On Friday, November 25, 2022, the Border-Kei Chamber of Business hosted the final event of the year, the Masquerade Ball Annual Dinner, at the Premier Hotel EL ICC. With a guest list of close to 300 in attendance, members and guests were ready to say farewell to the year 2022 in the best way possible.
The evening began with our MC and entertainer, Ms Buli G, setting the tone and calling on the Chamber President, Mr Kreason Naidoo in his Batman mask, to welcome everyone. Kreason spoke well and put all guests at ease. The Executive Director of the Chamber, Lizelle Maurice, reflected on what the Chamber has achieved in the last year. Her presentation was followed by entertainment from Buli G and a video from Nedbank.
The Chamber had also decided that it was time to honour long-standing members of the BKCOB—Burmeisters, Strand Outfitters, and North & Robertson for their time spent at the Chamber. That was followed by a video by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).
Lizelle Maurice, Samantha Long, and Kreason Naidoo gave thanks to our main sponsors: the Spar Group, Eskom, Nedbank, and IDC. Lauren Vlaming, the Chamber First Vice President, gave the vote of thanks, and once the formalities were done, it was time to network and dance the night away. The music and entertainment had the guests doing the electric slide well into the night.
The Chamber would like to thank all the members who came to show their support. A warm, heartfelt thank you to the main sponsors and all the prize sponsors We look forward to the year 2023 with you all.
On Friday, 3 December 2021, the Chamber hosted its first Annual Dinner since before the pandemic hit. This was welcomed with great excitement, owing to the fact that the event had previously been cancelled, twice, due to changes in COVID alert levels. The Dinner was the closing event for the year and it was evident that the whole Border-Kei business community was determined to end the year off in style.
Chamber Executive Director, Lizelle Maurice, directed the programme and started off by introducing Dr Chris Ettmayr, President of the Chamber, who welcomed all the guests. The first presentation was by Coca-Cola District Manager, Sakhumzi Ncapayi, who unearthed all the different initiatives that Coca-Cola is actioning, in aid of the environment. Mr Ncapayi, representing the naming partners of the evening, touched on issues that are particularly of concern to the Buffalo City Metro: water scarcity and waste management. He further expanded on the significant contributions being made by Coca-Cola in the eradication of said issues. “Coca-Cola is bringing real magic to the people,” said Ncapayi in his closing statement.
The next presentation was by Ndileka Mandela and Babsi Mcinga, executive producers of an upcoming local film, Ubuntu – A Love Letter to Africa which is a collaboration between Nigeria and South Africa. Such local productions remain the pride of the Border-Kei as well as the Eastern Cape province at large as they contribute significantly to our hard-hit tourism and arts industries and subsequently, the local economy. The Eastern Cape is wealthy with talent and Ubuntu (humanity), and any opportunity to showcase this to the rest of the world is one we’ll take with both hands.
The final speaker for the evening was Noluvo Nelane, from Business Partners, a local business financier, who educated our audience on all Business Partners has to offer to aspiring entrepreneurs. The evening was concluded with a stellar performance by East London-born superstar, Zahara, who had the audience captivated with her charisma and charm, as well as her captivating stage presence.
In true Chamber fashion, the rest of the evening was filled with laughter amongst business chatter. It wouldn’t be a complete Chamber event if it didn’t include a side of networking amidst celebrations.
Call-2-Action, a partnership between the Border-Kei Chamber of Business (BKCOB), Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality (BCMM), POLYCO and the Buffalo City Metropolitan Development Agency (BCMDA) officially launched the Southernwood Buy-Back Centre on Friday, 1 October 2021 at the St. George’s Park in Southernwood.
This is an initiative that was conceived in 2016, in an effort to curb the ongoing crisis of littering and illegal dumping in the Metro and essentially, clean up the city. The other half of the mandate was to motivate recycling, by offering cash incentives to those who recycle. The Southernwood Centre is the first operational of many future recycling stations in the Metro and was hailed by Executive Director of the BKCOB, Lizelle Maurice, as a step in the right direction towards becoming the cleanest city in the country.
The alfresco launch was attended by various Dignitaries, namely Deputy Minister of Labour and Employment, Ms Boitumelo Moloi, Executive Deputy Mayor of the Buffalo City Metro, Helen Neale-May, Portfolio Head of Waste Management Services, Councillor Nontsikelelo Peter and Ward Councillor of Ward 3, Pindile Miza.
Deputy Minister of Labour and Employment, Ms Boitumelo Moloi delivered a heartwarming speech, focused on how far such initiatives go in garnering the trust of the locals. Moloi acknowledged the littering crisis that the Buffalo City Metro has been facing and is confident that this Centre, being the first of many, will return the City to its former glory. She also commended the Metro for taking charge of a crisis, saying, “we cannot let a good crisis go to waste.”
Mr Drayton Brown, Project Manager at the BKCOB, having been at the foundation of this project, stressed the importance of collaboration especially by the Public and Private sectors. This public-private partnership is the first of its kind in the country and the Chamber is proud to have spearheaded a project of this calibre. A key aspect of the project is continued funding. Mr Brown stressed that all parties should continue giving to this worthy cause, stating “BCMM needs to set aside a specific budget to contribute to Public Private Partnerships. Another aspect is the Extended Producer Responsibility of manufacturers – as an example, if we used funds from the Plastic Bag Levy from local manufacturers, we wouldn’t need any further funding from additional sources.”
Amongst the attendants was Ms Patricia Pillay, CEO of POLYCO, also one of the main funders of the initiative who described this collaboration as the first of its kind in the country. “It is through such strategic partnerships that we get to accomplish great things. The right partnerships and focusing on what can be done in the now,” said Pillay.
The audience also heard from Abongile Tyopo of Mercedes-Benz South Africa (MBSA), another main funder of the Call-2-Action, who elaborated on the role of the MBSA plant in managing the waste in the Metro, as well as all their efforts to stay green. “Mercedes Benz cares about Buffalo City, Mercedes Benz cares about the planet,” said Tyopo.
Executive Deputy Mayor of the BCMM, Helen Neale-May started off mentioning a necessary fight against the vandalism of such structures in our city, as they not only push East London up a notch when it comes to attracting investors but they also provide a source of income for those who recycle. “We acknowledge that the state of cleanliness is not at the desired level yet but we can confirm that we are operating at capacity, to ensure that waste is removed on schedule,” she added. The Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality are key stakeholders of the Centre and have expressed great pride in leaving such a significant legacy in the Metro.
