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[Home] [Lukhanji LED Strategy] [Business Excellence in Qtn Acknowledged] [Lukhanji Municipality LTO on its Way]  

[German Delegation visits Chris Hani District to Bolster Economic Development]                  

 
 

Lukhanji LED Strategy

The ultimate goal of the Lukhanji Economic Development Strategy is to improve the quality of life in Lukhanji through economic development initiatives that assist in creating quality jobs, generating wealth and investment and helping ensure the long-term fiscal health of the Municipality.

 

In line with this, the objectives of the LED strategy aim to:

  • Grow the local economy well in excess of 3.5% by 2012. The Lukhanji economic has been growing at a rate of approximately 2.1% between 1996 and 2006.

  • Reducing unemployment below the current 41.1% by 2012

  • Increasing the number of households living above the poverty line

  • Improving access to the mainstream economy for the poor

Contributing towards an expanded municipal revenue base

 

In order to achieve the objectives of the Strategy, five economic development priorities have been identified, which include:

1) expanding the 1st economy,

2) developing the 2nd economy,

3) building a knowledge economy,

4) improving access to land and infrastructure, and

5) building LED networks and partnerships.

 

These objectives and strategic objectives will ultimately work towards positioning the Lukhanji Municipality as “the next major economic growth node (to East London and Port Elizabeth) in the Eastern Cape”. This overarching LED objective is in line with the Integrated Development Program principal vision of developing the Lukhanji Municipality to “promote good governance, economic growth and sustainable delivery of services”.

 

The question is always asked, “What is a strategy without effective implementation?” The Lukhanji Municipality LED Department, spearheaded by Zuko Somthunzi, is working actively towards implementation. The LED Steering Committee is up and running and is sure to assist in meeting the demands of the Lukhanji LED Strategy. It has been established to constitute the structure that institutionalises and guarantees expert advice in the LED programmes identified.  The purpose of LED Steering Committee is to:

  • Secure competent LED leadership in Lukhanji

  • Set clear performance objectives to support the strategy implementation

  • Secure stakeholder commitments

  • Ensure availability of resources critical to achieve the LEDS objectives

  • Minimize performance blockages such as red-tape and lack of responsiveness

  • Monitor the LED process and strategy implementation

The Committee represents a diverse range of individuals and skills to ensure broad representation and the comprehension of the developmental issues currently at hand. It is pleasing to note that the Committee comprises 9 business representatives, 5 Lukhanji Municipality Committee Councillors and the members of the Lukhanji LED Department.  

The 5 LED Strategic Priorities, as mentioned above, have been divided into the prioritized sectors, namely Tourism, Retail, Manufacturing, Agriculture and Support Services. The LED Steering Committee has identified champions within the committee to actively look at each of the sectors where consideration has been given to both the 1st and 2nd economies within each sector respectively.

For more information on the strategy please email the Lukhanji Municipality LED Manager, Zuko at zuko@lukhanji.co.za

 
 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

Business Excellence in Queenstown Acknowledged

 

(Source - Border Kei Chamber of Business)

 

Border-Kei Chamber of Business’ first Business Excellence Awards were a great success with over 18 finalists and six winners announced in four categories at a gala event.

 

Overall winner of the Border-Kei Chamber of Business Awards was Queenstown’s Twizza owned by Ken Clark. Clearly moved by the award and for the acknowledgement of his contribution to the economy of Queenstown, Ken Clark thanked his staff who had assisted in making his vision come true.

 

Twizza is a carbonated soft drink line which has created over 200 jobs.  Clark has been an active member of the Queenstown branch of BKCOB for a number of years.

 

Queens Casino and Hotel won the emerging business category, the criterion for which was having been in business for two years or less. Boston Business College won the R1 million to R5 million category, while Xoliswa Tini Properties won the R5 – R10million category, Global Business Solutions and Independent Concrete Supplies shared the over R10 million turnover. UWP Consulting won the President’s Award.

The 18 finalists received a framed certificate and winners received an engraved crystal award.

 

Sponsor Standard Bank’s Head of South Africa Economic Research Danelee van Dyk addressed the function attended by both Amathole District Mayor Sakhumzi Somyo and Buffalo City Mayor Zukisa Faku-Hobana.

 

Van Dyk said as an emerging economy South Africa would not experience the same extent of economic downward spiralling as developed economies had. Our banking regulations had curbed the kinds of crisis experienced in the United States and Europe. However South Africa’s growth profile would be dragged down as a result of the global economic recession.

 

Generally recessions that are triggered by banking crisis, as the current global crisis has been, tend to last two to four times longer than those triggered by other factors. Globally trade has contracted by 2.1% which is the first contraction since 1982. The global total unemployment had increased from 6.5% to 7% which translates to 50 million individuals without work.

 

Van Dyk viewed the stimulation packages that governments were initiating as necessary interventions. The fall out for South Africa was a risk of slowed investment and already foreign investors had withdrawn some R70 billion leaving the rand vulnerable.

The 2010 soccer world cup would result in a huge influx into the South African economy and would create jobs in certain sectors. The stadia being built for 2010 constituted 2% of the country’s infrastructure development budget, with 51% coming from private sector driven infrastructure development.

 

Globally the world is facing the bleakest year since World War II but she said we would all slowly get through this. The world had been through times like this before and we all had the ‘chutzpah’ to get through it, she said.

 

BKCOB executive director Les Holbrook commended the judges, Standard Bank’s Gavin Ferreira, former Business Women’s Association East London chairperson, Mary Wrench, National African Federation of Chambers of Commerce’s Phelelani Ngcuka and Charteris and Barnes’ partner Gary Maclean for their commitment to the robust and rigorous judging process. He also thanked the 18 finalists who provided significant information including increase in turnover and profitability, their human resource management policies, their corporate social investment portfolios as well as their B-BBEE rating for participating in the awards.

 

BKCOB president John Smith said that in developing the awards, BKCOB aimed to cultivate a culture of acknowledging business excellence in the region.

 

Lukhanji Local Tourism Organisation On Its Way

 

The Tourism sector in the Lukhanji Municipal area needs a structure with the vision to position the region as a major economic growth node in the Eastern Cape. The Lukhanji Municipality lies in the Friendly N6 Tourism region and is therefore strategically position in terms of locality. A diverse mix of tourist offerings ranging from mountain hiking, game drives, cultural and township tours to sports and recreation activities form the backdrop of Tourism potential in Lukhanji. The Local Tourism Organisation, which will be a private and public partnership between Lukhanji municipality and the tourism business fraternity, is sure to benefit all parties involved as well as unlock the economic growth potential of the Tourism sector. The LTO will need to capitalise on the already existing eco-tourism base (made up of all the game reserves and accommodation industry) while taking advantage of the enormous opportunities which exist in a currently under-established Township Tourism market as well as other cultural and heritage activities.

 

The Lukhanji LTO is in its final set-up stages. The Interim Steering Committee is working hard to ensure that the LTO gets up and running as soon as possible. The LTO will be supported by a Tourism Information Centre which will look to provide a holistic tourism offering to visitors that visit Queenstown and Lukhanji and will also seek to provide a marketing service to all tourism product owners. The LTO needs participation from all tourism stakeholders, including members from local government, organized business, schools and the education sector, sports groupings, churches and the media.

 

All stakeholders who are interested in becoming more involved in the Tourism Sector and the LTO are requested to contact 072 872 9597 or email 045@webmail.co.za.

 

German Delegation Visits Chris Hani District to Bolster Economic Development Initiatives

 

The Chris Hani District Municipality played host to a high-level delegation from the Diepholz District Municipality, based in the Federal State of Lower Saxony Germany over the period 22 – 28 February 2009. The delegation consisted of Mayor Gerd Stötzel, former Chairman of the Chamber of Agriculture Horst Glockzin, Development Agency Officer Bernd Brinkmann and Chief Executive Officer of the Chamber of Craftsmanship, Jens Lessman. The visit of the Germans followed on a June 2008 CHDM delegation visit, led by the Executive Mayor Mafuza Sigabi, to Diepholz – where the objectives of the visit were to identify best practices and document areas that would justify the interest to partner with Diepholz, to encourage bilateral visits and to sign a Memorandum of Understanding highlighting the purpose, objectives and anticipated results of the cooperation arrangement. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the CHDM and the Diepholz district at a Gala Dinner at the Queens Hotel in Queenstown on Friday 27 February 2009.

During the recent visit of the Germans, the Border Kei Chamber of Business in Queenstown hosted a luncheon, followed by a presentation, which aimed to promote and build stronger working relationships between Business sector and the Landries Diepholz District.  The presentation highlighted the different offerings and roles that the Chamber could play in such ‘relationships’. The BKCOB presentation also included a comprehensive overview of the South African Agri Academy (SAAA). The BKCOB and the SAAA have as recently as February signed a partnership agreement that will look to enhance Agricultural activities in the Border Kei region. The BKCOB and SAAA partnership could have significant benefits for linkages in the Agricultural sector between the representatives of the Chris Hani District and German counterparts.  Presentations given by the German Delegates at the event clearly highlighted the enormous scope for collaboration and cooperation between stakeholders of the Chris Hani and Diepholz District. The presentations included:

  • An overview of the Diepholz District,
  • Waste Management and Alternative Energy Sources.
  • Agriculture, and
  • Diepholz Chambers and Associations.

 

The event was extremely well supported by Chamber members, the Executive Mayor of the CHDM, the Municipal Managers of both the CHDM and Lukhanji Municipality as well as other key stakeholders representing, Thina Sinako, the Lukhanji Business Forum and the Eastern Cape Development Corporation.

 

Given that the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa and the Federal State of Lower Saxony of Germany have been in partnership since 1995 and further the recent Memorandum or Understanding signed between the Diepholz District and the CHDM, the Border Kei Chamber of Business has extended an invitation to the Diepholz District to enter into a Agreement of Mutual Cooperation from a business perspective. The Agreement would look to ‘formalise’ business relations and stand as a pledge to enhance the liaison and co‑operation between the respective organisations in the fields of export-import, investment, business information and other commerce orientated activities. We would hope that the agreement would be of benefit to the members of both organisations.

 

Besides the clear opportunities around investment and the trading of products and services, we believe that exciting linkages between the BKCOB and CHDM and the Diepholz District can exist in sectors such as Agriculture, Tourism, and Manufacturing (to name but a few) as well as the enormous opportunities exposed in the trading of knowledge and expertise, the educating of craftsman and numerous other educational opportunities.

 

The visit by the Diepholz delegation marked a very exciting occasion for the Chamber and our District as a whole and we can only hope that the outcomes of the visits will have far-reaching benefits to the local economic development of the region.