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The Austrian Business Chamber (ABC) is a Non Profit Organisation in South Africa founded in 1996. This body is dedicated to the representation and support of the interests of Austrian business people and companies in South Africa as well as of the general South African business sector with Austrian ties and connections.
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Editor’s Comments
Christian Neuberger |
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Ho Ho Ho – Merry Christmas
Another year has almost passed, and what a year. If we didn’t think business confidence could sink any lower, 2015 has once again surprised us.
Growth has dropped to below 1.5% and is unlikely to gain momentum in 2016. Standard & Poors has changed it’s credit rating outlook to BBB- with a negative outlook, meaning that we have edged one step closer to junk rating. Not a day goes by that we don’t read about more job cuts and business closures. Let us not even talk about exchange rates, a big surprise is waiting for all amongst us that are soon travelling overseas. And with a government that lacks any strategic direction it is more than doubtful that we will see policy implementations that could lead to an improved business confidence and increased private sector investment until way beyond the ANC leadership elections in 2017.
Luckily, we have a president that guides us through these difficult times. And so i suggest to all of you, just like Mr Zuma recently responded to serious questions raised by opposition parties about the state of South Africa with a simple giggle and a laugh, let us start the upcoming holiday season with a loud and heart-felt Ho, ho, ho – Merry Christmas and let’s simply forget about all of South Africa’s troubles.
Winston Churchill once said about America: You can always rely on America doing the right thing…. once they have exhausted all other options. Our government might have another year or two but then too, the current ANC leadership will have exhausted all other options and will have to start doing the right things.
And luckily again, with Mr Zuma’s most recent knock out to the South African economy in the form of the sudden sacking of well respected finance minister Nene, only to replace him with a no-name unlikely to challenge Zuma, taking the Rand the levels no-one would have thought possible, the point of having exhausted all the wrong options may be reached very soon.
Till then, and especially during the these holidays, let’s enjoy our beautiful beaches and the blue skies, our wonderful golf courses and vineyards, great food and never-ending sunshine…
I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season, safe travels, and happy times amongst friends and family. Even more so, I wish you and and your families a happy, healthy and prosperous 2016.
Ho,ho,ho – Merry Christmas everyone!
With best regards, your
Christian Neuberger
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The 2nd half of 2016 was another very eventful period for the Austrian Business Chamber. Highlight was no doubt the Business Lunch in August with Minister of Trade and Industry Mr Rob Davies. Mr Davies painted a surprisingly positive picture of South Africa at the time.
Of even more interest was the Sundowner Workshop with Dr. Jackie Cilliers, one of the country’s foremost thinkers and futurists who presented important insights into various growth scenarios for South Africa up to 2035 and their implications for employment, politics and poverty. Well no doubt we are further away from Jackie’s ‘Mandela Magic Lite’ than what he could ever have imagined last July.
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The South African Sanral National Roads Agency (SOC) Limited’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Nazir Alli, hosted a delegation of the ABC to a business breakfast on 1st September o share information about SANRAL – and common knowledge about the latest developments pertaining to the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) and the use of the ‘user pay’ principle to fund the project.
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The highlights of the Social Calendar for Austrians in South Africa remain as always the celebrations of the Austrian National Day at the Residence of our Ambassador Her Excellency Mrs Brigitte Oeppinger-Walchshofer and the traditional Red and White Christmas party at the Residence of Austria Trade Commissioner Johannes Brunner.
And to the great delight of us Austrians, after many years in the country, Red Bull is now a major contributor to many of our Austrian events. Red Bull has not only added more variety to their own product range but also added variety to the drinks selection at these events. Thank you Red Bull!
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And of course, we always look after our members with sound investment advice. The Sundowner Workshop in October included views on international financial markets from a Swiss Private Bank by René B. Schwab – First Vice President – Privatbank IHAG Zürich AG as well as investing on JSE by Dawie Roodt – Director and Chief Economist of the Efficient Group. I sincerely hope many of you followed the international investment advise, considering the latest developments in South Africa.
Venue for this event was the stunning Capital Empire Hotel in Sandton, with its beautiful bar and outside terrace area. A big thank you to Capital Hotels for sponsoring the venue. |
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We welcome new member Heiko Peter Braun.
Spellas Lengert Kübler Braun Incorporated (“SLKB”) is a local and personal law firm, firmly rooted in Johannesburg, located in the heart of Melville and with strong connections overseas, in particular to Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
The attorneys at SLKB are committed and down to earth – they will roll up their sleeves in order to achieve the best results quickly, confidently and efficiently. SLKB is a true partnership; the firm’s philosophy is that whoever in the firm is best suited for every individual aspect of a client’s matter will do the job. The firm always provides integrated solutions for their clients in commercial and civil law matters, and, if needs be, makes use of its close links to external specialists in various fields. SLKB also provides conveyancing and notarial services.
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As mentioned earlier on we had recently the opportunity to receive excellent investment advise from new member Mr Rene Schwab of Privatbank IHAG Zurich.
Privatbank IHAG Zürich AG, Zurich, is one of the few independent Swiss private banks offering
comprehensive, tailor-made financial services in the areas of private banking, trading and lending. The
bank has kept the personal touch ever since it was founded 66 years ago by the Bührle family. It is now
part of the respected Swiss industrial group IHAG Holding Corp., consisting of investments such as Pilatus
Aircraft, the Hotel Storchen in Zurich, and the Hotel Castello del Sole in Ascona.
We have been dedicated to the South African market for more than 15 years now, and are a licensed
foreign financial service provider. Our private banking expertise in overseas markets is openly welcomed
by a growing client base in South Africa. These relationships are supported by products and advisory
services designed specifically to enable valued South African clients to generate additional added value.
Discover the stability, reliability and independence of Privatbank IHAG Zürich AG for yourself. We look
forward to welcoming you to our bank.
Privatbank IHAG Zürich AG,
Bleicherweg 18
P.O. Box
CH-8022 Zurich
Phone +41 44 205 11 11
www.pbihag.ch |
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OFFICES TO LET
±600sq/m AAA Rated office space available TO LET in
Fontainebleau, Randburg. Modern, upmarket interior
finishes throughout. The building is centrally situated
between Cresta, Randburg, Linden and the N1 freeway,
Malibongwe off-ramp.
Contact Coleen on 011 793 7421 for more information.
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TECHNIMAC (PTY) LTD; A JHB BASED SUPPLIER OF MACHINERY TO THE PLASTICS INDUSTRY, AND MEMBER OF THE ABC, HAVE OVER MANY YEARS DEVELOPED A RANGE OF COMPUTERISED, SERVO DRIVEN PLASTIC BAG WELDING MACHINES WHICH HAVE WON INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM. THESE MACHINES HAVE SUCCESSFULLY OPERATED FOR MORE THAN 2 DECADES IN THE US, EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA. THE MACHINES ARE BUILT WITH A 100% LOCAL CONTENT AND HAVE MAINTAINED A COMPETITIVE EDGE OVER OTHER SUPPLIERS BECAUSE OF SUPERIOR CLIENT SUPPORT, READILY AVAILABLE, LOCALLY MANUFACTURED, SPARE PARTS AS WELL AS ELECTONIC COMPONENTS AND SOFTWARE. THE MACHINE DEPICTED ON THE PHOTOGRAPH WAS RECENTLY SUPPLIED TO A CLIENT IN DURBAN AND A SIMILAR MODEL AIRFREIGHTED TO GERMANY IN JANUARY 2015.
TECHNIMAC CONTINUES TO TACKLE THE CHALLENGES ENCOUNTERED UNDER THE CURRENT DIFFICULT ECONOMICAL CLIMATE TRUE TO ITS MOTTO: “IF WE DON’T TAKE CARE OF OUR CUSTOMERS, SOME BODY ELSE WILL” |
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| May we also welcome all new members that haven’t been specifically mentioned and we kindly urge you to provide us with a brief introduction to your companies so that we can list these in future editions of the newsletter |
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ABC Members enjoy a
10% discount on
Into SA Consulting Fees.
This includes the areas of Immigration, Company Incorporation, BEE Consulting, Tax Registrations and Legal Document Drafts. |
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WOODEN TIMEPIECES
Just in time for gift shopping wink emoticon Our very special JHB Skyline Watch crafted out of wood. Top quality, comfortable to wear and looks amazing – unique #Joburg. Comes in the stylish wooden gift box. You find our Shopify shop on our 1000 Things To Do In Joburg Facebook page !
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Business Opportunities
Johannes Brunner – Advantage Austria |
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Dear ABC members:
This year’s final issue of the AUSTRIAN BUSINESS NEWS is online. Stay up-to-date with the latest news, business opportunities and our up-coming events in Austria and South Africa.
Highlights of the current issue include:
Events in South Africa:
Austrian National Pavilion at the Energy Efficiency Africa 2016
Meet and greet experts from various fields in energy efficient construction at our National Pavilion at the Energy Efficiency Africa 2016.
Business Opportunities:
Silvercare GmbH: high-tech super-fibre textiles with antibacterial silver.
Zoerkler Gears GmbH & Co KG: gears and drive systems in the aviation, automobile, rail and industry sectors.
Pierre Delor: high quality, scratch resistant watches.
TZ Tischlerzentrum GesmbH: furniture-fronts, carcass-elements and furniture components.
Datentechnik Innovation GmbH: turnkey software solutions.
For these and more exciting news about business opportunities from Austria download the full pdf-version of our newsletter from: http://www.advantageaustria.org/za/PDF_AuslandsNewsletter_Johannesburg_04_2015.pdf
We also invite you to stay connected with our network of experts by joining our South Africa group on LinkedIn or follow us on Twitter for daily updates on news about Austrian business in South Africa.
Best regards,
Johannes Brunner
Austrian Trade Commissioner
ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA at Power & Electricity World Africa 2016
From 15th till 16th of March 2016 the annual Power & Electricity World Africa conference will take place at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa. Following the successful participation this year, the Austrian Trade Commission is pleased to announce its presence in form of an Austrian pavilion. Together with innovative Austrian companies from the renewable energy industry, innovative solutions will be on display and promoted.
The Power and Electricity World Africa conference is one of the most important events to create networking opportunities for the African energy sector. It will be possible to connect with leading businesses executives and with African energy utility and IPP decision makers.
Further information available here: Power & Electricity World Africa conference
Or simply contact us:
Austrian Trade Commission
Cradock Heights, 1st Floor
21 Cradock Avenue
(Corner Tyrwhitt Avenue) Rosebank
T +27 11 442 71 00
johannesburg@advantageaustria.org
www.advantageaustria.org/za
ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA at Food & Hospitality Africa 2016!
Do not miss out on the all new Food & Hospitality Africa Conference! Next year the Hostex and Africa’s International Food & Drink Event will be merged into one large conference: the Food & Hospitality Africa. The conference will take place from May 3-5, 2016 at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Johannesburg and will serve as a great gateway for Austrian businesses that are interested in entering the food and hospitality market in South Africa. The Austrian Trade Commission, ADVANTAGE AUSTRIA, will organize a large Austrian pavilion to promote and foster Austrian exports from the Food&Beverage and the HoReCa industries to the southern African markets.
By joining us on our Austrian pavilion, Austrian companies will have a wide array of benefits ranging from direct access to purchasing agents to great networking opportunities and multiple b2b contacts.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any question and see you at the Food & Hospitality Africa Conference |
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| We are looking forward to seeing you at one of the following exciting events:
28 January: 18.00h – 20.00h – Balalaika Hotel
Join us for the first Sundowner of 2016 and the opportunity to meet Mr. Marcus Cornaro, the new Austrian Ambassador of the Delegation of the EU to South Africa.
16 February: 17.00h – 18.00h and 18.00h – 20.00h – venue to be confirmed
Legal Workshop with Roedl und Partner followed by Sundowner |
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Austrian Business Chamber in Southern Africa:
Phone no: + 27 (0) 72 919 4418 Fax No: +27 (0) 86 685 5120 members@austrianbc.co.za www.austrianbc.co.za
Austrian Embassy – PTA: Tel (012) 452-9155 Fax (012) 460-1151
Austrian Consulate – JHB: Tel 011 462 2334 Fax (011) 447-6191
Austrian Consulate – CPT: Tel (021) 421-1440/1 Fax (021) 425-3489
Austrian Trade Commission: Tel (011) 442-7100 Fax (011) 442-8304
Austrian Business Club in Zimbabwe (ABCZ): Tel 00263 -773 -937115/ Email: autbczim@gmail.com (President: Karl Markhardt) |
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The ABC thanks our Platinum Sponsors, without their help most of the functions and workshops would not be possible. If you would like to become a Sponsor as well, please contact ABC Sponsorship!
The current Platinum Sponsors are:
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