“Let’s make hope happen”, says KLCBT President, Oupa Pilane

  • October 23rd, 2018

PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS – 18TH KLCBT ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY

A very good evening to you and a warm welcome on behalf of the KLCBT team to the 18th KLCBT Annual Awards Banquet.  I have to say, you all look dapper and dashing tonight. It promises to be a really colourful and exciting evening, as we set out to celebrate everything that is great in the beautiful and bountiful Lowveld.

 

Please allow me to extend my sincere thanks to everyone that has made this evening a success:

 

Our Service Providers of this magical evening and for providing your services at very close to cost price or less:

  • The banqueting team at Emnotweni Arena… Dephney, Chef Victor and Delia for helping us design tonight’s special menu;
  • Theresa and her team at Umbali Events Venue;
  • Sakkie & Kyle and their team at AVS;
  • Justin from JL Productions for the videos and Robin Jansma for the voice-overs of the videos;
  • Gibraltar for the Entertainment;
  • Stay Easy for accommodating the staff to get ready;
  • Mica Home and Hardware for the installation of the beautiful Lowveld photo corner;
  • Bosch Art Studio for the amazing trophies;
  • Splendid blinds for the certificate frames;
  • The 4 MC’s tonight, Pastor TJ Mare, Mr Gerhard van Tonder, Mr Johan Barnard and Ms Shirley Mnisi;
  • And Pastor Wernich Swart for blessing the evening.I would also like to extend our gratitude to our sponsors for the evening:
  • Emnotweni Arena for the venue,
  • Tops The Grove for the wine on the tables,
  • Dollie Gin, Sabie Brewing Company, Rottcher Wineries and Mhoba Rum for the welcome drinks,
  • Joubert and Sons Citrus for the juice,
  • Sembcorp Silulumanzi for the water,
  • And as always, Minuteman Press for all the printingOf course this evening will not be possible if you as contestants were not here. Thank you for having the courage to compete and to put your business “out there”. Please give yourselves a round of applause.We will also not be here if it were not for the generous award sponsors:
  • Konica Minolta,
  • Halls Properties,
  • Sappi Limited Nelspruit,
  • Hotels.com,
  • Nelspruit Fasteners,
  • Crossing Superspar,
  • Tshwane University of Technology,
  • Nedbank Retail and Business Banking
  • Tracker Connect, and
  • MMC
  • Thank you very much to all of you and to the many others who have made tonight possible!!

Programme Director, Members, ladies and gentlemen

It’s great to see everyone here and in such good form, despite the challenges we are faced with as a country. I would like for tonight not to dwell much on those challenges but rather focus on what we are capable of as South Africans irrespective of the color of our skin, gender or religious beliefs. In this room are men and women who by virtue of them being present tonight, is a clear indication of their tenacity to overcome every challenge, every struggle and every huddle that life has thrown on them. Is see South Africans who have and continue to wake up every morning making sure that the wheels of our ailing economy does not come to a halt but continue to grind in these economic trying times.

 

My theme for tonight is “Let’s Make Hope Happen”. There is a great sense of optimism inside me as I stand here in this room with you.

 

Members, employment is at the heart of our economic, social and community well-being.  In the competitive world we live in, we cannot afford to be complacent; we must focus on economic growth, which in turn leads to employment opportunities and improved social and community well-being.

 

Each of us in this room tonight has a role to play in the economic growth of our province and our towns in particular. I am positive that we can make them the best towns in the world to work, live and visit. You are the People who demonstrate Vision, Courage and Ambition to drive both your businesses and as a consequence this region forward. You are demonstrating to all of us what we can be. And perhaps unknown to yourselves you are changing conversations – we are no longer talking about what we are but also what we can be.

 

Conversations that start with “we can be” are charged with opportunity and potential:

 

  • We can make this region the destination of choice for all those who seek to visit and for those seeking to do business in
  • We can make the city of Mbombela and all our surrounding towns in the district the best places to start and grow our business, with the best ecosystem to promote innovation and creativity
  • We can make this region the most desirable location for Direct Investment
  • We can create a new inner City Innovation District, which one day, will house over 20 thousand innovators
  • We can revitalize our all our tourism corridors so that we become the best scenic beauty and adventure hub of the country and the world.
  • We can be the Capital of African Modernism as we are rich in culture and diversity. Our region especially Mbombela can become the African Creative Hub of the Region through the Arts of every form.

 

To achieve this, we must collaborate and dare to be different and have the courage, drive and ambition to solve. More than anything else it is my view that it is people like all of us that make this City & this Region. People, like all our Business Award entrants tonight, who have great ideas and an insatiable appetite for solutions. These are people with the courage, drive and an ambition to solve real world problems. These are the people who are putting this region on the map as a place where innovation and creativity come together in world-class companies. These are the people in our towns working to shape economic development within very constrained budgets but who see beyond those budgets and have the vision and energy to want to make a change.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen these are the people “who make hope happen.”

 

Our Strategy as a chamber in this term needs to focus on creating a vision for this region, as inclusive vision that will be embraced by all our communities. Through our vision our communities must see hope in the making, they must see that business cares about their well-being. We are going to develop these regions growth strategy that will see an increase in tourism investment and other sectors. We must tap into the presidential infrastructure stimulus package announced by the President a few days ago, our infrastructure is under a lot of stress and it will not be able to handle the growth that we are anticipation. We are requesting all our members to avail their technical expertise. We will soon call an infrastructure summit to discuss what needs to be done in all our towns. It is business that must lead that discussion and feed into the IDP’s of the municipalities with clear technical plans.

 

Last week Thursday we met with the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency to discuss about the future of tourism and the safety of tourists. We are pleased that we have agreed to establish a Tourism Think Tank that will work on our tourism development. We need to focus more on the safety of our tourist and also their spend. We are number six in terms of tourists spend and that makes our province a show room for tourists. This means that we don’t have much products or things to do.

 

We are facing intensified competition in the tourist sector, and if we want to grow our position as destination of choice we must explore all possibilities – keep prioritizing, adopting, & investing in our tourism infrastructure – in summary never stop thinking big and always strive to be the very best in.

 

Notwithstanding these challenges, we are leaders on many fronts and we are definitely doing many things well. The thing is we need to keep investing in the region, and we can’t afford to fall.

 

Now we need to build upon existing resources to ensure we can continue to lead and grow this economy of ours, no one will do it for us but ourselves. We are at a good starting point. KLCBT is central to these developments and your presence here tonight attests to the importance of community and links. Your views and perspectives are going to be an integral part of our vision for the future. Together, as people, and as Lowveld/Ehlanzeni business community, we can make the “We can’s” become a reality. We can make Hope Happen for all our communities. Right now Hope is what our communities need.

 

Before I finish I would like to thank my family for all their support. I certainly have been an absentee father on many occasions and I thank them for their understanding and encouragement. The Board Members, the Committees and the most incredible team in the world that made this glamorous evening possible – Linda Grimbeek & Zelda Wright assisted by Jonathan. Thank you for making me look efficient all the time and there is no doubt that this evening will be one to remember once more. (Please give let’s give them all a big round of applause). Finally to my partners at Graskop Gorge Lift for giving me the time and backing to devote to this role that often takes me away from the business.

 

To conclude

There is no doubt that Mpumalanga Province is one of South Africa’s most attractive and top tourist destinations. The Lowveld – Ehlanzeni boasts of extraordinary beauty that can be matched by few regions in the world.  Scenic mountains, panoramic passes, valleys, rivers, waterfalls and forests are a simple characteristic the landscape of the Lowveld-Ehlanzeni. The iconic Kruger National Park adding another must see offer with its sanctuary of wildlife coupled with dozens of different species of birds and flora. The cherry on top is the tapestry of its indigenous cultures and the warmth of its people. This is the foundation we can all build on.  These are God’s given resources that can help us in making hope happen. Ladies and Gentlemen the country needs us. Let us go out there and “Make Hope Happen”

 

May God Bless you, May God Bless our business and May God Bless KLCBT.

 

I Thank You.