Denise van Huyssteen,Chief Executive Officer
On the ground, running
In the first edition of Behind the Scenes in July this year, I spoke about hitting the ground running in my first month as CEO,
getting to grips with the many issues in which the Chamber is involved on behalf of members. Six months later, the Chamber
team and I– are still running, and focused on turning talk into action.
We introduced this newsletter to keep members informed of all the diverse areas in which the Chamber is active, to give
insight into what we do, which is often, literally, behind-the-scenes. The feedback has been great, overwhelmingly positive,
with members appreciating the information-sharing and how the Chamber offers value not only through defined services
but in the lobbying and advocacy that we do as the recognised and credible voice of business in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Although the new political dispensation in the metro is in its infancy, the Chamber intends engaging with the new
leadership to advocate for a more stable political environment and effective and efficient local government administration.
Stability is critical to enabling business to operate without disruption and to attracting and retaining new investment. We
remain committed to working together with the metro’s leadership and administration in the best interests of protecting
and growing the local economy.
The newly-identified Omicron variant of the coronavirus, alongside the daily increase in infections, is cause for concern for
lives and livelihoods and further adds to the unpredictability brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic. We are pleased that
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced no further lockdown restrictions in his address to the nation on Sunday night. With
the holiday season approaching, businesses in the hard-hit tourism and hospitality sectors need to be able to operate. At the
same time, we echo the President’s statement that as individuals and business we all have a responsibility for the safety of
ourselves and others, to ensure that all people can work, socialise and travel safely.
We urge all members to stringently apply the Covid-19 health and safety protocols, to protect their employees and
customers and their livelihoods. Vaccination is key to the effort to combat the impact of Covid-19, and are proven to be safe
and on balance our best option in preventing serious disease and hospitalisation.
Only 40% of the adult population of Nelson Mandela Bay are fully vaccinated – we still have a long way to go in getting
ahead of the curve and avoiding the impact of a fourth wave on lives and jobs. We urge all businesses to unite in sharing the
facts and to encourage vaccinations among your employees and networks.
Strategic plan 2022 and beyond
As the President outlined above, our strategic plan will roll-out from early January, with many of the programmes already in
place or gearing up for 2022. The Chamber exists to serve our members, and the changes we are implementing are aimed at
offering even greater value.
We are putting resources in place to strengthen BayGrow, and are currently recruiting for a full-time staff member, to provide
focused business support services to members through:
The Business Intelligence Hub, a one-stop resource for key local economic data, information on current developments and
research capacity to support business decision-making.
The hub will provide research and information to support the
development of sectors identified for growth potential and opportunities.
Expanding the capacity of our Help Desk which assists members in untangling red-tape and delays in municipal processes
which hamper business operations and investment. (Contact the Chamber if you need help in accessing municipal officials and
resolving issues affecting your business - Helpdesk@nmbbusinesschamber.co.za.)
The Entrepreneurship Desk as a go-to centre for SMMEs and entrepreneurs, offering a wide range of assistance, encompassing
access to training and skills development, funding and business support, mentoring and unblocking obstacles for start-ups and
small businesses, amongst others.
We will launch the Empowerment Circle in 2022, a platform targeted at interested individuals (as opposed to businesses) to
provide opportunities for networking, information-sharing and mentoring, including a Women’s Circle specifically focused
on networking for women in business.
We are adopting a cluster approach to build a critical mass of membership to back up lobbying and advocacy initiatives on
issues and challenges specific to particular geographic areas or economic sectors.
The high energy user group, liquid bulkfuel operators, the mining sector and the areas of Deal Party and Perseverance are among the current focus areas here.
The Chamber Think Tank is a future-focused group, aiming to involve the city’s innovative minds in out-of-the-box thinking
on the challenges we face. After a recent workshop, they will in 2022 prioritise new economic development opportunities,
re-industrialisation in non-auto manufacturing, promoting entrepreneurship and localisation of content, as well as
strategies to mitigate the impact of climate change and develop our green economy.
Our big, bold idea that we will be putting into action next year is a resurgence campaign for Nelson Mandela Bay, rallying
broad stakeholder participation to reignite our passion for our city and enable it to live up to its potential.
We need to shift attitudes of resigned pessimism to optimism and hope, by highlighting the positive attributes and potential of the Bay, and
then work together for the common good to implement tangible improvements to the living and working environment.
Our Adopt-a-Substation and Adopt-a-School projects are gaining momentum and making a difference to our water
situation, and soon to reliable electricity supply as well.
All of these initiatives have received substantial support from members, which will enable them to come to life in the new
year. Member participation is vital to the success of achieving our goals to serve members and serve the city – anyone
interested in getting on board in any of our programmes, is most welcome to contact us and find out how to participate
Growing the voice of business
More than 50 new member businesses have joined the Chamber member since July. This growth is important in ensuring broad
business participation and representation as we drive for an enabling environment and economic growth. We appreciate this vote
of confidence in the value offered to members and our activism in the interests of growing and supporting the local economy.
Water
The city’s water situation remains in crisis, despite recent rains that have slightly increased the dam levels, and the Municipality has
again requested that businesses make every effort to reduce water consumption by at least 20%. Additionally as the Chamber, we
see water scarcity as being a potential long-term issue , and as such are advocating that businesses adopt more permanent
strategies to source, catch, re-use and recycle water.
The risk remains that if daily consumption levels don’t significantly reduce, certain parts of the city will run dry before various
mitigation initiatives come on stream in the second quarter of 2022.
Upgrading of the Nooitgedacht system, which is critical to increasing water supply to the city, stalled a couple of weeks ago due to a
contractor dispute but the Municipality has advised that they are in process of appointing a new contractor and the work is
estimated to take three months to complete.
It has been a busy, and often turbulent, six months, but we have also made some positive traction. A heartfelt thank you to the
Chamber team for all their help in settling into my role – I look forward to continuing to work with them in the new year to build a
sustainable, action-orientated Chamber that adds value to our members.
Thank you to all the members who have welcomed me, offered feedback and advice, and participated in Chamber task teams,
events and projects.
Thank you also to the Board members and members of committees and task teams for their support, guidance and freely giving up
their time to participate actively in the strategic direction and initiatives of the Chamber, enabling us to reinvent and reimagine the
Chamber’s role in a rapidly-changing environment.
The Chamber team wishes all members a happy festive season with loved ones, and a successful and rewarding new year.