GTCoC leadership changes expected at next week’s AGM

GTCoC President, Stefan Olivier, confirmed this week that he was no longer eligible for re-election to the position – but indicated he would make
himself available for nomination as Vice-President of the award-winning Chamber. Under Olivier’s leadership, the GTCoC was again selected as the Top Business Chamber in the country by the Small Business Institute (SBI). However, current Vice-President, Jaco Verwey, said he was
available for nomination as President and present CEO, Klippies Kritzinger, has also said he would make himself available for re-election.
Olivier’s expected nomination as Vice-President is seen as retaining his highly respected skills as an organisational and business strategist and facilitator for continuity and institutional memory purposes, in the midst of an especially deepening local Government crisis, severely undercutting business in the region.
Over the past year, the GTCoC shot to national prominence, especially on municipal corruption and maladministration directly threatening electricity tariffs and municipal revenue streams affecting service delivery and economic growth and investment.
Additionally, the GTCoC and its Water and Sanitation spokesperson, Rosemary Anderson-Cloete, played a central role in finding and implementing solutions to the Vaal River Sewage Pollution Crisis, facilitating Army involvement and other initiatives to mitigate the crisis and emerging as a key stakeholder in the process.
Verwey, Kritzinger and Cloete-Anderson have also been facilitating a wide spectrum of stakeholders – including National Government – to restore investor confidence in the Vaal and to kick-start economic growth and investment in the region.
Verwey also played a key role in establishing Emfuleni For Change (EFC) which, although not yet officially launched, has been intensively mobilising
business skills and expertise, to enhance local service delivery and to partner with local government and other entities to facilitate service delivery.
The EFC is expected to join Executive Mayor Gift Moerane’s Mayoral Advisory Board (MAB) with regard to partnering with ELM to unlock and enhance service delivery, as will the GTCoC itself.
Verwey has additionally been credited with mobilising and launching legal action against exorbitant ELM power tariff increases of up to 21% and winning a High Court order setting them aside late last year.
His role in mobilising business on a broad front is seen as a key ingredient in stopping ELM power tariff exploitation and convincing Mayor Moerane that closer engagement and partnership with business is required to turn ELM around. Kritzinger is seen as a highly formidable business activist whose ongoing advocacy has exposed wide-ranging corruption, maladministration and incompetence at ELM, in addition to being directly involved in many charitable actions and projects.
Kritzinger has been exceptionally active and vocal in fighting for payment of ELM service providers and in achieving the replacement of provincial deployee, Dithaba Oupa Nkoane, as Municipal Manager.
The AGM takes place on Thursday 26 February 2020 at the GTCoC offices at the Emerald Resort and Casino in Vanderbijlpark.