A word from the IING President

Valued Members,

Welcome to the first edition of 2021 Communicator from the IING. As the new committee settles into their new roles in a post-2020 environment, we look forward to returning to some sense of normality and bringing back some of our usual activities. We will however always plan around the safety of our members and relevant regulations as allowed at the time from the government. With this being said, we will change some of the events, for example, the Ten Pin Bowling evening will change to a Bowls day to be held outdoors, this allows us to accommodate more people in a safer manner, and still have the FUN everyone has, and great networking opportunities.

Once again our primary focus this year will remain on the education front, here we will be working closely with industry professionals to bring you relevant and pertinent sessions to assist not only with the required CPD points but also actual value to you and your businesses.

We look forward to the year ahead and know that the insurance industry will remain resilient during this trying time, and come out at the end of this through the determination of the people who make this industry the best one to work in.

Keep Safe, and all the best for the remainder of the year.

Looking forward to seeing you all soon.

Regards
Adrian Burmeister
IING President 2021

Brolink launches new Premium Finance Product

Farzana Tayob, CFO at Brolink

Brolink has successfully concluded a strategic partnership with Premium Finance Partners (PFP), a specialist finance provider to the insurance industry. The arrangement means Brolink’s broker network is now able to offer commercial clients a preferential premium finance facility with the backing of a number of heavyweight players in the industry.

Premium finance is a tool that helps corporate and commercial clients to manage annual insurance premiums by breaking them up into smaller, traditionally monthly payments spread out over the premium term. The facility has been used in the local and international market for decades and has become even more relevant under the economic conditions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We are excited by what this new partnership brings to our overall offering to our brokers. We have really enjoyed the journey thus far with the team at PFP and look forward to a great future together,” says Farzana Tayob, CFO at Brolink.

Although Premium Finance Partners is a relatively new player in the specialist finance market, it enjoys strong financial backing and has already become a dominant player in its space.

“We are enormously honoured to partner with a company as well-known and respected as Brolink,” says PFP founder and CEO, Devan Kerr. “We are excited to see how our expertise in the lending space complements what is already a very strong offering from Brolink. We look forward to doing great things together into the future.”

Brokers who are interested in finding out more about the Brolink/PFP premium finance offering can contact Teresa Burmeister Teresa.burmeister@Brolink.co.za and 082 564 1316

Devan Kerr, Founder and CEO at PFP

POPIpack – by VDT Attorneys Inc  | 25% Offer to IING Members

What is POPIpack™

POPIA is South Africa’s data protection law which regulates the lawful processing of personal information or “data”.  POPIA comes into force on 1 July 2021. POPIA aims to protect the constitutional right to privacy and holding parties who use personal data accountable by subjecting these responsible persons to certain rules and conditions thereby enabling them to lawfully process personal data.

POPIA Introduction Knowledge Session

We know compliance can feel daunting and with the commencement of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPIA”) on 1 July 2020, you may be feeling a little overwhelmed trying to make sense of it all, and what exactly you need to do to ensure you are not caught on the wrong side of the law.

https://www.popipack.co.za/product/popia-introduction-knowledge-session/

Do a Quick Questionnaire

Take our quick questionnaire to help you. Compliance with POPIA is no tick-box exercise but having a place to start helps.

https://www.popipack.co.za/questionnaire/

POPIA - The Clock is Ticking! - 2 CPD

To Register: https://www.iing.co.za/index.php/events/cpd-training/popia-the-clock-is-ticking

Only one week to go. Register now. Members get your code from Jacqui at admin@iing.co.za

Industry News

Grace period for expired licences and discs has not been extended: minister:

Transport minister Fikile Mbalula has raised concerns about the number of drivers on South Africa’s roads without valid licence discs or driving licences, saying that no further extensions will be given to the Covid-19 grace periods already delivered.

In a media briefing on Friday (30 April), Mbalula said that the government extended the grace period for both licences and discs in 2020 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which resulted in licencing centres being shut down.

However, he said that a large number of people have failed to renew their documentation on time, despite this – with the problem most clearly seen in Gauteng. Read more.

This calculator shows how much money you can claim back from SARS for working from home

South Africans can claim a tax deduction if they have worked from home for more than half of their total working hours or for more than six months during the tax year that started in March 2020, says Elani van der Westhuizen, senior tax technical at TaxTim.

Van der Westhuizen said that TaxTim offers a home office expense calculator which will help you calculate your expense claim.

However, before using the calculator, Van der Westhuizen said that you need to first meet these minimum requirements:

• You have spent more than half of your total working hours working from your home office.
• You have a letter from your employer that states that you can work from home and confirms the percentage of time you spent there.
• You have an area of your home exclusively used and set up for work.
• Your office is specifically equipped with the relevant instruments, tools and equipment needed to do your work.

Read more.