THE Boland Chamber of Commerce in Paarl has united with chambers in Cape Town to form the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Says Boland president Trevor Harris, "It has been recognised worldwide that large Chambers of Commerce with a proper infrastructure and with adequate resources have the power to lobby, have the respect of the policymakers and have the ability to serve their members in accordance with their expectations.

"It therefore made sense to unite six Chambers of Commerce (including the Boland Chamber of Commerce) in the greater Cape Town area to form the Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"It will be the leading business organisation in the Province and the largest Chamber in South Africa."

The geographical boundaries of the divisions or chambers will by and large, follow the perimeters of the City's subcouncils like Tygerberg and Helderberg, as well as Paarl, Stellenbosch and West Coast.

Services will continue to be provided from the existing offices in Paarl, Cape Town, Bellville, Somerset West and Fish Hoek.

Sophisticated electronic equipment will interconnect these offices to create a virtual single information/services centre.

As a unified Chamber they intend to stimulate inclusiveness, to break down barriers between entities and create a level playing field for all business in the area.

The enlarged Chamber wishes to ensure that the voice of business is heard as a collective representative organisation following the advent of the Unicity.

Not only must it create opportunities for business to expand and to prosper, but it also needs to demonstrate its ability to uplift less privileged business communities by capacity building and development.

For more information, contact the Boland Chamber of Commerce secretary Marianne Swartz on tel 872-9880 or 082-930-0426.

ONS moet versigtig wees dat die nuwe Suid-Afrika nie ons plaaswerkers verbygaan nie.

Só sê Herman Bailey, onderburgemeester van Drakenstein, wat pas in die kantoor van die Wes-Kaapse Minister van Landbou, Johan Gelderblom, aangestel is om die belange van die arbeidsektor te bevorder.

Bailey was 'n stigterslid van die destydse Landelike Stigting en met die ontbinding in 1996 was hy die uitvoerende hoof.

Minister Gelderblom het Bailey se aanstelling verlede week tydens sy begroting aangekondig om "uitsluitlik na plaaswerkers en hul behoeftes om te sien".

Gelderblom het groot klem gelê op landelike ontwikkeling en pogings tot armoedeverligting.

"Plaaswerkers is net soos die plaaseienaar of produsent 'n onmisbare skakel in die landbouketting en moet doelgerig en doeltreffend ontwikkel word," het hy gesê.

"Sewe miljoen rand is begroot vir hoofsaaklik die bevordering van voortgesette landbou-onderrig."

Bailey, wat op 'n kontrak-basis aangestel is, is verantwoordelik daarvoor om nuwe inisiatiewe vir die opheffing van plaasgemeenskappe te identifiseer.

Hy moet ook sakeplanne ontwikkel en dit bemark vir die verkryging van geld uit nasionale en internasionale bronne.

"Ek het 'n redelike voet in die landbousektor behou," het Bailey, wat direkteur van KWV, Groot Constantia Landgoed en Devco is, vandeesweek gesê.

Hy is ook voorsitter van die Resource and Development Foundation, wat bande het met die Ierse Solidarity House.

"Ek het drie jaar gelede met hulle kontak gemaak toe ek saam met Minister Hennie Bester daar besoek afgelê het.

"Ons het hulle genooi om na plaaslike toestande te kom kyk en uit dit het die verbintenis ontwikkel.

"Ons open op 1 Mei kantore in Stellenbosch met 'n landelike en stedelike ontwikkelingsprogram."

Die nuwe pos sal Bailey net drie dae 'n week besig hou, wat hom genoeg tyd laat om nog steeds sy pligte as AFC-raadslid en onderburgemeester van Drakenstein na te kom.

* Drakenstein deputy mayor Herman Bailey has been appointed to the office of the provincial minister of agriculture to assist farm labourers.

DIE Uitvoerende Komitee van die Boland Distriksmunisipaliteit het op 14 Maart projekte van R1 miljoen goedgekeur ten einde plaaslike ontwikkeling te stimuleer.

Dit sluit in R250 000 vir die ontwikkeling van die huis by die Victor Verster Gevangenis, Paarl waarin voormalige President Mandela die laaste paar maande voor sy vrylating deurgebring het, as 'n toerismesentrum. R100 000 sal reeds in die komende finansiële jaar oorbetaal word.

Ander fondse wat in die Drakensteingebied spandeer word sluit in:

* R100 000 vir die Agapé Aids Support Group Paarl vir sy siekeboeg

* R79 810 vir die vestiging van 'n rekenaarsentrum vir opleidingsdoeleindes by die Safmarine Veeldoelige Sentrum, Wellington

* R50 000 vir die Sibuyile Training Centre in Mbekweni, Paarl vir entrepreneursopleiding aan werklose vroue.

* R37 500 vir Sasko Sally Koinonia Baking School, Paarl, vir die opleiding en plasing van studente en ondersteuning aan opkomende entrepreneurs.

* R70 000 vir die stigting van 'n koöperatiewe liggaam vir die ontwikkeling van 30 "community homestays" (plaaslike gemeenskapsverblyfplekke) vir toeriste (tien elk in Paarl, Worcester en Stellenbosch) onder leiding van Dreamcatcher (ontwikkelaar van nuwe toerismeprodukte in die Bolandstreek).

* R43 930 vir die ontwikkeling van plaaslike musiek- en dramatalent as toeriste-aantreklikheid met behulp van die Mbekweni Jazz Club in die Paarl en die Worcester Dramatic Society.

Volgens die Burgemeester van die Boland Distriksmunisipaliteit, raadslid Clarence Johnson, is die Raad verbind tot die opheffing van agtergeblewe gemeenskappe in die distrik en is die projekte daarop gemik om agtergeblewe gemeenskappe te bemagtig ten einde armoede en onderontwikkeling aan te spreek. 

Verder is dit die Distriksmunisipaliteit se rol, as ontwikkelingsgerigte plaaslike regering, om kapasiteit te bou deur middel van opleiding.

FOR the first time in the 28 year history of the Nederburg Auction on 13 April in Paarl the guest speaker is an innovative Italian winemaker, Marchese Piero Antinori (63), whose wines are highly prized by connoisseurs all over the world.

Antinori comes from a family that has been producing wine in the traditional way for 26 generations for over 600 years on estates concentrated in the best viticultural areas of Tuscany and Umbria.

Antinori has combined progressive and original techniques with traditional ones to dramatically improve and redefine winemaking in Italy through carefully planned investments and research programmes to improve the quality of its wines.

He is a board member and former chairman of Federvini (Italian Federation of Producers, Exporters and Importers of Wine & Spirits), as well as of Unione Italiana Vini, Milano, the Unione Agricoltori in Florence (Association of agricultural entrepreneurs) and Livorno.

Antinori was awarded the nomination for Cavaliere del Lavoro in 1995.

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