01-06-2025
Business leaders unite for economic growth at KLCBT conference
The much-anticipated KLCBT Businesses Conference, held at the Emnotweni Arena in Mbombela last week, was a resounding success. As the first event of its kind in the Lowveld, it drew over 170 delegates and featured 14 speakers who shared their business goals and outlined future plans for economic development in the region.
The KLCBT's CEO, Linda Grimbeek, hosted the event. Her charm and wit put delegates at ease, while engaging icebreakers added a fun and memorable touch to the programme.
ALSO READ: KLCBT Business Conference to start tomorrow
The conference opened with Louis Nel, the CEO of Manganese Metal Company, who shared insights into the company's progress in recent years. He outlined their commitment to innovation and spoke about plans to phase out fossil fuels through their work in electrolytic manganese metal production.
'We hope to create lithium-ion battery vehicles in the future, to stop the use of fossil fuels,' Nel explained.
Alex van Niekerk, the CEO of TRAC N4, spoke about their recent progress in road maintenance, the building of new roads in and around the Lowveld, and shared their plans for future projects. Van Niekerk said, 'We are planning to build a road from the Matola River to Matola Mall in Mozambique.'
Robert Duval, Agri Mpumalanga's CEO, shared statistics about increasing farm crimes and food insecurity. He also spoke about farmers' struggles and said that they always make a plan, but there has to be a reason for the plan.
'Seven out of 10 farmers experience some form of crime annually,' Duval said.
Cornelle Crowley of Business Networking International spoke of 'Networking as a Sport' and explained how it is similar to playing a sport, and how this perspective can be implemented in the business world. '80% of the business you do will come from the 20% investment that you make,' Crowley said.
Indio Swartz of Dinges Tech spoke about the future of AI and motivated businesses to start automating business tasks, such as invoicing, with AI to save time and improve productivity.
'For every two employees, there will be one robot in the future,' Swartz stated.
Wayne Langbridge, the founder and CEO of Wisdom, Faith Accountability Online School (WFA), spoke about online high schooling and how businesses can invest in a student's life to help them become a successful entrepreneur. 'Our school equips students for the business world,' Langbridge said.
Political economist, Moeletsi Mbeki, concluded day one's talks by comparing social structures worldwide to those in South Africa, and pointing out why the public sector's earnings are higher than those of the private sector. He made a stunning remark by stating that 80% of government revenue goes to salaries and debt.
The final event on the first day's programme was a presidential dinner attended by the keynote speakers and delegates. Violinist Noami Tagg and the well-known stand-up comedian Innocent Mashaba provided surprise entertainment. The conference's second day featured another seven speakers and ended on a high note with inspiring closing remarks and motivational speeches.
The first speaker, Tshifhiwa Tshivengwa, the CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa, delved into integrated safety collaboration. He highlighted the effect 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. He further explained that if poaching continues and rhinos go extinct, other African countries will have an advantage over SA since they will have more animals to see in the wild.
'We can't have a Kruger National Park with a Big 4,' he said.
ALSO READ: Key takeaways of day 1 of the KLCBT Business Conference
Calvin Mabona, the deputy chairperson of the Old Mutual board, shared shocking South African health-risk statistics and why it's important to invest in a financial plan and have a will. Mabona shared five secrets on how to manage your finances by comparing them to the Big 5.
Victor Windvoël, the chairperson of the Nkomazi Special Economic Zone, discussed the five-year strategic plan that will be finalised this year. They have appointed a new CFO and CEO, and are developing a Nkomazi SEZ township establishment.
'We made sure we have the proper designs for our infrastructure building plans,' Windvoël said.
Oupa Pilane, the KLCBT's special attaché, shared compelling tourist statistics for Mpumalanga and South Africa, and spoke about the challenges the Lowveld faces. 'The biggest barrier to tourism growth is government,' he said. 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's topic was the 'State of the Nation' and the difficulties South Africa is confronting at the moment. He further predicted heavy tides to come in in the next three years, especially on the economic front. He was, however, hopeful and said South Africans need to change their perspective in order to grow the economy.
'Sometimes we don't see the problems around us any more, because we as South Africans want to survive,' Eloff said.
Adv Stephanie Fick, the director of Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, passionately spoke about corruption and the organisation's mission to help businesses expose irregularities. She shared real-world examples of companies that came forward and revealed fraud. Fick further gave practical tips to help businesses follow ethical business practices.
ALSO READ: Key takeaways of day 2 of the KLCBT Business Conference
The event ended with an engaging panel discussion with Fick and Eloff, led by Izak du Plessis of Nuuspod. The panel discussed their vision to combat corruption in South Africa and inspire delegates to invest in their businesses to make a change.
A delegate and CEO of Locita360, Vuyolwethu (Nhlengethwa) Dlamini, shared his experience of the event: 'Mr Pilane's presentation on tourism was a wake-up call. While the Kruger National Park remains Mpumalanga's crown jewel, receiving over 1.8 million international visitors annually, the economic benefits to surrounding communities remain shallow.'
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