TWIMS Campus | 14th October 2022 | 8:30 - 16:30 Masterclass overview: Although intra-African trade is still low, Sub-Saharan Africa is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world and the push for intra-African trade is advancing through the likes of the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). The AfCFTA Agreement envisages that 90% of products would be traded, duty-free on the continent within ten years. As of January 2022, 41 African Union (AU) member states have ratified The Agreement. As The Agreement shifts into its operational phase, South African industrialists need to consider what potential opportunities this agreement will provide in the next 2 to 3 years. They should be informed by what key milestones to look out for and how to respond to the potential opportunities. In a context where industrialisation and specifically the growth of the manufacturing sector, remain the key mechanisms enabling developing countries and emerging economies to improve their economic and social welfare, the purpose of this course is to explore economic trade trends across the continent and to understand how policy dynamics such as those related to the AfCFTA might influence future developments. The masterclass explores trade strategy options facing those firms seeking to work with the emerging manufacturing ecosystem on the continent. This one-day masterclass will begin with an overview of the African trade environment, including an overview of trade agreements, trade barriers and trade facilitation measures available to manufacturers. Practically, this masterclass will introduce executives to various approaches to utilise when analysing African markets (covering both the import and export markets) and how to develop regional export strategies to take advantage of manufacturing opportunities on the African continent. Learning outcomes: The day is structured to ensure that all participants: • Understand how evolving trade patterns are linked to industrialisation • Understand the trade environment in Africa, with a focus on the AfCFTA • Are able to evaluate the challenges of trading in Africa • Understand the importance of analysing trade flows and selecting attractive export markets and markets to source from • Are able to use results from our analysis to develop regional export strategies and opportunities into Africa Participants will receive a TWIMS African Trade Masterclass Attendance certificate. Masterclass facilitator: The masterclass is facilitated by Mbongeni Ndlovu, the Illovo Academic Head of African Trade and Industrialisation at TWIMS. Mbongeni’s specialisations include development economics, industrial policy and African studies. As a consultant and development economist, he has 7 years of experience in policy research and analysis, monitoring and evaluation, impact assessment evaluation, and strategy development. His research has focused primarily on the automotive, clothing and footwear industries. Most recently, he has contributed to the development of a Sub-Saharan African Automotive Pact model; South Africa’s Clothing, Textiles and Footwear Masterplan; and South Africa’s Yellow Metals Masterplan. Mbongeni holds an MSc in African Studies and an MSc in Economics for Development both from the University of Oxford. Masterclass cost: The masterclass cost is R4,000 per participant. This is fully inclusive of all refreshments, teas, and lunch on the 14th of October, as well as all stationery. The cost excludes accommodation. Venue and accommodation: The masterclass is run at the TWIMS campus, 74 Everton Road, Kloof. Accommodation is available on-site at an additional cost. Visit the TWIMS website ( http://www.twimsafrica.com ) for further details. Applications: Participation is limited to 40 executives. Application for participation can be made online at http://www.twimsafrica.com . Masterclass enquiries can be directed to andrea.govender@twimsafrica.com Apply now

BREAKING NEWS The KZN Top Business Women 2022 initiative has exciting new sponsors – DRG and BusinessFit SA. The new sponsors are the perfect fit. How nice is that? DRG is a total solutions provider of professional and reliable human resource management services to small, medium, and large customers. BusinessFit SA is an enterprise development organisation whose aim in business is to launch new and up and coming entrepreneurs into the world of business. DRG and BusinessFit have incredible success stories in assisting local companies in enterprise development and creating sustainable businesses. That’s what they do. The formula of “Success Breed Success” The theme for 2022 is Women of Influence. KZN Top Business Women’s vision is that by sharing stories of successful women other women will start believing that they have the power to reach their own goals. We hope that they will also be inspired to follow their own dreams and ambitions. The participating women will be photographed, profiled through video, and featured in a print article in a hard copy edition of the KZN Top Business Women Portfolio, and have an online profile created.  They will also share aspects of their stories in three panel-based webinars, which will be streamed remotely. The gala dinner will be held on 17 November at the Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel and Convention Centre. All the pre-event interviews and photoshoots will be shot on site at the Hotel. Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel have sponsored three special prizes for online viewers who join the webinars and hybrid event. At the event, the achievements of some of the women will be recognised in several categories. These are: The courage to realise a dream Exceeding customer expectations and delivering brilliant experiences Operating effectively and productively Fostering a culture of empowerment and diversity Making a difference in the business and community Being a woman extraordinaire Due to the nature of the event, there are limited number of spaces available. This initiative will provide participants with an incredible business and personal marketing opportunity. For more information or to nominate a ‘woman of influence’ contact tracy@topbuisness.co.za Grant Adlam with David White and Nikita Pillay from BusinessFit SA finalising the historic partnership KZN TOP BUSINESS WOMEN 2021 ( LIVE SHOW ) KZN Top Business Women - Showcasing the Achievements of Women in (highlights )

Lotus FM’s, Zakia Ahmed Siddiqi, spoke to a panel of experts, who provided powerful advice from a workplace and legal perspective, on how to manage situations of such nature, and the recourse for victims. The panel of experts consisted of: Advocate Omashnie Naidoo, NPA Ms Asiya Khan, Director Legal, DOJ Advocate Jayshree Govender, SAPS Nikita Pillay, Labour Law and Best Practice Specialist, DRG Outsourcing. Nozipho Majola, Social Worker, Lifeline The link to the talk show on Lotus FM - on Harassment / Sexual Harassment https://omny.fm/shows/talk-7/what-constitutes-harassment-or-sexual-harassment-2

Nikita Pillay from DRG Outsourcing gave us an informative and well explained understanding on HR & Compliance and of the procedures involved. HR & Compliance Masterclass covered the below important points Foundational Documents (Policy Manual / Disciplinary Code) Fair Labour Practices - BCEA & LRA Registrations / Letter of Good Standing (SARS / Dept of Labour) Importance of Induction and Orientation of Employees Understanding the Probationary Period Different Types of Employment Contracts Job Descriptions Salary Benchmarking and Grading Disciplinary Processes Performance Management Employment Equity Reporting WSP / ATR Reporting to the SETA’ HR & Compliance Audits DRG’s HR Articles Booklet NIKITA PILLAY attributes her success to a powerful cocktail of positive peer pressure, perseverance and a lucky break. She grew up in a large, loud and happy family, with three sisters and a brother, but there was no chance of a tertiary education after school Read more

Willowton Group can confirm that on the morning of Wednesday, 5 October 2022, an armed robbery took place at one of its off-site warehouses in Kempton Park, Johannesburg. The robbers held up the staff at the facility and proceeded to load three trucks, which is understood to be stolen trucks, with substantial quantities of 2L Sunfoil Sunflower Cooking Oil. After opening a case with the South African Police Service, a notice was shared by Willowton Group on social media platforms offering a reward of R100 000 for any information that would lead to the successful apprehension of the perpetrators and/or recovery of the stolen goods. The police and our security partner in Gauteng, Vision Tactical, worked tirelessly throughout the day and night. Following information received, we can confirm that one of the three truckloads was recovered in Vanderbijlpark last night, and a number of suspects were arrested. We are still working with the police and our security partners to recover the remaining two truckloads of stock that are still missing. Members of the public are requested not to purchase any of the stolen stock. The batch codes of the stolen items are known to the police and security partners who are currently trying to locate the stock. The reward for any information leading to the successful recovery of the stolen Sunfoil Sunflower Cooking oil and the arrest of any of the perpetrators remains unchanged at R100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Rand). We are grateful that no Willowton Group staff members were hurt during the incident, and they are all being provided with the necessary trauma counselling and support. We would like to acknowledge and thank the South African Police Service, Vision Tactical, other security personnel and contractors who have been working tirelessly to recover the stock and bring the perpetrators to book. While the investigation is at a very sensitive stage, we are unable to comment further. Any further developments will be communicated in due course. Anyone with information about the stolen goods is urged to report this to 082 888 7813. All information will be treated with the strictest confidence.

Innovate Durban is extremely excited to inform you that preparations are well under way for the 7th annual Innovation Festival. We are honoured and looking forward to welcoming key ecosystem players within the industry and opening up a platform for celebration, collaboration and ground-breaking discussions on innovation. Produced successfully for over 7 years, the Innovation Festival is the premier Innovation & Technology event produced in KwaZulu Natal which gathers stakeholders including innovators, funders, corporate partners, ecosystem players, academia and policy makers in the celebrations of all things innovation. Past partners of this event have included eThekwini Municipality, Uber SA, Amazon Web Services, Adams and Adams, Software AG, Standard Bank, Transnet, Durban Chamber of Commerce and East Coast Radio. This year the event will incorporate a full day impact driven conference session under the theme, “The Next Big Thing”, that will be unpacking the current world of innovation and charting a roadmap of the developments, trends, disruptions and shakeups that the industry is foreseeing. The program will incorporate the most inspiring and motivating industry leaders that will engage the audience by sharing critical skills and expertise as well as business insights. The session will also be accompanied by a hight tech exhibition showcasing the latest products and solutions to sweep the technology space. There is a limited number of delegate seats for this event and ticket sales will be released soon. Partnership and sponsorship packages are available for organisations that would like to showcase their solutions to the technology, digital and innovation decision makers that will be attending. For more information on this event and to find out more on how you can participate please visit www.innovationfestival.durban/ or email our Marketing and Events Manager, Ms Sithabile Cele, on sithabile@innovate.durban . For more information on the Innovation Festival 2022including registration, partnerships or exhibitions contact: Sithabile Cele Marketing and Events Manager – Innovate Durban Tel: 087 365 3131 | Email: sithabile@innovate.durban Social Media Handles: Web https://www.innovate.durban/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/innovatedurban Instagram https://www.instagram.com/innovatedurban/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/20142770/admin/

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Arch Retail Systems, renowned for innovative solutions, is proud to announce the latest addition to the Arch suite of solutions, namely Arch Fuel (AF). An integrated solution was developed to answer the call for local technology in an all-in-one forecourt/convenience store management system. Traditional fuel retail sites have two separate solutions for the forecourt and the convenience store, resulting in two different sets of operational and management requirements. Convenience store software options are sourced locally, whereas forecourt solutions are mostly imported technology. It goes without saying that imported forecourt solutions are influenced by exchange rate and are relatively expensive. Arch Fuel is locally developed and supported, resulting in a cost-effective solution with regular software enhancements. AF provides the local fuel industry with complete control while reducing operational complexity. It is less of a management burden with one integrated software solution addressing the needs of both the convenience store and forecourt – one solution providing consolidated management control and performance reporting. Arch Retail’s convenience store software component is developed on years of retail operational experience. Its primary objective to effectively execute inventory management and margin control. The solution further offers integrated value adds critical to a convenience store, such as EFT, pre-paid airtime/electricity, loyalty/rewards system, electronic shelf labels (ESL), Arch Financial Integration (AFI) and Cash Handler. Solution architecture was driven by the latest requirements in the forecourt. AF caters for attendant tagging, vehicle tagging and tank gauging. It also provides an alternative to the tagging solution, a scanning solution where you scan the nozzle bar code for authentication and the vehicle licence disk/bar code for account authentication. A payment solution on the forecourt makes for easy and fast processing. Arch debtor functionality is offered for the convenience of forecourt customers. Arch Fuel is compatible with a variety of pump types/manufacturers. For more information on AF and to contact us: https://www.archsoftware.co.za/solutions/arch-fuel/

In KZN, over the past two and a half years, entrepreneurs have been tested like never before. Cindy Norcott, marketing chair for the peer-to-peer entrepreneur’s organisation (EO) who, herself, has survived the past 28 years running her own recruitment business, says that having a support network is key to an entrepreneur’s ability to bounce back. She believes that to be an entrepreneur, one of the key success factors is to have resilience. “Having a sense of optimism, self-belief and courage, despite the odds are important characteristics to have if one is considering starting their own business in the unpredictable and volatile South African economic landscape,” she points out, adding that three of her fellow EO members have demonstrated an inspirational ability to turn adversity into opportunity during recent tough times. Bradley Porter: formerly of Flexible Workspace and now Connect Space Bradley Porter of Connect Space, a specialist property management company was tripped up by both the Covid pandemic and an ill-judged decision to expand the business when the commercial property market was already in a bad space. He explains what happened: “At its peak, Flexible Workspace, had 20 full-time employees, supported several partner businesses, managing six centres, split over two regions and totalling over 8000m2. What we didn't realize was the long-term impact of the Gautrain on the Sandton property market. To recover the massive investment in this project, the city of Joburg increased the bulk allowance to boost its rates base. The result was that the market became a game of musical chairs with big law firms and other head offices moving out of their old stale spaces into flashy new ones. With no new entrants into this market, the vacancies remained high. Couple this with the increasing popularity of serviced offices which meant that brokers and opportunists were fueling a market that could never be sustained. The result was an oversupply of stock and dwindling demand.” A failed turnaround strategy and unsuccessful business rescue attempt left them facing voluntary liquidation. “Feeling like our world had just come to an end, we began navigating our way through the liquidation. At the time I envisaged locks on doors, ruined lives, re-possessed equipment, the sheriff at my home, rejection, and alienation. As it happened this was not the case, what we witnessed was love, compassion and support,” he says. They found creditors who were prepared to engage, supportive customers and motivated staff. “This drove us to find a way out, but we had to get the support of the liquidators. Having presented our case to them, they agreed to indulge in a ‘holding pattern’. In other words, we could continue trading under their administration until we were in a position to wean ourselves. In essence, the old business was dead, but they were giving us the opportunity to birth a new one,” he says. It was January 2021. His previous business partner took charge of the Joburg businesses, leaving him two in Durban. He says that the COVID landscape has created a unique set of circumstances where the skills he had honed operating in the short-term and small office rental market over the past 15 years were perfect to support landlords. “Today, we’re a start-up, a new brand, and a new business but 100 times more prepared than before. The market has changed and so have we. We’re developing a new model, one that suits the future of space and services and one that will better benefit the user. Our immediate goal is to build the brand and dominate the market with a range of products more suited to the agile, work-from-anywhere workforce.” He says that, throughout this change of season, EO provided him with a safe space and support base while he was “figuring things out”. Saskia Hill, owner of MCS Debt Recovery and founder of Connect BPS Hill’s business was completely destroyed during the July 2021 unrest in KZN. “How do you react when you are told that your entire business has been burnt down? Not through negligence but by political unrest, something which is totally out of your control? This is something that you never expect to happen. It was an emotional, stressful time,” she recalls. MCS Debt Recovery counts leading banks, financial service providers, insurance companies and retailers as clients. Connect BPS’ clients are American based. It was these clients, together with staff, suppliers and her network of business associates who helped her begin to rebuild her business and, quite literally ‘rise from the ashes’. “Every challenge you face in business allows you to build resilience and endurance which ultimately makes you stronger. When tragedy struck with the burning of the MCS/Connect building, I had to tap into that resilience to move forward. My inner strength and courage was supported by an amazing group of people. “It is during these challenging times that you call upon the relationships in which you have invested through the years - your family, friends, industry associates, mentors, and business supporters. This includes our “EO tribe”! Members from around the world reached out to me to offer assistance. The members were there to encourage, support and motivate me through the journey of rebuilding,” she says. One year later, the building is still not rebuilt. However, she has been able to re-establish her business and continue her entrepreneurial journey despite the turbulent economic times in which she finds herself. “As entrepreneurs, we need to have a good understanding of the operations from the shop floor to the disaster recovery procedures (and this cannot be a mere tick-box exercise). It is imperative that you understand all the processes in your business so that, at the moment when you need to rebuild from the ground up, you are aware of all the factors/challenges that need to be overcome.” “With EO, members don’t merely give advice, they provide experience shares, which is a hugely beneficial way to share information and guidance. It’s great to have members to bounce questions off who are often having sleepless nights about the same issues which I am having, the quote which is most apt at this time is “I didn’t come this far, to only come this far” concludes Hill. Matthew Fitzsimons: founder BigEye Branding Africa 12 months ago, Fitzsimons and his twin brother and partner realised that, even if their top income projections materialised, they would not get through the prolonged Covid-19 crisis. His now Ireland-based partner had lost his usual optimism and positivity in the wake of a complete fall off in orders and the shrinkage of the marketing sector across the continent. “Most events in Africa had been cancelled. We have supplied equipment to mainly big breweries and soft drinks companies in 47 countries in Africa –- and suddenly none of them was having events. The orders had dried up,” he recalls. Perhaps the most positive thing to emerge from lockdown, which forced staff to work from home, was that the whole business began operating off the cloud. “We realised that there’s no-one that couldn’t operate from home other than our few warehouse guys. We got rid of our servers and moved all our systems into the cloud. We challenged every single system that we had.” They also cut costs to the bone. “We looked at every single cost. Is it critical? …. If not it must go? It was an opportunity to cut everything to the minimum. Our staff all agreed to cut their salaries. The one thing in which we didn’t stop investing was our staff culture. We still ate together once a week. In fact, a great way to get staff back to the office was to create an environment that they wanted to come back to. This experience made our company culture stronger than it has ever been in 18 years. Tough times brought out the best in us,” he says. Another thing that emerged from this crisis was an appreciation for strong relationships with suppliers who are the cornerstone of a business. We had to turn to them in a time of need and they were all there for us! A turning point came with a decision to merge the business with another operator in the market – a move that added a third partner with valuable financial and analytical skills that the company did not have at that point. As a result, he says, as a combined pan African marketing company, they intend to lead the game in their industry going forward. “When we found ourselves in dire straits, EO came to the party and helped us out in a time of need which we will never forget. In the toughest of times is when you need EO the most. We have now turned the corner and see an extremely positive future in Africa for our business.” About Entrepreneurs’ Organization: The Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO) is a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 17,500+ influential business owners with 213 chapters in 60+ countries. Founded in 1987, EO is the catalyst that enables leading entrepreneurs to learn and grow, leading to greater success in business and beyond. E-mail - manager@eodurban.com or https://www.eonetwork.org/ Distributed by Shirley Williams - shirley@shirleywilliams.co.za

The Isle of Man is a leading international financial centre with long standing connections to South Africa. We invite you to join us for a panel discussion and networking event to learn more about the Isle of Man and South Africa connections and the value that can be added to clients, intermediaries and you. Subjects will include wealth management, outward and inward investment, asset protection and growth in a highly regulated environment. DURBAN 25 OCTOBER 2022 Time: 07:30 - 10:30 Shepstone & Wylie Attorneys Ridgeside Office Park Umhlanga CAPE TOWN 31 OCTOBER 2022 Time: 12:00 - 15:00 The Vineyard Colinton Road Newlands JOHANNESBURG 27 OCTOBER 2022 Time: 07:30 - 10:30 Johannesburg Marriott Hotel 42 The High St Melrose Arch STELLENBOSCH 1 NOVEMBER 2022 Time: 10:30 - 13:30 Lanzerac Wine Estate Hotel 1 Lanzerac Road Jonkershoek Road CLICK HERE TO RESERVE YOUR SEAT You can connect with Roelf Odendaal on linkedin.com/in/roelf-odendaal-783819121 or and Martin Hall on linkedin.com/in/martin-hall-iom for any queries and info.

Information and communications technology ( ICT ) permeates all aspects of modern society, underpinning interactions, learning, and economic activity. Supporting investments in ICT infrastructure can help to boost economic growth in all sectors and reduce inequality. Social inclusion requires widespread ICT access, but this is difficult to achieve in South Africa given the dispersed population and limited resources. Despite these challenges, broadband internet access has been a success story in South Africa with rapid mobile and smart-phone adoption. The Stats SA 2021 General Household Survey showed that 77,5% of South African households have access to the internet and that 69,4% connect using mobile devices. Mobile broadband provides people with a key means to access opportunities that can better their lives. The GSMA Mobile Connectivity Index ranks countries according to infrastructure, affordability, consumer readiness, content, and services. At the top of the index are Australia, Singapore, and Finland. South Africa sits near the middle of the rankings but has been steadily improving, with excellent 2G, 3G, and 4G coverage. Most South African households (rural and urban) already have access to the internet through mobile devices, and these numbers continue to grow. The GSMA Index looks at several factors including spectrum allocation to the mobile industry, this is one of the areas where South Africa has ranked poorly. It is therefore encouraging that the government and the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) released additional spectrum to mobile operators in early 2022, with six bidders partaking in an auction. The additional spectrum will enable faster, wide reaching, better quality 4G and 5G networks, and improve South Africa’s ranking. Broadband access is primarily mobile in South Africa and is likely to remain this way in the near-term, with the slow deployment of fixed broadband services. The continuous growth in mobile data traffic keeps the demand for more spectrum high. In August this year, ICASA acknowledged the growing demand and published a notice to initiate a second phase of spectrum auctions aimed at operators who provide mobile broadband wireless access services in the low and mid International Mobile Telecommunications frequency bands. Other avenues have been explored by policy makers to expand broadband internet access. However, the state should be careful not to reinvent the wheel by trying to replicate existing networks. Free fixed broadband access can realistically be provided in some public spaces, such as public libraries, whilst broader quality access at home and work will require continued support of the private mobile industry and ICT sector. By focusing on creating an enabling regulatory environment, South Africa will be able to keep up with the fast-changing ICT landscape. By Luke Muller Sources: https://www.statssa.gov.za https://www.mobileconnectivityindex.com https://www.icasa.org.za

Icebolethu Group hosted a Business Breakfast to introduce their corporate lifestyle products to the business community. The business event took place at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Durban, Umhlanga, on the 27th of September 2022, where business leaders shared invaluable insights on cultivating a growth mindset for their businesses. A number of business chambers, corporates, and captains of various industries shared their business experiences and knowledge during the session. Furthermore, the business breakfast also explored the challenges brought by the Covid-19 pandemic, social unrest, and the recent floods in the province. Speaking during the event, Founder and CEO of Icebolethu Group, Nomfundo Mcoyi said: “Three years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 pandemic, which posed a number of challenges for many businesses and their employees. As a lifestyle brand, we understood the necessity to develop products that will benefit employees should anything happen in the future.” As the province is rebuilding its economy following the global pandemic, the July riots, and devastating floods, its leaders gathered in the hope of creating a brighter future for their employees and emerging entrepreneurs. “Besides helping businesses invest in their employees' futures, we also intend to collaborate with local aspiring entrepreneurs to assist them to establish their own businesses as COVID-19 left many people without jobs,” said Vusi Thembekwayo, Founder and CEO of MyGrowthFund & IC Knowledge Bureau. Moreover, the lifestyle brand is committed to collaborating with various businesses to customise corporate products that can be incorporated into employee wellness benefits. “The hardships brought by Covid-19, the looting, and the recent floods have inspired us to develop products that will add value to employees of various entities. Businesses should do more than just make money, they should also invest in the future of their employees,” concludes Mcoyi.