inside, Vovo telo Bakery and Café feels like more than just a bakery. It is a thoughtfully curated space that combines warmth, comfort, craftsmanship, and community. The café offers both sit-down and takeaway options, making it the ideal stop whether patrons are looking for a leisurely breakfast, a quick morning coffee, or a fresh pastry on the go. During a recent visit, we had the privilege of sitting down with Leon over a cup of coffee crafted by the café’s barista. It quickly became evident that coffee is not simply served at Vovo telo Bakery and Café – it is taken seriously. Leon and Colleen are meticulous about every detail, and the result? A flawless cup of coffee. That same commitment to quality extends throughout the bakery. Equipped with an industrial-sized mixer and a stunning three-tier oven, Vovo telo Bakery and Café will produce its breads, pastries, cakes, and baked goods in-house daily. Guests can expect a menu filled with artisanal breads, pastries, indulgent cakes, freshly prepared sandwiches, breakfasts, pizzas, coffees, and even ice cream – all crafted with care and designed to elevate the everyday café experience. For Leon and Colleen, the vision behind Vovo telo Bakery and Café goes beyond simply opening another eatery. Much like Lupa Osteria, they want the bakery and café to become part of the fabric of the community – a familiar and welcoming space where quality, atmosphere, and experience come together effortlessly. Walking through the doors sparks all the senses. From the ovens producing fresh pastries to the careful crafting of each coffee, Vovo telo brings the art of baking and café culture to life in a way that feels personal and authentic. Vovo telo Bakery and Café is set to become more than just a neighbouring establishment to Lupa – it is poised to become Westville’s newest gathering place, where mornings begin with the aroma of fresh bread and coffee, and where the community can continue creating memories together for years to come. Vovo telo Bakery & Café, Westville

Heather Flack, Business Leader, Flair Accounting SARS auto-assessments open in July. Millions of South Africans will hit ‘accept’ without reading a word. Some of them will regret it. Last July, a Durban events coordinator received a South African Revenue Service (SARS) notification she had been half-expecting. Her auto-assessment was ready. She opened eFiling on her phone, saw that SARS had calculated a refund of R3,800, and clicked accept. Done in three minutes. She told all who would listen how it was the easiest thing she had done all year. Later in the year, she approached us for something entirely unrelated – and in scrolling through the return she had accepted, we found: Her home office deduction: not claimed. Her retirement annuity contributions beyond her employer’s submission: missing. A medical expense shortfall of nearly R11,000: nowhere in sight. The refund she had accepted was R3,800. The refund she was actually owed was closer to R21,000. There was no way to go back. This July, the same scenario will play out for hundreds of thousands of South Africans – including a significant number of KZN business owners, landlords, freelancers, and salaried employees with side income. SARS will issue auto-assessments, most people will accept them without a second glance, and some of them will walk away, happily, from money that was legally theirs. How auto-assessments work SARS doesn’t guess. The auto-assessment is built from data it already holds: your IRP5 certificate from your employer, your medical aid contributions and claims, your retirement fund contributions, and, increasingly, information from your bank and investment platforms. Under the SARS 3.0 modernisation drive, this data-matching capability has become considerably more sophisticated. The revenue authority is pulling in more third-party data than ever before and matching it against taxpayer declarations with AI-enabled accuracy. That is genuinely impressive. But here is the catch: SARS can only include what it has been given. It knows what your employer reported. It knows what your medical aid submitted. It does not know that you worked from a dedicated home office for eight months of the year. It does not know that you drove 14,000 kilometres for business purposes. It does not know about the rental property maintenance costs you paid last quarter, or the professional development course you funded yourself. The auto-assessment is SARS doing its version of your homework. The problem is it can only mark what it can see. The 40-day window Flair Accounting - DON'T JUST CLICK ACCEPT! Once your auto-assessment is issued, you have 40 business days to review it. If you accept it or simply let the window close without acting that return is filed. For most non-provisional taxpayers, the final deadline is 23 October 2026. Provisional taxpayers and trusts have until 22 January 2027. That window sounds generous. In practice, it disappears fast for anyone running a business, managing staff, or simply juggling the demands of life. And the consequences of getting it wrong are not abstract: accepting an incorrect assessment means either leaving a refund on the table, or if SARS’s pre-populated data happens to be incomplete in the other direction, understating income you should have declared. The latter scenario carries real risk. Under SARS’s current enforcement posture, understatement penalties can reach 200% of the tax shortfall. Accepting an auto-assessment is not a shield against audit. What KZN taxpayers often miss The deductions most overlooked in auto-assessments follow a recognisable pattern for KZN taxpayers specifically. Property owners on the South Coast and in the Midlands who earn rental income frequently fail to offset eligible expenses – rates, levies, repairs, and bond interest – because those costs require active documentation and disclosure. SARS will not prompt you to include them. Post-pandemic working arrangements have left many employees and sole proprietors with legitimate home office claims, but the qualifying criteria are specific and must be correctly applied. A dedicated space used exclusively and regularly for work purposes can generate a meaningful deduction; an unreported one generates nothing. Business owners often blur the line between personal and business expenditure without realising it – not from dishonesty, but from the practical reality of running an SME where your car, your phone, and your laptop serve both purposes simultaneously. The proportional business-use deduction must be calculated and declared. SARS will not calculate it for you. Retirement annuity contributions made independently of an employer scheme are frequently missed entirely. No third party submits that data to SARS on your behalf. If you contribute to a standalone RA and fail to include it in your return, you simply lose the deduction. That is money paid in twice: once in contributions, and once in tax you did not need to pay. The click that costs you None of this means auto-assessments are wrong in principle. For a salaried employee with a single income source, no investment income, and straightforward medical aid membership, the auto-assessment may be entirely accurate – and accepting it saves genuine time and administrative effort. But for anyone with rental income, business interests, a side practice, significant travel costs, or assets that depreciate, an unreviewed auto-assessment is a risk. Not necessarily because SARS will penalise you – although that remains possible – but because the money you are owed simply will not arrive if you do not ask for it. Tax season opens in July. You have until October to decide whether your return is correct. That is enough time to sit down with a professional, review what SARS has and has not included, and make sure you are not clicking accept on a number that belongs to someone else. Your accountant isn’t just for filing. They’re your second opinion before you sign. T: +27 (0)31 207 1572 M: +27 (0)76 555 7529 E: heather@flairaccounting.co.za W: www.flairaccounting.co.za

By Isaac Mbatha, Owner of Sky Tents In the world of eventing, success often depends on reliability, flexibility and presentation. Whether it is a wedding, corporate function, music festival, sporting event or community gathering, the quality of the venue infrastructure can shape the entire experience. This is why more event professionals, venue owners and entrepreneurs are recognising the long-term value of investing in their own tents rather than relying on repeated rentals. As one of South Africa’s leading tent manufacturers, Sky Tents produces a diverse selection of structures, including stretch tents, frame tents, peg and pole tents, aluminium tents, wedding tents and alpine tents. The company also supplies mobile chillers, tables, chairs and other catering products, offering a comprehensive event infrastructure solution. One of the greatest advantages of buying directly from the manufacturer is cost-effectiveness. Rental costs can quickly accumulate over time, especially for businesses hosting regular events. Purchasing a tent outright means event companies can eliminate recurring hire fees and gain complete control over availability, setup and scheduling. Instead of depending on external suppliers during peak seasons, owners have immediate access to their own equipment whenever opportunities arise. Buying direct from Sky Tents also ensures clients receive products designed for durability and long-term use. The company emphasises the use of high-quality materials to ensure strength, weather resistance and reliability across different environments. Flexibility is another major reason why tent ownership has become increasingly attractive in the eventing industry. A quality tent transforms virtually any open space into a professional venue. Farms, beaches, sports grounds, gardens and vacant land can all become profitable event spaces with the right structure in place. Stretch tents in particular offer adaptable layouts that can be configured around existing buildings, trees or unusual landscapes, giving organisers more creative freedom when planning events. Sky Tents further strengthens its value proposition by offering customisation options. Tents can be manufactured according to size and colour preferences, and branding can be added for businesses wanting a professional corporate presence. This is particularly valuable for companies looking to establish strong brand visibility at trade shows, festivals and promotional activations. Another benefit of purchasing directly from Sky Tents is quality assurance and after-sales support. The company highlights its nationwide shipping, quality guarantees and after-service assistance, giving clients confidence that their investment is supported long after purchase. Sky Tents also understands that modern eventing is about more than shelter. Today’s clients expect visually impressive spaces that create atmosphere and memorable experiences. Elegant stretch tents, sophisticated frame tents and stylish wedding structures help organisers elevate the look and feel of their events while maintaining functionality and comfort. With over 18 years of manufacturing experience, Sky Tents has positioned itself as a trusted supplier not only in South Africa but across the African continent. The company supplies products to neighbouring countries and beyond, reflecting growing demand for durable, adaptable and professionally manufactured event infrastructure. “Investing in your own tent infrastructure is not simply about reducing rental costs, it is about creating long-term independence, flexibility and growth for your business,” concludes Isaac Mabatha. “At Sky Tents, we manufacture durable, high-quality structures that allow event organisers to transform almost any space into a professional venue while maintaining full control over their operations, branding and event experience.” W: www.skytentsa.co.za

By Chelsea Brand Business leaders, entrepreneurs, IT executives, and innovators gathered at The Oyster Box hotel as KZN Top Business, in partnership with Vodacom, hosted the exclusive “AI Unlocked” breakfast an event focused on the practical realities of artificial intelligence in modern business. Set against the backdrop of one of KwaZulu-Natal’s most prestigious venues, the breakfast delivered far more than theoretical conversations around AI. It became a dynamic platform for networking, collaboration, and real-world insights into how businesses can integrate intelligent technologies while still prioritising human creativity, cybersecurity, and sustainable growth. MC Trevor Clark opened the event with an interactive exercise exploring where attendees currently sit on the AI adoption curve, immediately sparking conversation around the growing role of intelligent systems in business. Imran Khan, Vodacom Opening remarks from Vodacom’s Imran Khan and Videsha Proothveerajh highlighted the importance of embracing technology as a business enabler rather than fearing it. Discussions centred around how AI and intelligent automation are already improving productivity, streamlining operations, and helping businesses work smarter. “Technology is the key to improving processes, systems, and making sales teams more productive,” Imran explained. “AI can give you information, patterns, and insights, but humans still hold the imagination.” Videsha noted, “Only you truly understand your customers, your environment, and your next move.” One of the strongest themes throughout the breakfast was moving from AI experimentation to practical implementation. Trevor Clark, Warren Sachs, Terry Flack and Daren Denholm Terry Flack of Cannect Digital encouraged businesses to stop treating AI as a novelty and instead begin integrating it meaningfully into operational strategy. His message was simple but impactful: “Dream big, start small, but start.” Warren Sachs, CEO of Beier Group, shared how AI-driven systems are transforming operational management within manufacturing environments through predictive maintenance, live reporting, and intelligent data integration. Daren Denholm, CEO of Genius Series, captivated the audience with his energetic presentation. Combining humour, charisma, and live demonstrations, Daren built a website in real time while showcasing how AI can dramatically improve productivity. The second session shifted focus toward cybersecurity, digital infrastructure, and business resilience. Kgabo Seopa from Vodacom explored how AI is being used to strengthen fraud prevention and digital transformation across Africa, while Johan Schoeman of Nexio unpacked the growing importance of cybersecurity readiness in an increasingly automated world. By the close of the breakfast, one message was clear: AI is not replacing the human element of business; it is enhancing it. Watch the full video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PA27PS5Nq0 BUSINESS SENSE Published by: KZN Top Business, 71 Underwood Road, Hatton Estates Features & Advertising: Grant Adlam: +27 (0)83 262 9529 Editorial: Gayle Adlam: +27 (0)83 653 0465 | +27 (0)31 267 1977 | gayle@mweb.co.za Accounts: Maryke Dickinson: +27 (0)82 877 7906 | maryke@kzntopbusiness.com Design & Layout: Kerri-Lea Adlam | Kezlea Graphics | kezlea@mweb.co.za Website: www.kznbs.com

A MIDLANDS SUCCESS STORY Lise van Zuydam Property practitioner and Tyson Properties Howick franchise owner, Lise van Zuydam, built her thriving real estate career by doing things differently – starting with mastering the admin side of the business and culminating in taking multi-million-rand hospitality properties and 450-hectare farms to market. Van Zuydam believes in an authentic approach – from putting on her gumboots to explore beautiful farms in the Midlands to enjoying the luxuries of some of the country’s most upmarket hospitality venues and country homes. Her journey from uncertainty to consistent top-tier performance is a compelling testament to moving from uncertainty via resilience, adaptability, and hands-on learning. Looking back, she admits that her early career was fragmented as she sought to find a niche that best suited her unique combination of attention to detail and positive energy. Her CV includes a stint as a centre manager and a finance portfolio manager, time spent co-ordinating events and even ownership of a lodge – all of which unwittingly prepared her for her current role. In 2018, as a single mother, she could never have imagined that losing her job after her boss emigrated would prove the big break that she needed. Catapulted into the world of real estate, she had fortuitously accepted an administrative role within the Tyson Properties Howick office. This ended at 1pm each day, paving the way for an informal apprenticeship. In the afternoons, she was free to develop a passion for property as she worked alongside and learnt from real estate agents on-the-ground. She admits that her approach to property has always been practical and immersive. Before formally entering the industry, she staged hard-to-sell homes by living in them. “I paid discounted rentals but made sure that the houses looked beautiful by the time I handed them back before transfer. I realised that if I could do that, I could do far more by selling them.” Her instinct for value creation quickly carried over into her own property ventures. In 2021, she purchased a home for R1 million, renovated it, and sold it nine months later for R1.6 million. She later undertook a more ambitious project – building her current home and bed-and-breakfast from the ground up while living in a converted stable during construction. Van Zuydam also spotted an opportunity to introduce and run a rentals division at Tyson Properties Howick, and helped develop this into a thriving part of the business. The extra revenue this provided allowed her to move on from her administrative duties and transition into full-time sales, starting with the successful sale of a small home owned by one of her sons’ school friends. Since then, she has refused to be pigeonholed, selling properties as diverse as R800 000 flats to large country homes. “We sell many lifestyle properties – 20-hectare properties with a house or maybe an income-generating cottage where you can have a couple of crops and three cows,” she explains. These properties have proven particularly attractive to buyers seeking weekend retreats and those with children at leading Midlands schools. Her enthusiasm for venturing into unfamiliar territory marked the next turning point in her career. When an opportunity arose to handle farm sales, Van Zuydam embraced the challenge head-on, starting with the sale of a 440-hectare farm for R21 million. Word spread, and soon she was managing much larger farm sales as far afield as Newcastle, Estcourt and Dundee where good agents are thin on the ground. Van Zuydam’s success is also closely tied to her deep love for the Midlands. She believes Howick, in particular, has undergone a remarkable transformation, having grown from a sleepy village many years ago to a busy town thanks to a thriving retirement community and an efficient and engaged municipality. Demand continues to outstrip supply. “If a property is priced right, it doesn’t remain on the market for more than a week,” she notes, adding that improved infrastructure and governance have played a significant role in attracting new residents to the point where local schools now have waiting lists. At the core of her philosophy is a commitment to discipline and relationship-building. She maintains a consistent work routine and prioritises accessibility for her clients. I’m quite a social person, and I have a good network from growing up in the area. I made platinum agent in my first year, and then I made diamond agent from then on. I’m always talking to people, making them aware of who I am and what I do. I’m in my very happy place,” she says. www.tysonprop.co.za/results/all/all/howick