Paul Gardiner has been nominated for Innovator of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read his profile and vote for him here.

Tracey Howes has been nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read her profile and vote for her here.

If you are relocating and changing your whole life, there are plenty of things to consider. Here is a list of the absolute musts of moving to a new country so that you can have time to think of everything else.

Kassiani Lythrangomitis has been nominated for Rising Star of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read her profile and vote for her here.

Earlier this year, many applicants for the spouse/partner visas felt relief after the UK High Court found the controversial UK immigration rules requiring a minimum income of at least £18,600 for spouse/partner visa applications, as ‘unjustified and disproportionate’ where the sponsor is a refugee or a British citizen

BIC consultants are often asked by South African clients based in South Africa, whether the fact that their spouse has dual citizenship from one of the EU countries, will enable the family to live and work in the UK. Many South Africans in the UK also get married to EU citizens and are not sure how this will affect their immigration status

Almost on a daily basis, the consultants at BIC hear stories from clients who have been advised incorrectly by unscrupulous immigration advisers, who are often not even allowed to render UK immigration advice

TechniBraam – the face of the Johannesburg Centre for Software Engineering, (JCSE) itself a partnership between government, industry and Wits University – hopes to foster a culture of software innovation in central Johannesburg

Piwe Gumpe has been nominated for Rising Star of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read his profile and vote for him here.

Karine Torr has been nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read her profile and vote for her here.

South Africa’s second largest populated state, Cape Town, has experienced quite the rise in market construction since the 2010 World Cup. The attention has increased real estate ever since and continues to progress to this day

Join CEO of Saracens, Edward Griffiths, at this year’s SA Business Awards, along with executives from the Chamber of Commerce and the London African Gospel Choir.

Last week Friday, saw the Rand trading at an eight week low ahead of new fears of the possible strike action in the Platinum sector

The internet isn’t the most pristine place and many parents worry about their children accessing something harmful or inappropriate. Here’s our guide.

Jean-Louis Holtzhausen has been nominated for Innovator of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read his profile and vote for him here.

Can 54 African nations overcome their mutual reserve and opportunism to forge a continent-wide free trade zone, knowing that there will be winners and losers amongst them?

Legally Speaking | The Sole Representative visa is a very advantageous immigration category for overseas businesses that wish to establish a branch or representative office in the UK. Many South African based businesses make use of this immigration category to branch out to the UK market

Odile Ham has been nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read her profile and vote for her here.

Ludre Stevens has been nominated for Innovator of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read his profile and vote for him here.

THE BUSINESS DOCTOR | Creditors are aggressive, cash flow is tight and the company’s survival is at stake. Ten steps to increase the chances of the company surviving the recession.

With the London property market being more buoyant and vibrant than the property market around the rest of the UK, there have been many theories as to why this was the case

South Africans are united in their approval for the cutting of ministerial perks, government luxury travel and accommodation, and State credit cards for higher-ups. But this budget’s appetite to tackle the major constraints on growth have proven to be a matter of tense debate

South Africa, which attracts about a fifth of all foreign direct investment into Africa, has been named Country of the Future 2013/14 by London publication fDi Magazine.

South Africans must note that if they want to apply for British citizenship, they have to apply for the Retention of South African citizenship before they acquire British citizenship, in order to safeguard their SA citizenship

Melissa Powys-Rodrigues has been nominated for Rising Star of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read her profile and vote for her here.

Calling all SA Entrepreneurs and Business Owners in the USA! You are invited to a pivotal event happening right here in New York City. The Inaugural event for the SA-US Chamber of Commerce on Friday 25th October. Book early if you want to gain entrance to this limited seating event

Mark Jankovich has been nominated for Business Leader of the Year in the 2013 South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards. Read his profile and vote for him here.

Lisa Copley has been nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read her profile and vote for her here.

The prediction at the start of the week was for the Rand to remain range-bound as long as the Democrats and the Republicans remained deadlocked over the US budget

Minister Shabangu’s announcement raises the bar for companies looking to invest in shale gas in a bid to balance the State’s long-term responsibility towards the Karoo with its short-term responsibility for job creation and prosperity

The Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies or CAS for short, is a virtual document that will be provided to the prospective student by the educational institution where the student will be enrolling for his/her studies.

UK-based graduates of Rhodes University in South Africa are invited to a reunion in London on 23 October.

Irma Stern’s painting was the top-selling item at the Bonhams South African Sale in London, held on the artist’s birthday.

Catherine Maclay has been nominated for Woman in Business of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read her profile and vote for her here.

Applicants who are eligible to apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain or British Citizenship, must please remember that the new English test requirement is coming into effect on 28 October 2013

Steve de Klerk has been nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read his profile and vote for him here.

Pily Mirazi has been nominated for Rising Star of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read her profile and vote for her here.

South African clients who intend to submit UK visa applications towards the end of the year, or early in 2014, should take note of the fact that the TB screening offices in South Africa will be closed during December 2013

World-renowned deafblind priest Fr Axelrod bears a powerful and liberating message of coming to know yourself by overcoming personal challenges. He is the first deafblind person to receive the OBE

Kurt Won has been nominated for Rising Star of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read his profile and vote for him here.

Andrew Feinstein will be discussing the current state of South Africa and the ANC – the state of the party, internal dynamics and power struggles and what he thinks the next few years will hold. Andrew will also be informing us of the progress of the Arms Deal Commission of Enquiry.

We asked you, the global SA community, how South Africa House serves your needs. The response? Not the worst, but communications remain a problem and there is ample room for improvement for the incoming High Comissioner to get to work on

According to RMB’s John Cairns “The Rand pullback reflects the global pattern: the market thinking is that the reaction to the Fed decision was overdone. After all, tapering has just been postponed”

The scrapping of the migrant labour system in South Africa is the subject of ongoing discussion between the government and the mining companies, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu told mine investors in London last week.

Roxi Zeeman has been nominated for Entrepreneur of the Year in the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013. Read her profile and vote for her here.

It is very important for South Africans in the UK to keep in mind that they need to apply for an extension of their visa, or indefinite leave to remain before the expiry of their current visa

Is the grass really greener on the other side? Enter the world’s largest expat survey for your chance to win £1,000 cash

London open top bus tour guide John Stokes is a familiar sight around the British capital – his knowledge of the city’s history is immense.

Peach Nursing is a specialised “Care in the Community” provider. Quite simply this means that we provide the knowledge and care tailor made to meet individual needs in order that people can stay in their own home when either ill of infirmed

Kenya’s business tourism seems poised to soar if a lack of beds and the JKIA damage caused by the August 7th fire can be overcome

Meetings still matter, and South Africa’s fast-growing events sector faces a plethora of challenges if Mzansi is to reach the top rank of global events and conference destinations. We get into the nuts and bolts of hosting big events

Science tourism gets a boost as the UK and South Africa sign an agreement to promote collaboration in the sciences through seminars and conferences for practitioners in the sector

Nominations have opened for the annual South African business awards, which will recognise trailblazing South African business people in the UK within five categories.

Rules governing the entry, voting, participation and judging of the South African Chamber of Commerce Business Awards 2013

Greening South Africa’s business tourism sector is in its earliest stages – but good foundations, and a change of mindset, will set up the industry for international competitiveness in the a warmer, drier, more climate-conscious future

Optimistic comments from UK Foreign Secretary William Hague raise hopes that SA’s strides in ID card security will mean the dropping of the visa requirement for South African travel to the UK in the near future

Have you been blessed with great or awful service at the Consular Section of the South African High Commission in London? We want to hear of the effects that bureaucracy has had on your lives, your families and your careers.

Ryan joined the celebrated London Gay Men’s Chorus shortly after settling in London.

Family and friends of South Africans living in the UK are often unsure whether they need to apply for a visa when they want to visit the UK, and what type of visitor visa they should apply for

The National Union of Mineworkers’ fight against “slave wages” adds pressure on South Africa’s already ailing economy as 80,000 workers take part in industrial action.

The real success of the Africa’s shining new cities will be in demonstrating the value of high-density, sustainable patterns of land use, such that they are widely implemented in Africa’s burgeoning metropolises (Part II)

Is Joburg ready for a massive influx of business tourists? We examine the cities convention centres and tourism links…

Cape Town’s making all the right moves to win a major chunk of the nationally-prioritised meetings, incentives, conferences and events (MICE) sector opportunities.

The pivot of global economic primacy towards the East is sometimes assumed by Africans to be someone else’s news – no more than a swapping of one set of export partners for another. But the rise of China, India and Brazil has immense consequences for Africa beyond actual trade with China itself

The real success of the Africa’s shining new cities will be in demonstrating the value of high-density, sustainable patterns of land use, such that they are widely implemented in Africa’s burgeoning metropolises

The Rand has continually weakened against the Dollar and the expected US data being released throughout this week may have a stronger impact on the Rand and cause it to weaken further

Cape Town, having already won countless travel and tourism awards, is sharpening its green and sustainable travel offering with the launch of Africa’s greenest hotel, Hotel Verde

In order to secure a larger slice of the booming global events industry, the South African government has launched a national conventions bureau

As the implementation date of the new Knowledge of Language and Life requirement for settlement in the UK looms closer, BIC are getting numerous queries about the issue from clients

London School of Business & Finance (LSBF) and the entrepreneurship initiative Mamba Mentors have come together to help a new wave of entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground

The Chinese people’s fight for national independence inspired South Africans – now the two countries are set to further improve bilateral ties. China has moved into direct investment in South African wine and now in recent weeks, there have been two significant Chinese investments in South Africa’s media.

There is a rumour going around that if a South African citizen takes up a second nationality they need not apply for South African citizenship retention beforehand. BIC has confirmed with the South African Department of Home Affairs that this is NOT true.

British Labour Party politician Peter Hain will be addressing members and guests of the SA Chamber of Commerce on Wed 4 September.

MOVE TO AUSTRALIA | Developing the same network of friends, family and business contacts you left behind in South Africa is always a struggle. Sydney’s Leading Networking Coach, Sean Grobbelaar, lets us in on a few secrets of replicating your South African network, in Australia.

The topic for the panel discussion was Addressing the Gender Balance Agenda and its Impact on the Global Economy, with a beautiful panel that read like the ‘Who’s Who’ of British business.

MOVE TO AUSTRALIA | The country is in great need for skilled migrants to move to Australia in order to maintain it’s rapidly growing economy. There are many fantastic job opportunities for the right people.

A number of clients approach BIC in order to find out whether they qualify for indefinite leave to remain, based on a very long stay in the UK, although often not on visas that can lead to permanent residence. Under the UK immigration rules, there is indeed provision under the Immigration Rules that allows one […]

The Rand has continually weakened over the past week with a similarity to late-June lows of 15.81 GBP/ZAR this morning.

Renowned Chef Scott Hallsworth (ex Nobu and Wabi) is set to open his brand new London venue, Kurobuta, this autumn and requires staff to join the dynamic team.

Travel and tech start-up Tourism Radio is seeking funds via Kickstarter for a Google Glass-based tour guide

The nation’s capital has joined Cape Town and Stellenbosch in the race to roll out fast internet to the public, to the especial benefit of the poor, in a move that signals a newfound understanding of ‘digital rights’.

The relief felt by many after the recent High Court judgment on the minimum income threshold currently required for spouse/partner visas may have been premature, as the Home Office has announced that it has filed an appeal against the judgement made on the 26th of July.

Local telecommunication behemoth Telkom announced plans this week to open their data network services to non-subscribers across all networks — in the form of 60 minutes free and “unlimited” internet access per person per day at Telkom Mobile hotspots.

The humble gem squash is still a taste of South Africa that is rare in UK supermarkets, but fear not, the wait is over…

Ons lys van die ten mees welaf vroue in Suid-Afrika sluit in eiendom-magnaat Pam Golding, Agang stigter Dr Mamphela Ramphele en kleinhandelleier Wendy Ackerman.

THE BUSINESS DOCTOR | In the UK there are estimated to be as many as 108,000 Zombie Companies.

As the world’s premier internet and software giants compete with local entrepreneurs to bring the internet to rural and urban Africans at meaningful speed – and as the immense creative energies of millions of people are optimised as a result – it is motivating to note that, while governments squat on telecoms monopolies, the message that the status quo is no longer acceptable has hit home at the grassroots.

The costs of tethering Africa’s great gateway economy to the the back of the pack in information technology are hard to quantify, but what is certain is that those costs are also simulataneously the measure of the financial rewards that await investors who can circumvent the existing infrastructure and legislation to deliver broadband at, say, Ethiopian levels.

A graduate of the University of the Arts London and originally from Durban, London-based creative Victoria Mae has won funding for her ceramics design business.

The South African Rand has shown its tendency to be one of the most volatile currencies starting the week just below R9.80 to the Dollar and getting as low as R14.92 to the British Pound.

THE BUSINESS DOCTOR | Desperate people will naturally grab the easiest solution which often seems like a good idea at the time. Payday Loans are directly marketed to fill this gap.

The transaction, which was completed for an undisclosed amount in July, marks the first occurrence of a Chinese multinational investing in South Africa’s vineyards.

South Africans have a natural ability as far as listening and generally “being nice” goes. Whether you term it Ubuntu, or natural empathy, it communicates itself over the phone and makes a massive difference to a client across the phone line who when they tend to phone in are already often frustrated.

A slow internet in South Africa with low penetration rates is hindering the ability to create jobs in the country

It’s all hands on deck for a new family-run South African nail product company in London.

Unfortunately, the post-2012 rules for bringing your elderly relatives to the United Kingdom are far stricter than before

The UK Home Office is advised by the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) as to which areas of the UK labour market are experiencing shortages. The occupations experiencing shortages of labour are then compiled in the Shortage Occupation List.

South African inflation unexpectedly slowed in June as the Rand rebounded from a four-year low. The inflation rate declined to 5.5 percent in June from 5.6 percent in May. The Reserve Bank held the repurchase rate at 5 percent for the sixth time in a meeting last week.

The South African Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a panel discussion with high profile speakers in London on Women’s Day, Friday 9 August.

Monyetla’s ability to meets its goals of upskilling the young for the growing BPO industry is one of the ways the South African economy can solve unemployment, according to South Africa’s Department of Trade and Industry.