Ground-breaking inauguration of first black female JCCI president
MILPARK – The Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry was proud to inaugurate their first black female president at the chamber's 129th AGM.
The Johannesburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) was proud to inaugurate its first black African woman, Jacki Mpondo-Hendricks, as president at their 129th AGM in Milpark on 29 July.
Mpondo-Hendricks said she felt honoured to become president of the chamber. “I was a young girl who came from a township in Port Elizabeth and am now in a position of influence in global trade,” she said.
“This supports the philosophy that you can become anything. I hope to inspire other young girls to realise that they can become anything. Like anyone in business, I went through ups and downs and trials so that I have empathy for others.”
She aims to leave a legacy of leading with ubuntu. “Let’s inspire a different narrative for Joburg and the continent of Africa. We can all be change agents, turning despair into hope.”
Mpondo-Hendrick’s attributed her success to her spiritual grounding and support from people in the JCCI.
As a seasoned business strategist, marketer and social activist with more than 20 years global experience in all spheres of marketing in public and private sectors, she hopes to revitalise the chamber’s relevance, particularly among women and youth.
Deputy head girl of St Mary’s Waverley shared a poem entitled I carry my mother on my back with those in attendance at the AGM.
Christi Louw, managing director at law firm Savage Hurter Louw Uys Inc delivered the keynote address at the event discussing the implications for business of the National Health Insurance (NHI).
With 19 years experience in running his commercial and corporate law practice with a major focus on the private medical industry, Louw painted a bleak picture for the future of the country with the NHI.
Citing the failure of a number of state-owned enterprises and the current state of public healthcare in the country, Louw said the product offered to citizens could not be improved with a demoralised workforce.
He added that it would be impossible to calculate how much the NHI would cost, but it would be twice the size of Eskom and would create a heavy burden on the already over-burdened tax base.
“We are not able to fund this and would need R1.1 trillion to equal that of private healthcare. This would mean that personal income tax would almost double,” said Louw.
He indicated that job losses, reduced earnings and less disposable income for the wealthy would have a profoundly negative impact on the South African economy. “We cannot cope with the numbers that will be put into the system. We are going to lose so much if we don’t think about doing this correctly,” he said, adding that the NHI would bring opportunities for business in the supply, distribution, technology and training industries.
The well-attended address brought about strong reactions from various business people, with some drawing on the positives the NHI would bring for the poor.
