KLCBT’s COO shares success stories at their presidential inauguration
KLCBT shares success stories
The Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT) used the inauguration of president Oupa Pilane on October 18 as a platform to update business and government leaders on the progress made in a number of areas.
Chief Operating Officer Linda Grimbeek said that the KLCBT is pleased to see real improvements following the implementation of Mbombela local municipality’s turnaround strategy. “We are hopeful that the surrounding towns will follow their good example,” she said.
“I am excited about the formation of the Mbombela Economic Development Partnership which will see the city and private sector stakeholders identifying and implementing projects to develop the local economy,” added Grimbeek.
She explained that chamber priority areas include improving the private sector’s relationship with government, the regional water supply, poor state of roads, poor state of public tourism attractions, finding a permanent solution for Pilgrim’s Rest, the safety and security of tourists, the buy local campaign and corruption and the promotion of integrity.
A number of successes have been achieved. KLCBT and other stakeholders are in constant communication with the Minister of Water Affairs regarding the region’s bulk water supply and the request for a dam South of Malelane. This will enable the farmers in the Onderberg to irrigate without the current restrictions. “We recently received news that national surveys have been completed and we are awaiting news on the results,” she shared.
Grimbeek said that many of the problems with the roads have been solved, thanks in some part to private sector involvement and funding. “KLCBT is currently surveying all roads and will compile a list of those needing attention.” This will be shared with the relevant government departments, she explained.
Repair work and improvements have commenced at some of the public attractions, but Grimbeek said there is a lot of work still to be done. However, she added that the KLCBT is excited about the possible privatisation of reserves within the region.
2015 saw the formation of the Pilgrim’s Rest Integrated Development Engagement, which was charged with finding solutions to the end the deterioration of Pilgrim’s Rest. “Some progress has been made and the task team has been ready to present the solutions to the relevant HODs since December 2015. However, we are relieved to see renewed interest in this regard and look forward to the rebirth of this important tourism product.”
One of the most successful interventions involves the safety and security of tourists. The Hazyview Chamber of Business and Tourism, with the assistance of the KLCBT, appointed a crime liaison officer who provides intelligence from the community and liaises with the chamber and the police on a daily basis. This has resulted in a big reduction in robberies. With the collaboration of Ehlanzeni District Municipality, a team of Ehlanzeni tourism ambassadors were recently deployed in a pilot project that could be replicated in other areas.
Strides have been made in combating roadside corruption, particularly in Hazyview and Bushbuckridge. The KLCBT printed business-size cards to educate motorists that it is illegal to pay a ‘fine’ on the side of the road. The cards also contain essential contact numbers and were widely distributed. Grimbeek acknowledged that it takes two to tango and emphasised that the anti-corruption campaign is aimed at both government and the private sector.
“The buy-local advocacy campaign is the most recent addition to our task list and holds great potential. We will design and implement various programmes and initiatives to promote local procurement by government and the private sector and will provide assistance to small businesses to become compliant as service providers,” said Grimbeek.
As the official representative body of business and tourism in the Kruger Lowveld – Ehlanzeni District, the KLCBT enables business to speak with one voice when tackling issues of common interest.
Grimbeek explained that the diversity of its member base makes dialogue between business and government more meaningful. “We are here to join hands to create a better business environment and a better province for us all to live and work in.
“When it comes to representing our members, we are faced with an increasing demand on our advocacy role and for this reason we came to the conclusion that we needed to join forces with other chambers in the region to enable more effective and focused engagement with government and other stakeholders.
“During May 2015, all the chambers and major stakeholders within the Ehlanzeni district held their first conference and the Kruger Lowveld Ehlanzeni Business Alliance (KLEBA) was formed. The alliance focuses on practical ways of improving the local economy and identifies stumbling blocks which hamper growth.
“It is our explicit mandate to maintain a good relationship with government and other organisations – to share our abundant expertise with you and to ensure that your strategies and your vision, which is also our vision for the future, are successfully carried out.”
For more information, contact the KLCBT on 013 755 1988 or email info@krugerlowveld.com.
ENDS
READ THE FULL COPY OF THE ORIGINAL SPEECH:
Master of Ceremonies
Mr Oupa Pilane,
Leadership,
Honoured Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good evening and welcome to this evening where we celebrate the first inauguration of the KLCBT President.
As the official representative body of business and tourism in the Kruger Lowveld (Ehlanzeni District), our main mandates are Number 1: to promote the region as a tourism and investment destination, Number 2: to provide a diverse suite of networking and marketing opportunities for our members, and Number 3: to represent and speak on behalf of the business and tourism community of our area. We do this by building and maintaining meaningful relationships with all spheres of government as well as likeminded organisations, and by acting as liaison between these entities and the business community. We operate without any government funding, but we do get support from MTPA and EDM as large advertisers in our publications.
In terms of promoting the region, we run 3 information centres at Crossing Centre in Mbombela, at Casterbridge Centre in White River and at Canal Walk in Cape Town; we produce two publications, the z-card type map of the Kruger Lowveld and the Official Guide to the Kruger Lowveld; our team exhibited at 7 tourism shows, locally and internationally.
KLCBT takes pride in creating networking and marketing platforms for our members. We have hosted 20 events during 2016 and we offer numerous marketing and advertising opportunities on an ongoing basis.
When it comes to representing our members, we are faced with an increasing demand on our advocacy role and for this reason we came to the conclusion that we need to join forces with other chambers in the region to create more effective and focused engagement with government and other stakeholders. During May of last year, all the chambers and major stakeholders within the Ehlanzeni district held their first conference and the Kruger Lowveld Ehlanzeni Business Alliance was formed. The alliance is focusing on practical ways of improving our local economy and also identify stumbling blocks which are hampering our growth.
We are currently focusing on 8 critical points, they are:
Improving our relationship with government
Regional water supply
Poor state of roads
Poor state of public tourism attractions
A permanent solution for Pilgrim’s Rest
Safety and security of tourists
Buy Local
Corruption and the promotion of integrity
Leadership, Ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to briefly mention some successes and progress on these endeavors:
We are really pleased to see real improvements following the implementation of the turnaround strategy of Mbombela local municipality, and are hopeful that the surrounding towns will follow their good example. KLCBT has pledged their ongoing support to ensure these goals are met, particularly the implementation of the IDP. I am excited about the formation of the Mbombela Economic Development Partnership where the City and the private sector stakeholders will identify and implement projects to develop the local economy. Meanwhile, the KLCBT is engaging at all possible forums to give input in future plans, including the IDP’s.
KLCBT together with various other stakeholders are in constant communication with the Minister of Water affairs regarding our bulk water supply, including the request for a dam South of Malelane, which will enable the farmers in the Onderberg to irrigate without the current restrictions. We recently received news that national surveys have been completed and we are awaiting news on the results.
We are pleased to say that many of the problems with the roads have been solved, although some are as a result of private sector involvement and funding. We are still trying to get more efficient grading methods implemented for gravel roads, to avoid the destruction of erosion. KLCBT is currently surveying all the roads and will compile a list of roads which need attention and will enquire about the repair and maintenance programmes for those roads at the relevant departments.
Repair work and improvements has commenced at some of the public attractions, but we are a long way off the mark if we want to compete against the rest of the world for tourists. We are excited about the possible privatization of reserves within our region and we sincerely hope to see more improvements at the attractions in the near future.
2015 Saw the formation of the Pilgrim’s Rest Integrated Development Engagement (or PRIDE in short) where 28 stakeholders started dialogue on a solution for Pilgrim’s Rest. Some progress have been made and the task team has been ready ready to present the solutions to the relevant HOD’s since December 2015. We are relieved to see renewed interest in this regard and look forward to the rebirth of this important tourism product.
One of the most successful interventions involve the safety and security of tourists. The Hazyview Chamber of Business and Tourism, with the assistance of the KLCBT, appointed a crime liaison officer who provide intelligence from the community and liaise with the Chamber and the police on a daily basis. Although the problem is not eradicated completely, it saw a vast reduction in robberies. With the collaboration of Ehlanzeni District Municipality, a team of Ehlanzeni tourism ambassadors were recently deployed. It will be used as a pilot project to be replicated in other areas.
During this fight against crime, we received an overwhelming amount of reports from tourists who fell victim to traffic officials soliciting bribes on the tourism routes, particularly in the Hayzview – Buschbuckridge area. Immediate engagements with SAPS and the Traffic Department were arranged. From our side, we printed business cards to be handed out to tourists, containing a statement that it is illegal to pay a cash fine on the side of the road, and also containing the telephone numbers of Brig Adolph and Brig De Beer who are instrumental in bringing the perpetrating officers to justice.
Through the Business Alliance, we are in the process of establishing a network of cameraed zones to be linked up with the number plate recognition system of business against crime. This concept is currently awaiting approval, but all systems are ready to be switched on and become a major part of crime prevention in the Malalane area, Mbombela city and hopefully later on also Hazyview and Kruger National Park.
The buy-local advocacy is the most recent addition to our task-list and holds great potential. We will design and implement various programmes and initiatives to promote local procurement by government and the private sector and will provide assistance to small businesses to become compliant as service providers.
When we mention the topics of corruption and ethics, we are by no means pointing fingers in any direction. We acknowledge that the crime of corruption is a double edged sword where one party pays the bribe and another takes the bribe, and our campaigns against corruption are directed at both government and the private sector. The promotion of ethics is crucial – you simply cannot run a successful business without good ethical practices… Pastor Mare will elaborate more about our Hand on my Heart campaign.
Guests of honour, ladies and gentlemen, in short – we are here to join hands to create a better business environment and to create a better province for us all to live and work in. It is not our mandate or in our interest to criticize government, but it is our explicit mandate to maintain a good relationship with government and other organisations – to share our abundant expertise with you and to ensure that your strategies and your vision which is also our vision for the future, is successfully carried out – thank you again for your attendance and enjoy the evening in our company.
