The new management of the Northern Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nocci) was recently elected, following the nomination of members for the executive committee for 2023-’25.
Dudley Dally (DDCM) has been elected as president, Danie Botha (Diamond Fuels) as first vice-president, Riaan Louw (Stewarts and Lloyds) as second vice-president, and Jaco Gresse (Keuro Finansiële Dienste) as treasurer.
Other members of the executive committee are Jasper Kroep (Woodrow Engineering), Sean Kriel (Excell Catering Equipment), Nick Efstathiou (OFM), Thinus Rabe (Omni Exactus), Riaan van Vuuren (Elpis Training and Development), Reginald Oor (SBCF) and Marie Parsons (Parsons Home Appliance).
At Nocci’s recent annual general meeting in mid-March, chief executive officer (CEO) Sharon Steyn briefed those present on the chamber’s effort to establish more branches in other Northern Cape towns and regions.
She made special mention of the Namaqua Chamber, which is growing strongly, with more than 120 members.
- Award-winning keynote speaker Monique Strydom acted as guest-speaker. She is known as one of 21 people who were held hostage by Abu Sayyaf rebels for 127 days in the jungle on the Philippine island of Jolo in 2000.
Being a hostage means a person looses all freedom, and after the Covid-19 pandemic people in general understand more about loosing freedom, Strydom said. On loosing that, fear arrives.
“It starts from early in life. The levels of bullying in schools, even in primary schools, are unbelievable.”
In the hostage situation, surrounded by “the fear of smell in the jungle” – a jungle with a 80% humidity and an average temperature of 40 °C – they were hungry, dehydrated, had no privacy, and were deliberately being kept awake by heavy armed rebels to weaken any possible resistance.
Adding to her agony while a hostage, she recalled the day her parents had dropped her and her husband at the time, Callie, off at the airport. They were late and she rushed on, only to later realise that she had never said goodbye to them. In the jungle that became part of her fear – what if she would never get the opportunity to say goodbye?
Strydom said this hostage situation was the first in the world where hostages were interviewed by media while being held hostage. They also received books to read, and she got hold of Dr. Victor Frankl’s Man’s search for meaning. Frankl, an internationally renowned psychiatrist, endured years of horror in Nazi death camps. During, and partly because of, his suffering Frankl developed an approach to psychotherapy known as logotherapy.
Frankl said one freedom no one can take away from you, is your freedom of attitude.
During the media interviews under the watchful eye of the armed rebels, Strydom opted to give positive answers and she believes that started making a difference in the group dynamics.
Referring to the hostage drama, in which South Africa played a mayor role to defuse the situation, Strydom said it was a victory for South Africa.
“It does not matter what happens in top structures – on the ground our people care for each other. We take care of each other.
“A single grain of rice on its own does not tip the scale. But if you put a single grain of rice on a scale amongst other grains of rice, it can tip the scale – one person can make a difference.”
- Strydom is the founder of the charity organisation Matla A Bana.
It was founded after she was involved in investigating baby rapes in South Africa, and a need was identified for such an organisation to address the need of child victims during the immediate hours after surviving sexual abuse.
Matla A Bana is a national organisation bound by a memorandum of understanding to the South African Police Service (SAPS).
On the website matlaabana.co.za it is stated that a child is raped in South Africa every three minutes, most of them girls aged three to 12, and in 90% of the cases the perpetrator is known to them.
