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As the economy tries to recover the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry NPC hosted its first physical networking session since lockdown. The event was held at the Durban Country Club on Friday, 21 March 2021 and themed “Doing business with Ukraine.” The session forms part of an MOU signed by the Durban Chamber earlier in the year with the Ukrainian Chamber to enhance business opportunities for both South Africa and Ukraine. The aim of the event was to do business matchmaking between South African and Ukrainian businesses as well as to strengthen trade relations with both countries. With the current economic challenges, one of our main objectives is to look for new opportunities for our members. These opportunities should bring an impactful change to both the formal and informal sector which range from distribution and partnerships of various products. A couple of months ago Mr Eric Applegreen introduced us to ambassador Abravitova of Ukraine who was very energetic and passionate about wanting to build relations. She even got South African ambassador Groenewald to come on board with the same zest ensuring that there are great trade relations that will be mutually beneficial to both the Durban business community and Ukraine. I am happy to announce that from the discussions we’ve had there are two possible investment opportunities we are currently engaging on with the Ukrainian business delegation. We are hoping those two investments come into fruition,” said Durban Chamber CEO, Palesa Phili. The event was also attended by the MEC for Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mr Ravi Pillay, Chairperson of Economic Development, Cllr Sipho Kaunda, Trade & Investment KwaZulu Natal CEO, Mr Neville Matjie, Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Gennadiy Chyzhykov, Ukrainian Deputy Minister, Taras Kachka and UBTA Chairman, Dymtro Los. “When COVID hit us last year we devised a response with four pillars and the fourth was arguably our most complex pillar which has been to focus on the economy. We knew from the start that while protecting the lives of our people was the first priority, we also had to protect our economy from total collapse. What became clear to us from the beginning was that these plans would require us working with all our social partners in the country and stimulating growth through trade relations with other countries. While the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the globe, it is our firm belief that it also offers new opportunities for collaboration and trade. Therefore, this visit has come at an opportune time when we are looking at consolidating existing relationships while also building new ones,” said MEC for Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mr Ravi Pillay. The event had a great turnout, the aim of the event of strengthening trade relationships between the two countries and networking was achieved. “The most important thing is to unite our communities and support each other not only domestically but globally as well. The key purpose of our mission is to know each other. It is only when you know your real counterpart you can understand what is in demand and how we can develop relations,” said Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Gennadiy Chyzhykov. For more info, contact the Durban Chamber on T: +27 31 335 1000 or E: info@durbanchamber.co.za   W: www.durbanchamber.co.za #KZNbusinesssense

REGENT Business School (RBS) is one of the leading distance learning institutions in Africa. The institution’s philosophy of ‘Disrupt. Rethink. Innovate.’ well reflects its goal to transform higher education. REGENT Business School focuses on adaptive learning, using technology not only to communicate information, but to improve curricula and adapt to different learning styles. RBS has embraced the “laboritorisation” of learning with innovative iLeadLABs, understanding that you can’t learn 21st-century skills in a 19th-century classroom. International Academic and Research Linkages RBS has established academic and research linkages with partner universities and research institutions in Africa, the United Kingdom, Russia, China, and India. In addition, RBS is a member institution of the Pan African and Global Honoris United Universities Network. These linkages ensure that the RBS staff, students, and alumni are continually exposed to international best practices and expertise from academic, professional, private, public, and civil society sectors from a range of countries across the globe. Consequently, RBS’s active research focus combined with the wealth of intellectual capital, its qualified and experienced lecturers, and specialised experience in delivering learning programmes, has allowed the institution to design and deliver effective higher education programmes for students both in the public and private sectors. On Site and Distance Learning RBS’s campuses are in all major hubs including Durban, Gauteng, Cape Town, East London, and Pretoria, as well as in SADC countries, Swaziland and Namibia. As many students are unable to attend full time campus programmes, RBS offers flexible delivery options. The supported distance-learning mode of delivery, carefully designed curricula as well as affordable fee structures make RBS programmes a preferred choice for persons in full-time employment in particular. Student Support In response to Covid-19, RBS’s team of thinkers, innovators and implementers have worked tirelessly to guide, nurture and empower students, ensuring that teaching, learning, and collaborating is enabled through webinars, pre-recorded lectures and exercises, and digital tutor interaction. Student support includes: Student support WhatsApp Bot: A quick-response programme designed to provide instant assistance by providing answers to frequently answered questions. iLeadLAB creative exercises: The student community loves the free webinars and activities designed to develop skills to nurture innovation. Counselling: In the true RBS spirit of caring, support extends well beyond the academic, an attentive ear or a virtual shoulder to lean on. Digital specialist engagement: There are several established digital platforms for students. Accredited Study Choices RBS offers an array of study choices, ranging from short courses and higher certificate programmes to MBA’s, postgraduate qualifications, degrees and diplomas. All degrees are locally accredited and internationally recognised. RBS was recently received a major accolade with accreditation for the for a doctorate degree by the Department of Higher Education. RBS’s programmes cover the areas of business administration, commerce, management and leadership, entrepreneurship, local government, educational management, finance, and human resource. RBS’s programmes cover the areas of business administration, commerce, management and leadership, entrepreneurship, local government, educational management, finance, human resource management and healthcare management. Bridging the Gap Between Learning and Work RBS programmes are designed to be responsive to the current needs of commerce and industry in South and southern Africa, while being sensitive to the rapidly changing global business environment. In addition, graduates must be prepared to excel at jobs that do not yet exist. One of the institution’s main objectives is to use the potential in information technology to drive RBS into a digital future using the institution’s Employability unit (iLeadLAB) to bridge the gap between education and the demands of the modern workplace. The academic makerspaces or iLeadLAB’s combines formal discipline-centric education in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) immersion, with work-integrated learning, and internship programmes. Through this unit, graduates acquire experiential learning of flexible in-demand skills, as well as acquire future-fit skills and experience, which reduces the education-job mismatch and increases employability. Graduates must be prepared to excel at jobs that do not yet exist. REGENT Business School meets this need by combining formal discipline-centric education with experiential learning. Entrepreneurial Skills Development The REGENT Enterprise Development Hub (REDhub) leverages the business school’s iLeadLABs. REDhub strives to promote impactful entrepreneurial skills development by nurturing resilient entrepreneurs, and supporting ideas and business concepts, to stimulate the growth of small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs). Entrepreneurs experience the entire process from rapid prototyping and development to finding funding and bringing products to market. Alumni The institution’s alumni base of 7000 is rapidly expanding. RBS’s annual student surveys show that RBS alumni hold executive and leading positions across Africa, the Middle East, Western Europe, and Asia. Further, the current student population of RBS is very representative of the demographic of communities in South Africa and countries in the SADC region. List of Programmes Bachelor of Commerce – General NQF 7 1. Electives: Economics Accounting Digital Marketing Project Management Health Management Information Technology Supply Chain Management Human Resource Management Risk Management Retail Management Digital Leadership Business Intelligence 2. Bachelor of Commerce – NQF 7 Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management Bachelor of Commerce in Supply Chain Management Bachelor of Commerce in Law Bachelor of Public Administration Bachelor of Commerce in Retail Management Advanced Diploma in Financial Management- NQF 7 3. Diploma – NQF 6 Diploma in Financial Management Diploma in Public Relations Management 4. Higher Certificate – NQF 5 Higher Certificate in Supply Chain Management Higher Certificate in Healthcare Services Management Higher Certificate in Business Management Higher Certificate in Accounting Higher Certificate in Entrepreneurship Higher Certificate in Management for Estate Agents Higher Certificate in Islamic Finance, Banking and Law Higher Certificate in Marketing Management Higher Certificate in Retail Management Higher Certificate in Human Resource Management 5. MBA – NQF 9 Master of Business Administration Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Management 6. Postgraduate Diploma – NQF 8 Postgraduate Diploma in Management Postgraduate Diploma in Accounting Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Management and Leadership Postgraduate Diploma in Islamic Finance and Banking Postgraduate Diploma Project Management Postgraduate Diploma Digital Marketing Postgraduate Diploma in Supply Chain Management 7. Bachelor of Commerce Honours Degree 8. Bachelor of Commerce in Human Resource Management Honours Degree 9. Doctor of Business Administration – NQF 10. For more information contact: T: +27 31 3044626 E: study@regent.ac.za / ileadlab@regent.ac.za W: www.regent.ac.za #KZNbusinesssense #kzntopbusiness

“You must always invest in something where the demand is higher than the supply,” says Coert Coetzee founder of the Wealth Masters Club. “I invest in the basic needs of the human being. There are three basic needs – food, clothing and shelter.” Consequently, it is important to build one’s investment portfolio with these needs in mind. Wealth Masters Club is now one of the oldest, biggest and most successful investor clubs in the world with more than 640,000 members worldwide. MEMBER’S FUNCTION 5 MAY A member function is to be held in Durban on Wednesday 5 May. At this event existing members are offered a refresher course on the basics of the Wealth Masters Club’s system and are able to engage with Coert Coetzee in person. Guests are welcome at this function, to see whether or not they have an appetite for the system. To register visit https://www.wealthmastersclub.com/education/wealth-masters-seminar/2021-05-05 WEBINAR 8 MAY In addition, the Wealth Masters Club will be conducting a webinar on Saturday 8 May. This unique and popular full-day course, teaches both experienced and novice investors how to create enormous wealth and tax-free cash flow through the use of a specialised trust structure with a specific type of property investment. The information shared on the course is absolutely essential for both the ordinary person and the investor who wishes to create everlasting financial freedom for themselves and their children. To register visit https://www.wealthmastersclub.com/education/wealth-masters-webinar/1453 #KZNbusinesssense #kzntopbusiness

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Sihle Zikalala launched the Sihle Zikalala Development Trust on April 1 at the Coastlands Hotel in uMhlanga. Through this development trust, which is private initiative, Zikalala aims to bring about long-term social, economic and environmental benefits within the province. Premier Zikalala saw the need to initiate the trust to create a just society underpinned by strong ethics, social cohesion, democracy and socio-economic development. The Trust does not seek to replace any of the exiting initiatives and processes that are underway within the province to achieve these goals. Working with strategic partners, the Sihle Zikalala Development Trust will bring about much needed assistance to the indigent and underprivileged through various interventions that include but are not limited to poverty alleviation, anti-social ills programme, anti-women and children abuse and educational programmes. All efforts and work of the Trust is a display of commitment to transformation of society and socio-economic development, which can be achieved in part but not limited through the following: · Sectoral engagements e.g. taxi industry · Communication programmes · Summits · Dialogues · Workshops · Izimbizo · Walk-abouts including door to door visits · Public lectures · Round table discussions · Community meetings · Presentations to government departments and committees · Scholarships and Bursary programmes Infrastructure Development For the meaningful fulfilment of these objectives, the Trust has to support the various projects and programmes both from a financial and non-financial point of view through the availability and mobilisation of corporate social investment funding. The Trust intends to partner with strategic organisations in bringing about these human-centred initiatives with an aim to empower communities and to ensure the sustainability of the various projects and programmes. For more information www.szdt.co.za

The objective of any successful revenue enhancement strategy is to build and improve on current payment levels and then to recover arrear debt. Covid-19 exposed a lot of loopholes in local government revenue management and within a few weeks of the pandemic, one could already start to see the potential impact on cashflow and how the crisis would impact long-term sustainability. Revenue management is an integral part of any business that strives to succeed, this also includes municipalities. With the pressures that Covid—19 has put on the national fiscal, it is even more crucial that municipalities should be self-sufficient as they can no longer be solely dependent on the National Treasury for funding. In order, for municipalities to be able to deliver on their service delivery mandate, it is prudent that municipalities must be able to generate their own revenue. In April 2020, the Chartered Institute of Goverment Finance Audit and Risk Officers (CIGFARO) made the following comment, “Each municipality must have its financial system, which is the backbone and driver to manage the raising of revenue and the related collections.” Municipal revenue collections are usually done internally by the municipality. In exceptional cases, we have noted that the collection of revenue is done through external service providers, but this is not readily recommended by CIGFARO. It is advisable that the municipalities should deal with their credit control and debt collection processes to retain customer-centricity and only outsource the final debt collection procedures when debt has to be handed over for legal collection procedures to take place. The main reason for municipalities to manage the collection of revenue through the municipal administration is to encourage municipalities to apply legislation to their benefit during the collection processes. The municipal disaster recovery plan should provide for channels of payment in times of disaster and the related reconciliation of receipts. We note that in the past many municipalities had received negative audit outcomes from the Auditor-General South Africa due to challenges that the municipalities were experiencing with their revenue management. This was accompanied by service delivery protests where communities complained that the municipalities were not being able to provide basic services. The national lockdown exposed the worsened situation of the municipalities where many could not: · Charge interest on long outstanding debt, and · Apply their credit control processes to enforce payments of their accounts as the entire economy was at a standstill To ensure that the situation does not become dire, in such a way that the municipalities are not able to function, municipalities should look at an inclusive revenue enhancement strategy that will assist municipalities with the following: 1. Cleaning of the customer database that will ensure that: · Only customers that exist and are receiving municipal services are billed. · All customers within the municipality’s jurisdiction that are receiving municipal services and own properties are billed monthly (completeness) and · These customers are billed for actual consumption (accuracy). This will be done through auditing of meters. 2. The Indigent Management System should assist the municipalities to improve their indigent management through: · Verifying the indigent register · Verifying validity of indigency status of applicants from Home Affairs, Social Development and Credit Bureau · Ensuring that municipal indigent registers are complete The revenue enhancement strategy should not only focus on data cleansing to ensure complete and accurate billing, improved credit control and debt management and improved indigent management but it should assist with revenue solutions. The revenue solutions should assist the municipalities to identify new revenue streams. This will not only assist municipalities in reducing the audit findings from the Auditor General, but it will assist the municipalities with increasing their internally generated revenue that will in turn make sure that municipalities are able to provide services to their communities as mandate by the Constitution. It will not be enough for municipalities in this new normal to only recover revenues as the crisis subsides. We have entered an era where the world is in need to fundamentally rethink their revenue profile, in order to position themselves for the long term sustainability and to ensure the municipality is a going concern. In conclusion, the municipalities can no longer focus on just collecting revenue from the service charges, in this new normal but they need to rethink and find ways to increase their current revenue base, as they can no longer depend on government grants and subsidies to supplement their own revenue. For more information, contact: T:+27 31 201 1241 E: sikelelwa@bonakude.co.za W: www.bonakude.co.za

The PDA is a behavioural assessment that provides information on an individual’s natural behaviour, and role behaviour. It is an analysis of specific words concerned with the meanings and relations between them, which generates into an analysis report. The PDA platform is ideal for: · Organisations: to identify, develop and/or retain talent, job fit/matching, leadership development, team dynamics. · Individuals: understand your strengths and development areas to improve job/career prospects, leadership style, decision making approach, people skills. The PDA Assessment does not qualify behavioural profiles as “good or bad”; it describes the evaluated individual’s behavioural characteristics. The PDA behaviour profile is defined in terms of: · Risk – the degree to which a person tends to take risks to achieve results · Extroversion – the degree to which a person desires/is inclined to interact with other individuals, persuade and please people in order to achieve results · Patience – the degree to which a person tends to respond in a patient and peaceful manner in order to achieve results · Compliance – the degree to which a person requires to conform to norms and procedures in order to achieve results The PDA assessment enables one to: · Assess three core areas: behaviour, energy, and emotional indicators · Analyse the competencies of individuals and teams · Recruit the best candidates for the role/job · Assess competency frameworks and skills-gaps · Provide guidance for effective succession planning · Develop leaders and leadership skills · Design career development plans for employees · Identify communication and conflict styles · Improve self-awareness and emotional intelligence · Enable personal growth and development The PDA has a 90% reliability rate, is scientifically verified, has ISO9001 certification, meets U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) requirements and is internationally validated by the American Institute of Business Psychology (AIOBP) Some of the many reports generated by taking the PDA are as follows: 1. PDA Report – A comprehensive behavioural report detailing the candidate’s leadership, sales and communication styles. This report provides detailed descriptions of the candidate’s natural behaviour style as well as behaviour modification in work and other contexts. Natural competency style and fit to generic competencies are provided in this report as well. Detailed information regarding strengths and possible areas of development (strengths that become overused) is given as well as information regarding environment factors that are required to keep the candidate engaged and motivated. 2. Job Fit Report – This report provides details of the candidate’s fit to a pre-determined (either system generated or customised) job profile. Details regarding the fit to the different competencies required for success in this job role are provided as well as overall percentage job fit. 3. Competency Report – This report provides a percentage match of a candidate (based on his/her natural behavioural style) to a set of system generated or customised competencies. The system contains generic, agile and entrepreneur competencies. 4. Leadership Matching Report – This report provides details of two candidates, one of whom has been allocated into a leadership role and the other in a subordinate position and reporting into the managerial candidate. Details of the managerial candidate’s leadership and communication style are provided as well as the environmental factors needed to keep the subordinate candidate engaged and motivated. The natural behaviours of both candidates on the four axes assessed in the PDA are compared and how this style will manifest in the behaviour of the managerial candidate is indicated in the report. DRG’s internationally accredited PDA specialists can help facilitate these PDAs, and provide you with constructive feedback generated from the 30 page report. Contact Nikita T: +27 (0)31 767 0625 E: Nikita@drg.co.za W: www.drg.co.za

NGOFit, a division of DRG Outsourcing, has recently been established to help nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) to become sustainable service organisations. Nikita Pillay, DRG HR and Compliance Best-Practice Specialist explained, “DRG has a broad base of clients, many of which are funded organisations or NGOs, so this was a natural progression.” David White, CEO of DRG Outsourcing says, “We have learnt a lot from servicing clients in different areas, which has built our confidence.” What we find with NGOs is that they are really focussed on the work that they are doing whether it is in education, training, medical, health, or peace. NGOs tend to have specialists in each of those areas and we are specialists in our service offerings. So, it’s a really good combination of skills coming together. We allow the NGOs to focus on their projects that are being funded and we take care of all the administration and compliance issues.” DRG is able to help with compliance around payroll administration, doing returns to the Department of Labour, and making sure that Workmen’s Compensation and SETA (Sector Education and Training Authority) submissions are done correctly. “NGOs have a deep passion for the type of work that they do that makes for a perfect fit with NgoFit. We also focus on ensuring that there is compliance in terms of reporting to the project funders,” added Pillay. While funders such as John Hopkins University, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, The Growth fund, and The Jobs Fund are happy to fund projects, they do want to know that the money is being spent correctly. The majority of funding that goes into NGOs is to pay salaries of staff. “Consequently, organisations gain comfort in knowing that a professional organisation like DRG is helping to make sure that every single aspect of an NGO’s people management is compliant,” explains White. Leaders of NGOs are passionate people and strive to make a difference in the world in some way. “This is a similar culture to that of DRG so there tends to be a natural fit between ourselves and themselves,” added White. “We understand each other and quite often we get asked to sit on the boards of these organisations to help them from a human resources and business administration perspective.” “Helping these NGOs build their foundation is of absolute importance,” explains Pillay. It starts off with payroll and ensuring that staff are paid accurately, that statuary payments as well as third party payments are done on time and are accounted for. When it comes to human resources, it’s all about getting their documents in order including policies and procedures and aligning these with the funder’s agreement.” This includes ensuring that employees go through a proper induction process, which allows them to familiarise themselves with the environment that they are working in. In this regard contracts and job descriptions are essential to ensure that employees understand what is required of them within the organisation. NGOFit will also ensure that policies and procedures are in place to manage labour relations including performance management, grievances, and any potential disciplinary hearings. The time taken for NGOFit to take on an NGO as a new client is very short. “If an Ngo was to come to us in the morning, we would have them set up by the afternoon. It is as easy as that,” explained Pillay. “We are very excited about NGOFit. It is something that we have wanted to launch for a long time now. We know that it is going to make a difference to NGOs. The NGOs that we have worked with have been so happy with us. Some have been with us for close to 2O years and we want to provide these services to other NGOs so that we can continue to help them with their passions and meeting their goals and responsibilities to their funders,” concluded White. T: +27 31 767 0625 E: info@drg.co.za W: www.ngofit.co.za

Business owners are the future of the SA economy. No government or politician will be able to solve South Africa’s burgeoning unemployment crisis – but business could cut the latest disturbing statistic in half if they joined forces. Trevor Clark, business coach at ActionCOACH Business Mastery in Durban challenged South African business owners to support the EveryONE EmployONE initiative by employing just one extra person in their businesses. “I was delighted to get behind this project and I am encouraging my clients and partners to do the same. This campaign encourages all of our business owners and entrepreneurs to employ just one more person in their businesses. With around 3.5 million businesses currently in South Africa - from informal traders to Small, Micro and Medium Enterprises (SMMEs), large business and even corporates – we are the solution. If EveryONE employs just ONE person – we would cut the official unemployment figure in half,” he said. Pointing out that collective action from South African business owners would have a huge impact on South Africa’s economy and that a healthier economy would, in turn, impact positively on every business, Clark said that Business Mastery had decided to practice what it was preaching by employing an additional person two weeks ago. As the company’s new Practice Manager, Preanka Persadh will be based at its Durban office. “Right now, we are promoting this initiative to our clients and alliance partners. I am also happy to offer a free coaching session to any business owner wanting to get behind this initiative. They might be thinking of hiring but need some help on how to recruit well. They may need help on how to budget for the new person, how to set a new person up for success or manage that person’s role within their organisation,” he explained. The EveryONE EmployONE initiative was the brain child of Harry Welby-Cooke of ActionCOACH Business Coaching Southern Africa and followed the release of the latest unemployment figures by Statistics South Africa (StasSA). “Tuesday February 23 was a really dark day for South Africa – or, at least, it should have been if one had really been paying attention. On that day Stats SA released its Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) results which showed South Africa’s unemployment had again increased and now stood at 32,5% or 7,2 million people. To make matters worse, that’s only the ‘official’ unemployment figure. Expanded unemployment now stands at over 11 million people or 42,6%,” he said. Welby-Cooke suggested that it was easy for South Africa to simply glance over the stats and even easier to lose perspective. To right any wrong perceptions, he explained that the number of jobless people in South Africa was equal to the entire population of KwaZulu-Natal or even the whole population of a bustling city like Cairo plus Soweto. He pointed out that employment gave South Africans a chance to take back control of their lives. “Human beings are wired to contribute but, without employment, there can be no contribution. There can be no fix. There is a solution, and we are that solution. Each and every one of us. Solving the unemployment crisis lies in the lap of every business owner and entrepreneur,” he said. For more info contact: Preanka Persadh E: mastery@actioncoach.co.za

EThekwini Municipality Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda is upbeat about the recovery of the tourism sector in the city. He called upon local tourism businesses to be part of the Business Retention and Expansion programme, which will be an important component of rebuilding the tourism sector. Speaking at the Tourism Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) webinar hosted in partnership with Tourism Investment Africa 360 (TIA) on 14 April, Kaunda said that the sector’s road to recovery was evident during the Easter period this year as more than 45 000 visitors descended to the city for holidays. He stated that eThekwini’s economy received a boost with direct spending at approximately R60 million and a GDP contribution of around R150 million, with a total of 320 jobs created over this period. Kaunda added that it is such progressive strides that encouraged the City to partner with TIA360 to offer a support package to help tourism businesses prepare themselves for access to finance and then link them with appropriate financial institutions that can offer assistance. He further noted that they want to maintain this momentum through several interventions to be launched in eThekwini within the next few weeks such as partnering with the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) to attract investors in the city to boost tourism and business market. Mayor Kaunda mentioned that other interventions that have started to yield positive strides towards the tourism sector recovery includes providing incentives to small businesses since the outbreak of Covid-19 like converting Bed and Breakfasts rates from commercial to residential for a limited period. “We have also embarked on an aggressive marketing campaign to keep Durban top of mind to visitors,” said Kaunda. TIA360’s Chief Executive Officer, Sindile Xulu said the BR&E programme is internationally recognised as a tool to promote the retention and growth of local businesses. “BR&E can provide sustainable and innovative solutions for companies in the tourism sector that have been adversely affected by the lockdown.” The guest speaker at the conference, Dr Taleb Rifai, who is also a former SecretaryGeneral of the United Nations’ World Tourism Organisation and currently the Secretary General of the World Tourism Forum Institute said that global travel industry will only return to a new norm when the whole world is ready to travel under a unified system. He added that in tourism there was no competition between neighbours. “Countries will have to work together if tourism is to recover – one country cannot insist on quarantine while its neighbour demands a vaccination passport and a third simply requires 72 hours testing before arrival or at entry points,” Dr Rifai said. He emphasised that the current winner from the COVID-19 travel crises is domestic and regional tourism. South Africa was in top spot in Africa and second internationally when it comes to domestic business travel recovery, as per recent Flight Centre Travel Group report. If you would like your Durban based tourism business to participate in the BR&E programme, you can complete a questionnaire on: www.tia360.africa/bre

As a responsible gas trader, the SLG group is a licensee of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA). This ensures compliance with NERSA regulations and that of its stakeholders. NERSA is a regulatory authority established as a juristic person in terms of Section 3 of the National Energy Regulator Act, 2004 (Act No. 40 of 2004). In executing its mandate, NERSA endeavours to balance the conflicting interests of both licensed entities and end-users. Its mandate is anchored in four primary Acts: · The National Energy Regulator Act of 2004 · The Electricity Regulation Act of 2006 · The Gas Act of 2001 · The Petroleum Pipelines Act of 2003 As a licensee, various elements of SLG’s business are regulated and have license conditions which are ministered by NERSA. Trading Licenses SLG is licensed to trade within various jurisdictions in Gauteng and KZN and holds separate trading licenses for each of the provinces. One of the conditions of these licenses is for SLG to comply with the Gas Act of 2001 and in particular observe Section 22 off the said Act to ensure that gas to customers is priced in a non-discriminatory manner. Furthermore, gas prices are subject to the maximum price that NERSA approves for SLG in line with its mandate, and customers are not to be charged above this maximum price. Section 22 of the gas act allows for discrimination between customers on a clearly and objectively defined basis such as volume, term of contract, distance and any other approved discriminating factors. Gas Infrastructure Licenses As a legal requirement, SLG applies to the regulator for the approval of a construction license for the construction of any distribution or transmission infrastructure which is then followed by an operating license application to NERSA. Failure to obtain the respective licenses constitutes a breach of license conditions. Gas Tariffs In order to gain access to third party pipeline infrastructure, the owners or licensees that operate these pipelines are required to charge tariffs to third party shippers or transporters. These tariffs are approved by NERSA and are determined using publicly available tariff guidelines and formulas. All licensee applications are published by NERSA for public comment and input prior to the approval of the transportation tariff structure. The Gas Act does not provide for the approval of tariffs for distribution pipelines and as such licensees are required to submit their tariff applications to the regulator for information purposes only. The Gas Amendment Bill that is currently being enacted seeks to address such gaps and this issue will therefore be resolved when the bill is legislated. Source: T: +27 12 401 4600 W: www.nersa.org.za For more information contact: SLG T: +27 31 812 0555 W: www.slgas.co.za

The iLembe business community will for the next two years be led by Lesa Bradshaw. Lesa, representing Bradshaw LeRoux Consulting, was elected as iLembe Chamber of Commerce president at an executive meeting held on the 25th of March 2021. Lesa will lead the executive committee, comprising of business leaders that represent diverse industry sectors and economic nodes. KwaDukuza businessman, Shain Manjoo, representing the Synergy Property Trust, was elected vice-president. Dominic Collett from Royal HaskoningDHV was re-elected as treasurer. The full board, who invest their time, resources, and expertise to give guidance and oversee the implementation of the iLembe Chamber’s strategic plan, is as follows: · Ndumiso Ncube (Manjula Group), Shain Manjoo (Synergy Property Trust) · Dominic Collett (RHDHV) · Trevor Graham (KIC SA) · Xolani Gumede (Cappeny Estates) · Andy Horton (LC Smith Inc) · Nkonzo Mhlongo (Tongaat Hulett Sugar) · Lesa Bradshaw (Bradshaw Le Roux) · Hantie Plomp (Triplo4 Sustainable Solutions - Pty Ltd) · Hlalelo Mkwabe (Tongaat Hulett Developments – absent for photograph) www.ilembechamber.co.za

As the economy tries to recover the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry NPC hosted its first physical networking session since lockdown. The event was held at the Durban Country Club on Friday, 21 March 2021 and themed “Doing business with Ukraine.” The session forms part of an MOU signed by the Durban Chamber earlier in the year with the Ukrainian Chamber to enhance business opportunities for both South Africa and Ukraine. The aim of the event was to do business matchmaking between South African and Ukrainian businesses as well as to strengthen trade relations with both countries. With the current economic challenges, one of our main objectives is to look for new opportunities for our members. These opportunities should bring an impactful change to both the formal and informal sector which range from distribution and partnerships of various products. A couple of months ago Mr Eric Applegreen introduced us to ambassador Abravitova of Ukraine who was very energetic and passionate about wanting to build relations. She even got South African ambassador Groenewald to come on board with the same zest ensuring that there are great trade relations that will be mutually beneficial to both the Durban business community and Ukraine. I am happy to announce that from the discussions we’ve had there are two possible investment opportunities we are currently engaging on with the Ukrainian business delegation. We are hoping those two investments come into fruition,” said Durban Chamber CEO, Palesa Phili. The event was also attended by the MEC for Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mr Ravi Pillay, Chairperson of Economic Development, Cllr Sipho Kaunda, Trade & Investment KwaZulu Natal CEO, Mr Neville Matjie, Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Gennadiy Chyzhykov, Ukrainian Deputy Minister, Taras Kachka and UBTA Chairman, Dymtro Los. “When COVID hit us last year we devised a response with four pillars and the fourth was arguably our most complex pillar which has been to focus on the economy. We knew from the start that while protecting the lives of our people was the first priority, we also had to protect our economy from total collapse. What became clear to us from the beginning was that these plans would require us working with all our social partners in the country and stimulating growth through trade relations with other countries. While the Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc across the globe, it is our firm belief that it also offers new opportunities for collaboration and trade. Therefore, this visit has come at an opportune time when we are looking at consolidating existing relationships while also building new ones,” said MEC for Economic Development Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Mr Ravi Pillay. The event had a great turnout, the aim of the event of strengthening trade relationships between the two countries and networking was achieved. “The most important thing is to unite our communities and support each other not only domestically but globally as well. The key purpose of our mission is to know each other. It is only when you know your real counterpart you can understand what is in demand and how we can develop relations,” said Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Gennadiy Chyzhykov. For more info, contact the Durban Chamber on T: +27 31 335 1000 or E: info@durbanchamber.co.za W: www.durbanchamber.co.za