Growth in membership of the business chamber
The Mossel Bay Business Chamber held its monthly networking session on Tuesday, 27 September, at the Point Hotel.
The chamber membership is growing impressively. At each monthly networking session, there are on average five new members and they have the chance to introduce themselves and their businesses to the other members.
The main speaker at this month's meeting was Lukas Swart of Ubuntu Wildlife Sanctuary, a safe haven for animals which cannot be released into the wild. Swart spoke about the mission of the sanctuary, what it offers to visitors, its volunteering programme and the sanctuary's community upliftment projects.
The animals at the sanctuary - tigers and lions have been rescued from zoos, circuses and even private owners. The sanctuary is situated off the Robinson Pass, on the way to Oudtshoorn from Mossel Bay.
Minette van Zyl of Helpende Hand, who was another of the speakers, said the charity had taken on the project of improving the rooms of residents of the ACVV senior citizens' homes, Onse Rus and Ons Huis, in Mossel Bay.
She pointed out that the residents' rooms were the last ones they would live in before they passed away, so there was a need to make them comfortable. She challenged businesses to support this worthy cause and sponsor a room. Mossel Bay mayor Dirk Kotzé spoke about the future of the energy industry in Mossel Bay, after having attended the Southern Africa Oil and Gas Conference in Cape Town.
Lieschke Steven-Jennings, the new acting chief operating officer of Mossel Bay Tourism, introduced herself and said she was committed to "bringing feet to Mossel Bay". She encouraged people to visit the tourism office.