NOTICE: Management Appointments

October 1, 2015

The following senior appointments are made with immediate effect:

Senior Management

Graham Muir:           Chief Financial Officer

Rob Newell:               General Manager Operations

Aldrin Smit:               General Manager Finance

Divisional Management

The following appointments are confirmed:

  • Lizelle Bosman:                    HR Manager
  • Adrian de Villiers                 Trading Manager – Trading Floor
  • Belinda Anderson                Trading Manager – Statistics
  • Omar Allie:                           Cold & Ripening Rooms Manager
  • Garth Lucas:                         Health and Safety Manager
  • Alta de Jager:                       Cashiering Manager
  • Kashief James:                     Security Manager
  • Eric Anderson:                     Information Technology Manager
  • Julian Meyer:                       Estate Services Manager
  • Ricardo Manuel:                  Assessment Centre Manager

 

NOTICE: Change of Control, City of Cape Town and appointment of CEO

September 30, 2015

 

Cape Town Market Investments (Pty) Ltd (“CMI”) and its associate, Mapalad Investments (Pty) Ltd (“collectively the (“the consortium”), have concluded purchase agreements with Altius Investment Holdings (Pty) Ltd (“Altius”) under which the consortium will purchase the shares owned by Altius in Cape Town Market and CMI

The completion of these transactions will result in the consortium becoming the majority shareholder in Cape Town Market. There are no other changes to the shareholding structure in Cape Town Market

Simultaneously Cape Town Market and the City of Cape Town have reached an agreement concerning amendments to the lease under which the parties have agreed the payment of an affordable and sustainable rental for the market premises

The consortium has appointed Rob Lowe as CEO of the Cape Town Market. Apart from managing the transition to new ownership, Rob has been mandated the task to develop, in consultation with the existing BEE shareholders, a new BEE structure for the market

Rob Lowe will give notice of the details of his new management team by separate notice

Philé van Zyl, Director of CMI, comments:

“Our objective is to create a powerful trading platform that is relevant to all stakeholders and is capable of growth into other areas. This is a huge opportunity for us to change the course of the fresh produce markets in South Africa. We are pleased that Rob Lowe has agreed to act as CEO to assist us achieve our objectives” 

Dr Anwah Nagia, Chairman of Altius, comments:

“The agreement with the City of Cape Town together with the capital and expertise of the consortium provides Cape Town Market with the best possible platform for future growth and success. I look forward to remaining with Cape Town Market as Chairman and as a member of the BEE consortium”

RSA Market Agents Re-Launches at Cape Town Market

August 6, 2015

Ribbon cutting with Johan Koen RSA Groep, Dr Anwah Nagia Cape Town Market, Peter Misselbrook  RSA, Jaco Oosthuizen RSA

On this historic day, RSA Market Agency has taken a further step in securing their Cape Town Market footprint by acquiring the Fox & Brink Group.

The event, held at Cape Town Market’s premises, was filled with dignitaries from the Producer, Buyer and Market sector, which demonstrated the importance of the launch.

Introductions and welcomes was conducted by Mr. Deon van Zyl (MD Joburg), whilst the guest speaker, Mr. Gareth Haysom of the University of Cape Town, spoke of the African Food Security Urban Network, and the research that was conducted to enhance our understanding of the challenges all cities face with regards to rapid urbanization, with specific focus on the dependence of our food supply.

For more information please visit their website (http://www.afsun.org)

Cape Town Market’s very own Executive Chairman, Dr. Anwah Nagia, was the key speaker at the launch, and emphasized on the much needed co-operation of all stake holders in what seems to be a hot potato, namely the Land Reform Act.
He said that only with dialogue and mentorship would the Act become a success, and not ignoring the issues at hand. Special mention was made of the Cape Town Market’s recent capital expenditure of the new trading systems, as well as other Market upgrade projects. Dr. Nagia wished RSA all the success for their future endeavors and was hopeful that this relationship will prosper and spread throughout Markets.

Jaco Oosthuisen (MD RSA Group), was the next speaker and his message was about what the RSA Group will bring to the Market, which is “Profreshionalism”. Ethics and morals is a cornerstone of their organization, with their relentless pursuit of providing an excellent and consistent service to their Producers. The MD of RSA Cape Town, Mr. Maine Daniels, closed off the launch, before the ribbon cutting, and thanked all whom participated in making the Launch a success.

The ribbon cutting, jointly conducted by Dr. Anwah Nagia, RSA Group Chairman, Mr. Peter Misselbrook, Mr. Jaco Oosthuisen RSA Group MD and Johan Koen RSA Group Financial Director. This was followed by array of food offerings, which catered for the Cape Town palette, with all guests enjoying the options, on what was a historic day.

Balmoral Fruit Supply – 60th Diamond Anniversary – Since 1954

December 18, 2014

 

From humble beginnings, in 1954, when Mr & Mrs Vallie & Ayesha Adam first established Balmoral Fruit Supply, to their children celebrating 60 years in business on the,6th December 2014,  the one thing that is constant is their Family value system, which is evident in the close relationship that the Management/Owners, staff and their valued customers share on a daily basis.

It is this work ethic and moral code that has seen Balmoral Fruit Supply remain the respected and established institution over last 60 years, in this ever changing world of fads, products and marketing tools. They have done so by always putting their customer first.

We at Cape Town Market congratulates Balomoral Fruit Supply on their 60th Diamond Anniversary with the sincere hope of many more prosperous and successful years to come.

Contact Balmoral on balmoralcc@telkomsa.net or find them on Facebook at Facebook.com/balmoralfruits

Cape Town Market appoints new joint CEO’s

December 2, 2014

 

At the beginning of this year Rob Lowe notified the board of his intention to relinquish his position as Chief Executive Officer in 2015. The board has concluded its deliberations on the appointment of a successor and is now in a position to make a formal announcement

The board considered numerous options, including the appointment of an external candidate. However the board has opted for continuity and has elected to replace the outgoing Chief Executive Officer with those who are familiar with the traditions and ethics that have been established at the Cape Town Market over the last 10 years. It is worth reflecting on some of the milestones that have been achieved over the past decade:

  • The market has successfully transitioned from municipal entity to private ownership
  • The market is benefiting from the application of sound business practices and the investment of private capital
  • The infrastructure has been substantially improved
  • Harmony has been introduced into stakeholder relationships
  • Farmers and market agents have become shareholders in the market
  • The market has entered into a solemn covenant with its famers enshrining the principles of integrity, trust and   adherence to the commission system
  • Service level agreements have been entered into between the management and market agents and in the near future between the market agents and the farmers
  • The electronic trading platform has been upgraded with the new Freshmark Refresh system
  • The Cape Town Market brand is well known and respected in the industry

I am pleased to be able to announce that Graham Muir and Rob Newell have been appointed joint Chief Executive Officers with immediate effect. Graham will be responsible for finance and strategy and Rob will be responsible for operations

The board is confident that Graham and Rob will continue to build upon the legacy of their predecessor and wish them both every success with their new appointments

The board places on record its appreciation to Rob Lowe for his service to the Cape Town

Market and wishes him well in the future

Dr Anwah Nagia

CHAIRMAN

Cape Town Market Upgrades to Refresh

November 6, 2014

Fresmark

In September 2014 the Cape Town Market began upgrading its trading platform from the legacy Freshmark System to the new Freshmark Refresh.

The new trading system bring with it vast improvements both visually and in back-end. The system is easier to operate and navigate and can display requested information on screen quickly.

In preparing for the upgrade the Cape Town Market had new servers installed, fully upgraded its network infrastructure and can now boast full 1Gb/ps fiber lines throughout the premises.

The upgrade also saw new thermal printers being introduced which print quicker, require less maintenance and hence less downtime and are more environmentally friendly than the previous Dot Matrix systems.

As part of the upgrade every salesperson, admin person, and Cape Town Market personal who works on the system was provided with training to ensure that each user was effectively equipped to use the new system.

The system will also allow stakeholders the ability to have a remote dashboard that will provide a graphical view of trading information on a desktop, laptop, tablet or smartphone.

The upgrade has been very successful and has ushered in a new era of trading for the Cape Town Market and its agents.

Farmer of the Year 2013

July 9, 2014

In the picturesque Ceres valley, we visited the ABSA Agri-Writers “Farmer of the Year winner”, Rossouw Cillie, on his Laastedrif farm; the last one on the route. This is one of six farms he owns, and has become on of the most successful commercially driven farmtrepeneurs of his generation.

We were warmly greeted by Rossouw Cillie himself, with his hospitable and generous nature, making it clear why he is a deserved recipient of such a prestigious award. After our nearly 2 hour journey from Cape Town Market, with stop & go’s on the way, we are offered refreshments and time to freshen up.

Before we sit down in his office to commence the interview. We are joined by his confident, and board director, AJ Griesel, who, without hesitation offers us more information to help with our interview.

CTM:   You are the farmer of the year 2013, what does award mean to you?

RC:      Our mission with this award is to address the problems we face in the agricultural industry, we don’t want to make it a political issue or a governmental issue, we don’t want to be playing in political or government arena, but we as Farmers are in the “primary agricultural” sector with fresh produce market’s being “secondary agricultural” sector, and there is legislation that is not farming friendly and we need to address these issues directly in order to make the legislation more farming friendly.

We also need to improve our research and training facilities, and through enlightenment we need to identify potential candidates for the future of the agriculture industry.

An example of the obstacles we face in our training facilities, is of a student from the Cape Flats. This student attends the Elsenburg Agriculture College in Stellenbosch and visited our Laastedrift farm recently.

When asked what made him choose a career in Agriculture, he stated that he had never been on a farm, and the only reason for taking the course was that his prefered course intake was full. We need to reduce this type of occurrence as it takes away an opportunity of a young farming person, regardless of colour, who wishes to be in this industry.

CTM:   How does this affect Laastedrift and the community you farm within?

RC:      The social responsibility aspect must be highlighted, as the public is often unaware that there are the programs taking place on farms.

We ourselves have a crèche, a clinic (with a fulltime nurse), a pharmacy, a library (in conjunction with the local authority), as well as school built by Laastedrif which has electricity provided by the farm..

The only contribution from the local municipality is the rent, which in its own not be able to sustain the school but is non the less welcomed.

CTM:   What advise can you offer to new farmers or those striving to be the best?

RC:      It’s a short and sweet answer. You are only as strong as the people and experts you surround yourself with. Even though I am the owner, I’m not the only one in charge and responsible for the business.

I have sacrificed to form a company, which I am a director of as well as many others who sit on the board, including AJ.

If you are a new farmer, ensure that you utilize the best technical experts, and listen to their advice. Don’t let one expert advise on something that is out of his field. The newer you are, the more you will concentrate on the technical aspects. The more you grow and the more experienced you become, you will be required to place more emphasis on the management side of your business.

Production and quality is paramount in evolving your business. Achieving this means that when adverse weather occurs or low market prices are dominating, you will be ready for to see it through.

These are factors that we face, given that the right price is rare, you have to have your production and quality ready for that demand.

Lastly, get yourself mentorship or a good sounding board, as this has helped me in the past and even today I still seek advise and guidance from these channels of wisdom.

CTM:   What is your view on the future fresh produce markets?

RC:      Fresh Produce Markets are here, and they are her to stay. In my view the more ownership that can be placed in private hands the better. This will mimic the European model which can also bring big changes to the Markets.

Municipal market’s profits got to the local authority, and we understand that they need a source of income, but to much of this money could have ve been reinvested in those Markets.

70% of my produce goes to direct channel sales and 30% to fresh produce markets. However, this 70% constitutes 4 clients, so the biggest client is fresh produce markets. There will always be a place for both direct and market channels, but we must admit, whether we like it or not, fresh produce market’s provide the price setting mechanism that we all work off.

CTM:   What is your view on accreditation such as GAP?

RC:      This sort of accreditation is very important for sustainable farming. Accreditation such as GAP provide farmers with the correct methods and highlight inefficacies that could have an effect not just on the production and quality but also the environment and labour.

I myself had incorrect practices and I was so adamant that my methods were correct. It was only later that I realized the negative affect of my actions and took corrective measures.

These accreditations also will ensure food safety and security to all consumers along the value chain through the correct checks and balances.

CTM:   What is the biggest challenge SA fruit and vegetables face, as well as the challenges farmers face with adverse seasonal weather?

RC:      We are fortunate that we have had very little damage. Unfortunately our community empowerment farm, has seen more damage, about 30% of their fruit was lost.

After I started farming on my own in 1993 there were a few years that I had a over ripe crop, there was a bit of hail too. From 1998 to 2003 I had four over ripe or hail crop pickings that nearly brought to my knees. In financial terms, I was bankrupt. No person at that stage could see themselves farm out of such a position.

At one point we made a business decision to take out harvest insurance for hail and ripe crop. We were aware that the costs associated with this type of insurance was expensive, it costs us almost 6% premium, but the bottom line is that if you have 100% damage because of ripe crop. The risk not taking this insurance, is much greater.

CTM:   You ancestor Piet California, has an unusual nickname, how did this name come about?

RC:      The Government in the late 19th century, sent him on a journey to research growth patterns in different countries. He left on a boat to America, the trip was long but he eventually ended up on the east coast of America.

Here began a project to develop similar crops in South Africa. Together with men like Cecil John Rhodes and John X. Merrimen, he was very influential with the export and growth of agriculture in the Western Cape and the rest of South Africa.

Given his time in America he became affectionately known as “Piet California:.

Rossouw is obviously passionate about farming and it shows. We leave the Laastedrif and prepare for the journey home.

On the way home we reflect on the discussion, the industry and Laastedrif; we feel confident that our industry is going from strength to strength, and under the leadership of farmers such as Rassouw the future is bright.

The Cape Town Market would once again like to congratulate Rossouw Cillie on winning “Farmer of the Year” and thank him for his kind hospitality.