The Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber’s Deal Party Cluster has appointed Bongani Ngema as its new chairperson.
He replaces Kieron Jordaan, managing director at Purem, who now moves into the Vice Chairperson role, after undertaking significant groundwork to get the Cluster operational. Jordaan will continue to play an active role in the work of the Cluster and will be an integral part of their soon to be instituted MANCO.
Ngema currently works for Orion Carbon Engineering as a Logistics Manager and in his new role, will help drive the Cluster’s strategic objectives by addressing key service delivery challenges within the area while also growing the participation of other businesses in the Deal Party area.
Commenting on this appointment, he said, “I am honoured to be taking over the reins from my predecessor who has done an admirable job of establishing this platform. At the top of my list is to strengthen our voice as businesses as we need to protect investment in the area.
“More importantly, I want to prioritise collaborating with the rest of the team to create a robust environment where there is unity in how we actively tackle some of the challenging issues within our area of operations. Our purpose as businesses is to create employment and help grow the economy and create a conducive environment. Therefore, we are going to be very proactive and robust in our approach to collaborate with the municipality to effect key improvements.”
Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber chief executive, Denise van Huyssteen, said that she is looking forward to working with Ngema to help drive the Cluster’s key objectives.
“His appointment is an important one as the work of this cluster plays a significant role in addressing a myriad of challenges within the area to help retain investment. As the Chamber, we appreciate that he has accepted this important responsibility which seeks to mobilise businesses to work together for the common good of our local economy and jobs,” she said.
To date, the Chamber has established geographic clusters in Deal Party, Perseverance, Struandale, North End and Kariega, all adopting a strong focus on prioritising the resolution of critical enabling environment issues.
