Thursday: 19 June  2003

This site will be updated on: 26 June 2003 at 17:00

Business - Sakenuus

• 'Ons sal nou vinniger besluit' - Bailey
• Wine showcase
• Franschhoekers betaal meer
• Kosie rings the changes
• Paarl Print gears up for growth with restructuring
• Wynstryd skop af

EK glo plaaslike regering het nou sy eindbestemming bereik met betrekking tot die transformasieproses, het raadsheer Herman Bailey Woensdag gesê tydens sy inhuldiging as die eerste uitvoerende burgemeester van Drakenstein.

publiek nie met "bekwame spoed" afgehandel kan word nie.

"Tussen Raad en bestuur moet daar nou met alle erns aan strategieë gewerk word om 'n gladde stelsel van effektiewe besluitneming daar te stel."

Hy meen sodra die proses van delegasies afgehandel is, behoort die stelsel met min moeite geïmplementeer te word.

Hy het ook verwys na die nuwe stelsel van Wykskomitees, waarvan Drakenstein 29 sal hê. Die onderskeie wyksraadslede sal voorsitters van die komitees wees, maar proporsionele raadslede word ook aangemoedig om deel te neem.

"Wykskomitees verleen 'n gulde geleentheid vir openbare deelname," het hy gesê en dit as 'n groot uitdaging aan raadslede beskryf.

Bailey het verwys na die onlangse aanvaarding van die 2003/04 begroting en gesê hulle het kennis geneem van die finansiële beperkings op die Raad.

"Die wenslys is groot, maar realiteite bepaal uiteindelik wat haalbaar is. Ons sal binne hierdie beperkings plaaslike regering binne Drakenstein moet laat werk.

"Basiese behoeftes soos watervoorsiening, vullisverwydering en riolering in informele woongebiede is van die prioriteite wat aangespreek moet word.

"Die nagenoeg 13 000 huisgesinne wat op 'n waglys verskyn, dui ongetwyfeld op die nood wat nog bestaan.

"Laat ons onsself tog voortdurend daaraan herinner dat ons gebied 'n groot landbougebied insluit.

"Boere en plaaswerkergesinne is ook geregtig op dienslewering deur die Raad, veral noudat grondbelasting 'n werklikheid geword het."

Bailey sê Drakenstein bied ongelooflike geleenthede vir ekonomiese ontwikkeling wat veral kan lei tot werkskepping.

"Dit behoort ons hoogste prioriteit te wees. Indien ons hierin kan slaag, glo ek dat verskeie ander probleme aangespreek sal word.

"Die betaalvermoë van verbruikers van munisipale dienste sal verbeter en misdaad van 'n ekonomiese aard behoort af te neem."

Hy het verder gesê dat armoede en gesondheidstoestande soos MIV/Vigs behoort ernstige aandag te geniet.

"Ek glo dat ek namens die pas aangekondigde burgemeesterskomitee praat as ek ons kollektief verbind tot dienslewering van hoogstaande gehalte."

Die burgemeesterskomitee bestaan uit Bailey, die uitvoerende onderburgemeester Anthea Sheldon (ANC), nog vier ANC lede en vyf van die NNP.

Die NNP-lede is André vd Spuy de Villiers, Bernardo Maralack, Bokkie Claasen, Deon Swart en JT Basson. Die ANC-lede is Ndodomzi Mkabile, Charmaine Manuel, Arthob Petersen en Charlotte Stemela.

* Swifter decision-making is expected now that Paarl has an executive mayor with a mayoral advisory committee.

TO celebrate their 21st birthday, the 35 members of the Cape Winemakers Guild (CWG) will be presenting a selection of premium South African wines at their public Showcase tasting tonight at the Rotunda in Camps Bay from 17:30. 

The informal tasting is a precursor to the annual Nedbank CWG Auction  on 11 October.

The informal, interactive Cape Town Showcase tasting provides wine enthusiasts with the opportunity to meet some of the Cape's cutting-edge winemakers and an exciting line-up of over 60 wines.

Tickets are R80 per person (tasting glass included). To book, phone Elmarie Rabe at the CWG Office on 883-8625 or elmarie@capewinemakersguild.com.

HUISEIENAARS op Franschhoek sal na verwagting sowat 15% per maand meer moet opdok op hul munisipale rekeninge van 1 Julie, volgens die Franschhoek Belastingbetalersvereniging.

Kleiner huishoudings se kostes sal met sowat 10,8% styg.

Krag sal met 16% verhoog omdat kruissubsidiëring uitgeskakel word, terwyl besighede se tariewe ietwat minder styg.

Een van die grootste items op die kapitale begroting is R6,3 miljoen vir die bou van 'n elektriese substasie vir die dorp. Fondse is ook toegewys vir die beplanning van 'n nuwe reservoir en watersuiweringaanleg.

Die bestuur van die Belastingsbetalersvereniging het onlangs met die polisie samesprekings gehou waar die versekering gegee is dat meer personeel by die Franschhoek polisiestasie aangestel sal word om tekorte aan te spreek.

By die volgende bestuursvergadering op 8 Julie sal Grant McIntosh van die WNNR en 'n munisipale amptenaar met hulle samesprekings hou oor waterprobleme op die dorp. Mense wat wil aansluit by die vereniging teen R25 per jaar kan skryf aan Posbus 575, Franschhoek 7690.

PAARL winemaker Kosie Möller has acquired a hundred percent interest in the West Coast Vineyards wine marketing company, with a clear vision of expanding the higher quality segment of its portfolio on both the local and international markets.

The new consolidated group of companies will in future operate under the banner of Kosie Möller Wines.

Kosie Möller Wines now includes West Coast Vineyards, The Tomorrow Wine Company, the historic Kleine Parys wine farm in Paarl and the premises at 42 Main Street Paarl - which houses a restaurant and wine shop.

Acquiring West Coast Vineyards was a difficult decision for one of South Africa's most renowned winemakers, but differences in business philosophy and strategy necessitated these changes.

The Tomorrow Wine Company, primarily a production business, was previously responsible for supplying West Coast Vineyards and other local and international companies with wines across all quality spectrums.

It also introduced premium wines such as the Bushman's Creek and Alphen ranges, which raised the profile of the WCV portfolio considerably.

Möller intends launching his first wines made on Kleine Parys later in the year. They will be ultra-premium and exclusive.

He is in the process of developing this farm on the outskirts of Paarl to its former glory with the intention of only producing top quality wines there.

With the strengthening of the Rand over the past year, there was a need to streamline WCV to ensure continued profitability under extremely difficult trading conditions, Möller says.

All clients of the former company have remained on board with Kosie Möller Wines, while a joint venture has just been entered into with a leading UK marketing company.

Möller, who for the past decade travelled widely to all major markets to keep abreast with developments and trends, assumes responsibility for production and marketing.

This hands-on philosophy has ensured a seamless process with clients during this period of transition.

His long-time associate, Viljoen de Kock, will be responsible for financial and business management, including developing of future  joint ventures, both locally and internationally.

The company's vital Asia-Pacific Rim subsidiary, in partnership with leading Asian marketing expert Peter Milne, continues operating as in the past and is seen as vital to the company's business strategy, says Möller.

"Besides the strategic UK  market, we will also continue to develop our key markets such as Germany, Scandinavia, the Benelux countries, the US and Far East.

"New innovative markets such as Russia and other countries in Eastern Europe, will also be pursued," he said.

THE managing director of Paarl Print, Callie de Wet, recently announced a restructuring of the company's business units and strategic internal appointments that are aimed at bringing focus and a greater reach in management to the printer's operations.

Paarl Print has doubled in size since its amalgamation with Nasionale Boekdrukkkery last year.

Says de Wet, "The increase of capacity and personnel at Paarl Print over the past year has resulted in a reconsideration of our divisions and management reach in order to optimise the quality of the decision-making in the company.

"As a result, we've identified three divisions in the company that will operate as individual business units, each with its own budget and profit centre. These divisions will continue to cash in on the favourable synergies offered by Paarl Print and the Paarl Media Group."

The three divisions are

* Ads & Publications: flat sheet printing and the binding of all books, magazines, brochures and pamphlets.

* Web: all web printing and finishing.

* Labels: printing and finishing of all labels including flat sheet and web, wet glue and self-adhesive labels.

"Each business will report its profitability separately and the managers of these divisions will be responsible too for the management of income and expenses that will impact the division's profitability."

The changes are effective from 1 August and the internal appointments of divisional managers have also been announced. Gerhard Swanepoel is Manager, Labels, while Pieter Steenkamp is Manager, Ads & Publications.

Ben van der Horst (currently Technical Head of the Web) will assume responsibility for the total Web function until further notice.

Pierre Samuel (previously from Paarl Print's Estimators) will assist van der Horst as Assistant Manager of the Web in non-technical matters.

"We are looking forward to enter this new era in Paarl Print's history and I am confident that the restructuring as well as the internal appointments will contribute to excellent returns that will help position our company for future growth," concluded de Wet.

DIE soektog na die land se kampioen jongwyn is nou op dreef. Inskrywings vir die 2003 SA Jongwynskou sluit op Donderdag 3 Julie en 17 trofeë kan gewen word insluitend die gesogte Genl Smut trofee vir die SA Kampioen Jongwyn.

Die jongwyne word van 21 tot 25 Julie by Nederburg beoordeel en die SA kampioene sal op Saterdag 23 Augustus tydens 'n galadinee op Upington bekend gemaak word.

Die 2002 SA Jongwynskou het 1997 inskrywings gelok, waarvan 68% met 104 goue, 433 silwer en 769 brons medaljes bekroon is. Altesaam 48 klaswenners is aangewys.

Kontak Elsabé Ferreira by tel 807-3104, faks 863-2079 of per e-pos ferreira@vinpro.co.za vir nadere besonderhede.

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