Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry supports move to Adjusted Alert Level 3
"We believe that this decision will have a positive impact on the economy, giving businesses an opportunity to trade in a regulated and controlled manner," - Palesa Phili.
The Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry NPC supports the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa to move the country from Adjusted Alert Level 4 lockdown to Adjusted Alert Level 3.
“We believe that this decision will have a positive impact on the economy, giving businesses an opportunity to trade in a regulated and controlled manner. As organised business, we are of the strong view that the balancing of competing priorities which are lives and livelihoods are of uttermost importance, thus it is comforting and reassuring when we see the government take this into account and present a plan to be actioned,” said Palesa Phili, CEO for Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Durban Chamber would like to further highlight issues below:
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SASRIA
The Durban Chamber welcomes SASRIAs commitment to honour all its obligations.
“We believe that valid claims need to be fast-tracked to ensure a speedy recovery. We remain committed to working with SASRIA through our Insurance Task Team. The Durban Chamber recently held a webinar designed to provide insight into the process of lodging a claim and how to fast-track claims for businesses that were affected by the recent unrest in the province of KwaZulu-Natal,” said Phili.
Support for SMMEs
SMMEs, spaza shops and informal businesses will be the worst affected. “The Durban Chamber recommends that government works closely with SMMEs to ensure their needs are prioritised as these businesses are reliant on a monthly income to sustain operations. They have no access to additional capital, to assist with business recovery. We look forward to seeing the plan from the Presidency office, which will have a detailed outlined plan of the execution process,” she said.
Excise Taxes
“We believe the adjustment extended to the alcohol sector will only provide short term relief to the industry. The alcohol industry has been hard hit by the Covid-19 pandemic and even more so after the recent violent protests. The industry requires more long-term sustainable relief plan, government needs to collaborate with this sector and explore sustainable development strategy that can be implemented,” said Phili.
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