Key takeaways of day 2 of the KLCBT Business Conference

The Citizen

22-05-2025

The Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism (KLCBT) concluded its two-day business conference today and delegates and speakers were left feeling inspired and hopeful for the future of South Africa and its business in the Lowveld.
Linda Grimbeek, KLCBT CEO, welcomed delegates back to the second day of the conference and gave a brief recap of the previous day's events. She introduced the second programme which included seven speakers for the day with big tourism influencers like Oupa Pilane and Tshifhiwa Tshivengwa.
ALSO READ: Key takeaways of day 1 of the KLCBT Business Conference
The first speaker, Tshifhiwa Tshivengwa, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, delved into Integrated Safety Collaboration. He highlighted the effect that crime has on tourists' safety and what impact it will have on the industry going forward. He discussed the persistently problematic high unemployment rates, which lead to poaching and tourists getting attacked. 'We can't have a Kruger National Park with a Big 4 because of crime,' he stated.
Next up was Calvin Mabona, deputy chairperson of the Old Mutual Board , sharing shocking South African health risk statistics and why it's important to invest in a financial plan and will.
'South Africa is the second most stressed-out nation in the world,' he boldly admitted.
Mabona shared five secrets on how to manage your finances by comparing them to the Big 5.
Victor Windvoël, chairperson of the Nkomazi SEZ, delivered a speech titled the 'Big Plan', which discussed their five-year strategic plan that will be finalised this year. They have appointed a new CFO and CEO and are also developing a Nkomazi SEZ Township establishment. 'We make sure we have the proper designs for our infrastructure building plans,' Windvoël said.
Oupa Pilane, KLCBT Special Attaché, shared compelling tourist statistics in Mpumalanga and South Africa and spoke about the challenges the Lowveld faces. 'The biggest barrier to tourism growth is government,' he said bluntly. Pilane motivated business owners to invest in and develop their organisations to encourage tourists to stay longer and spend more money in the Lowveld.
Prof Theuns Eloff spoke about the State of the Nation and the difficulties South Africa is confronting at the moment. He further predicted heavy tides to come in the next three years, especially on the economic front. He is however hopeful and said we, as South Africans, need to change our perspective in order to have a growing economy. 'Sometimes we don't see the problems around us anymore, because we as South Africans want to survive' Eloff declared.
Adv Stephanie Fick, OUTA Director, passionately spoke about corruption and their mission to help businesses expose irregularities. She shared real-world examples of companies that came forward and revealed fraud that united the country. Fick further gave practical tips to help businesses follow ethical business practices.
'Refuse to participate in corruption and support transparent procurement and ethical leadership,' she said.
ALSO READ: KLCBT Business Conference to start tomorrow
The day ended with an engaging panel discussion led by Izak du Plessis from Nuupod with Adv Stephanie Fick, Linda Grimbeek and Prof Theuns Eloff. The panel discussed their vision to combat corruption in South Africa and inspire delegates to invest in their businesses to make a change.
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