The African Professional Issue 30 by The African Professional™ Magazine (formerly Expatriate)

D M A R

I T I O

THE RAMAPHOSA MOMENT

R2 9, 95

Is s u e 3 0

A return to professional leadership for Africa's most industrialised country?

www.theafricanpro.com

Giving hope to our families. That's

the African way

moneygram.co.za Cash-to-mobile transfer services are available at any Standard Bank branch across South Africa.

/moneygramafrica

Receive at:

MoneyGram, the Globe and MoneyGram Bringing You Closer are marks of MoneyGram. All other marks are the property of their respective owners. ÂŠ2017 MoneyGram. 17-03556

THE 4TH ANNUAL SA

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AWARDS

MONTE CASINO BALLROOM, 31 JANUARY 2019 WHY TAKE PART? Measure your performance • Gain highly valuable media and PR Exposure Impress potential new clients • Raise your profile and create awareness Network with fellow professionals • Recognise the professionals in your firm Attract top talent • Promote your profession and its values Firms of engineers, accountants, architects, project managers, quantity surveyors, management consultants and lawyers are invited to participate. Visit www.saproawards.co.za for further information or contact us on 072 123 1020.

/saproawards

@saproawards

FOR OUR

FUTURE!

HELP STRENGTHEN GREEN ROOTS IN AFRICA! Greenpeace is independently funded from political or commercial interests. This means we do not accept any money from companies or governments. Individual contributions, along with foundation grants, are our only source of funding. Our independence gives us the unique authority to effectively tackle power and make real changes happen.

JOIN US TODAY BY BECOMING A FUNDING DONOR AT GREENPEACE.ORG/AFRICA/EN/DONATE

OCEANS

Greenpeace has booked victories against overfishing by European and Asian fleets along the West African coast. But the battle is not yet won. Our goal is to help West African nations in the fight to conserve one of the world’s richest fishing grounds.

FOOD FOR LIFE

The Food For Life campaign in East Africa promotes farming that is good for the plant and for the farmer. Ecological farming does not only give the farmer more economic stability, it also proves better for the environment, stepping away from chemical heavy agriculture while helping to endorse healthy food.

FORESTS

Greenpeace focuses on protecting the world’s 2nd largest rainforest - the Congo Basin forest, under threat from deforestation. This incredible rainforest is home to over 270 species of mammals, including endangered gorillas, the chimpanzee and the bonobo. We need to act fast to preserve it!

CLIMATE & ENERGY We take the lead in pushing for a renewable energy future and fighting to halt catastrophic climate change. There is no time like the present for an Energy [R]evolution in Africa. Solar and wind are in abundance, lets make the switch!

GREENPEACE IS AN INDEPENDENT GLOBAL CAMPAIGNING ORGANISATION THAT ACTS TO CHANGE ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOUR, TO PROTECT AND CONSERVE THE ENVIRONMENT AND TO PROMOTE PEACE. IT COMPRISES 28 INDEPENDENT NATIONAL/REGIONAL OFFICES IN OVER 40 COUNTRIES ACROSS EUROPE, THE AMERICAS, AFRICA, ASIA AND THE PACIFIC, AS WELL AS A CO-ORDINATING BODY, GREENPEACE INTERNATIONAL.

For funeral insurance assistance and 24-hour funeral service assistance dial 0861 28262 1 (0861 AVBOB 1). *Terms and conditions apply. AVBOB is an authorised Financial Services Provider. AVBOB is a level 2 B-BBEE contributor. FSP 20656. www.AVBOB.co.za

www.theafricanpro.com

IN BUSINESS,

AS IN LIFE,

ALWAYS MAKE THE RIGHT

‘NEXT MOVE’

COUNT

www.theafricanpro.com

In the game of life, strategy is key. That’s why we’d like to offer you a funeral plan to protect your loved ones from financial worry if anything happens to you. Over and above the normal annual bonuses, AVBOB policyholders qualify for special bonuses and FREE funeral benefits* – which means additional money to use in upgrading the funeral. Grow your money and provide the means for you and your family to get full funeral cover from AVBOB. Now that’s the best ‘next move’ you can make.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

10 Editorial

12 The Ramaphosa Moment

16 Mama Money's Mathieu Coquillon

20 Economic Impact of Zuma's Departure

22 Morgan Tsvangirai : Heroic Herald of an Epoch Foretold

24 What Everyone Should Know About Co-working

28 The Overlooked Potential of Rural Spaces and Consumers

31 Does Microfinance Really Alleviate Poverty?

35 Remembering Bra Hugh Masekela

38 Youth Entrepreneurship: Looking back at the Anzisha Prize

www.theafricanpro.com

Introducing our new logo...

PASSION. PRECISION. VISION. Precision prɪˈsɪʒ(ə)n/ [prĭ-sĭzh′ən] noun; the quality, condition, or fact of being exact and accurate.

Project Management

Construction

Property Development

Logistics

CIDB 6GB PE | ISO 9001:2008 Certified | BBBEE Level 3 011 486 3315 011 486 3314 litebohom@akweni.co.za www.akweni.co.za Headquartered in Johannesburg, and with offices in Accra

Facilities Management

EDITORIAL

SEND ME TO LEAD!

ubbed the ‘Thuma Mina’ meaning Send Me maiden State of the Nation Address (SONA) in South Africa on Friday 16 February, South Africa’s newly elected President Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa promised to change the prospects of the nation following his win of the much talked about ANC’s Elective Conference in December. Ramaphosa vowed to address challenges facing ordinary South Africans of nonaccess to land, poverty, unemployment, inequality, exacerbated by corruption, patronage, concerns around state capture and mounting concerns over social and political stability. Ramaphosa replaces Jacob Gedley’hlekisa Zuma who reluctantly resigned on Wednesday 14 February at 10.56pm an hour before his deadline to voluntarily resign given to him by the ANC. Zuma snubbed Ramaphosa's first SONA. Zuma's absence was conspicuous‚ despite him being invited to attend.

Ramaphosa committed to restoring the positive outlook that South Africans had in 1994 when Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the first black President, as the country celebrates that Mandela would be turning 100 years in July. Only co-operation between government, business, labour and civil society will manage to make South Africa a longterm economic and social success. The time has come for this co-operation to be forged. While recent developments have been positive in this regard, more work needs to be done and key players must engage urgently. Talking of a positive outlook, we also chat to Matt Coquillon, an entrepreneur behind the world’s first social business money transfer. He indicates that it’s very difficult to break the cycle of poverty without being financially included in the formal economy. The company is creating bespoke financial solutions; from cross-border money transfer, to banking and insurance that will have the ability to help millions of people to become part of the formal economy. This is how they expect to make a great impact! Further afield we remember Morgan Tsvangirai and Hugh Masekela and beyond personalities we discuss coworking, potential of rural spaces, benefits of microfinance and the best of Africa’s youth entrepreneurship. Enjoy the read!

MZUKONA MANTSHONTSHO Publishing Executive

Publisher: The Proud African Professional (Pty) Limited Reg. Number: 2010/012428/07 P.O. BOX 4935, Randburg, 2125 Republic of South Africa Tel: 067 044 5225 www.theafricanpro.com Director: Carol Malonza – carol@africanpro.co.za Twitter: @mueni8 Managing Editor: KC Rottok – kc@africanpro.co.za Twitter: @africankc Publishing Executive: Mzukona Mantshontsho Edition Writers/Contributors: David Everatt Gerry Pieterse David B. Moore Gidgette Osborne Kurt Ferreira Frithjof Arp Gwen Hansell Photography: Mzu Nhlabati www.creativenation.co.za Design: O'Brien Design Website: Drutech Media www.drutechmedia.co.za Advertising Enquiries: info@africanpro.co.za To subscribe or contribute an article, email us at info@africanpro.co.za All rights reserved. Excerpts may be used as long as this magazine is credited as the source. Longer versions of our content may only be used with the written permission of the Publisher. Neither the publisher nor the editor accept responsibility for any information from edition writers or contributors. Whilst we have taken care in preparing this publication, the publisher/ editor does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. The editor retains the right to edit all contributions. Advertisers are responsible for their material.

Question the existing Imagine the impossible

Create the enduring wsp.com

THE RAMAPHOSA

“Ramaphosa is no Messiah, and when the post-Zuma champagne corks stop popping, South Africans need to assess him as a mere mortal. One who is inheriting a country laid almost as bare as the country Mandela inherited in 1994. Ramaphosa has a massive job ahead of him, in trying to reignite national pride, self-belief, and mutual trust. He also has to salvage the ANC’s reputation and win the next election in 2019, no mean feat in itself. It would also be nice to win a match or two…” www.theafricanpro.com

atamela Cyril Ramaphosa – forgive me, President Ramaphosa – is self-evidently a private and reserved human being. Since his decision to contest the leadership of the African National Congress (ANC), he has been the subject of an endless series of “think-pieces”, more or less informed including by this author, as well as a year or more of attack videos and smears from those he ultimately defeated at the 2017 ANC elective conference. His private life has been examined, and people have tried to double-guess every move he has made, or should have made, or is about to make. The man must be squirming. Worse than the attention, however, is his recent elevation to Messiah status in the media and the popular imagination. He maketh Zuma to bugger off. He maketh the currency to rise and pessimism to fall;

he will cleanse where others defiled; and he may lead South Africans towards the promised land – or, for the nonbelievers, will it be down the garden path? Messiahs are an expression of the need for the yoke of oppression to be lifted, by a god-anointed action man (there are precious few female Messiahs in history) who does what mere mortals cannot. Nelson Mandela was South Africa’s first Messiah, but was seemingly born for the role, relished it, and given the massive damage to economy and society in late apartheid, almost everything he did was inevitably positive. The economy grew, rainbows were believed in, the national football team Bafana Bafana were football champions. Anything was possible.

www.theafricanpro.com

In Ramaphosa’s case, the context is horribly similar. The economy has been smashed by the labyrinthine tendrils of corruption and state capture that have insinuated themselves into every aspect of public life, compounding those already present in the private sector. For every state owned enterprise there is a private sector player like KPMG, and for every bribe that is accepted, someone else offered it. Zuma tended his corrupt garden well, and South Africa feels like it is the early 1990s again: political killings are rife in KwaZulu-Natal, the economy is in tatters, racial tensions are high, the poor are getting poorer, the rich richer, and the country’s sports people seem unable to win a game of tiddly-winks.

What kind of president? What kind of president will Ramaphosa be? Will he, like Zuma’s predecessor Thabo Mbeki, gravitate towards foreign affairs, the African continent, and playing a global role in various summits and multilateral bodies? Or will he be more Zuma-like, and regard the secret and security forces as his natural base? The last 10 days should have answered part of this question. Because of Ramaphosa’s chess moves the country has seen the true colours of everyone in the ANC’s top six leadership and beyond. He and all South Africans now know where many of his enemies are. Those desperate to be reborn Ramaphosa-ites have become visible, and he knows (as South Africans do) who can be trusted and who not. He has forced people to play their roles out in public, for all to see and learn, and better to understand the challenges he faces.

More importantly, the state utility Eskom has been completely reconfigured with a new board, and fear has begun to percolate through to all those eating South Africa’s public funds. But the most significant moves were left to the very end. Zuma’s last day as president – not in any way coincidentally – began with the news that the home of the powerful Gupta family had been raided and arrests had been made. The second masterstroke was to allow Zuma to show his true colours in a rambling interview on state television to the nation. Everyone was given a taste of what Ramaphosa has had to deal with. Once Zuma knew that his time was up – his Gupta buddies being arrested, his son Duduzane being looked for and some of his lieutenants deserting him – he declined into self-pity. www.theafricanpro.com

Zuma myths For years the world has been fed several myths about Zuma. That he was steeped in strategy and that he was a master tactician. There was also the fable that he had dirt on everyone and would never be outmanoeuvred, that even a wounded lion is dangerous, that he may be down but never out, and so on. Instead, the terrible sadness of a crumpled bully was in evidence on SABC TV. He spent 30 minutes spinning silly yarns about the lack of accusations or evidence against him, insisting he was innocent, trying to blame anyone but himself. It laid bare the truth – Zuma is merely PW (Botha) rebooted. Apartheid president Botha, nicknamed the Groot Krokodil (big crocodile), was a hardliner who refused to leave office and alienated everyone even in his own National Party.

Zuma’s incoherent television appearance was an old jackal meeting an old krokodil. Each filled with a sense of victimhood, denying any wrongdoing, both responsible for destroying the economy, the social fabric, and any number of lives. Ramaphosa left Zuma to show all South Africans his overweening vanity, his inability to distinguish right from wrong, and his arrogance. Shakespeare could not have plotted it better. Ramaphosa emerged as the true strategist.

A mere mortal Ramaphosa is no Messiah, and when the post-Zuma champagne corks stop popping, South Africans need to assess him as a mere mortal. One who is inheriting a country laid almost as bare as the country Mandela inherited in 1994. Ramaphosa has a massive job ahead of him, in trying to reignite national pride, self-belief, and mutual trust. He also has to salvage the ANC’s reputation and win the next election in 2019, no mean feat in itself. It would also be nice to win a match or two.

The man, rather than the Messiah, has shown he can move multiple chess pieces at once – and win. The last 10 days have seen him completely eclipse his enemies within, having defeated those without when he was elected ANC president in December. This will be a quiet president, in place of Zuma’s inane giggling and braggadocio that has gone. But as the saying goes, always watch the quiet ones…

DAVID EVERATT (The Conversation) 15

www.theafricanpro.com

MAMA MONEY’S

MATHIEU COQUILLON Tell us about your early life, work history, professional development, and your role today, how was your training like? I am a born and raised Capetonian. Directly after finishing school I left to work in the United Kingdom where I attended the university of "hard knocks".

AMA MONEY is the World’s first social business money transfer operator as it allows people to send money using their phones or computer 24/7. Mama Money offers the lowest fees in South Africa. Mama Money’s transfer facility is safe and licensed by the South African Reserve Bank. The African Professional Magazine recently spoke to Co-Founder and Director at Mama Money Mathieu “Matt” Coquillon about his personal, professional and entrepreneurial journey thus far. Matt has a wealth of experience in business management. Over the years he has worked in direct marketing, recruitment and the loyalty industry. After meeting his partner Raphael Grojnowski in Mozambique during his sabbatical, they started Mama Money. Matt is passionate about people and business for good.

I joined a direct sales organisation and started knocking on doors across Scotland and England selling utilities. After a successful stint I was transferred back to South Africa where I helped setup a recruitment arm for the company aimed at recruiting candidates to go work in the United Kingdom. Following this I joined a start up in the online voucher space and spent the next four years working in different departments. When I eventually left to start Mama Money I was the acting Managing Director. What does your role of Co-Founder and Director at Mama Money mean to you? As a co-founder I eat, sleep and breath everything Mama Money. Both myself and my fellow co-founder Raphael feel a great deal of responsibility towards our customers. The money they send home using our platform is very often a lifeline for their families back home. We have a duty to make sure their money arrives reliably and at a low-cost.

www.theafricanpro.com

What initiative (if implemented) would leave the greatest impact for you and for Africa as a whole? It’s very difficult to break the cycle of poverty without being financially included in the formal economy. We are creating bespoke financial solutions; from cross-border money transfer, to banking and insurance that will have the ability to help millions of people to become part of the formal economy. This is how we can make a great impact! What would you say are the most critical resources for your successful leadership? How would people describe you as a leader? Time is the most critical resource. Having to balance everything that goes with running a start up to making sure you get enough down time so as not to burn out. I find this very challenging. I hope people would describe me as a leader who listens well and who exercises patience. I get a real kick out of motivating people to constantly be improving. Nothing beats seeing how people thrive when you give them the confidence and support they need. What is the legacy that you would want to leave by the time you retire? To be honest I haven't really given that much thought as it feels like we're only just getting started. But if I had to give an answer now I would say I would like to leave a legacy of someone who was fair, ethical and who believed in the principle of business for the good.

– CO-FOUNDER OF THE WORLD’S FIRST SOCIAL BUSINESS MONEY TRANSFER "It’s very difficult to break the cycle of poverty without being financially included in the formal economy. We are creating bespoke financial solutions; from cross-border money transfer, to banking and insurance that will have the ability to help millions of people to become part of the formal economy. This is how we can make a great impact!" How do you strike the balance of career, business and interpersonal skills? We see ourselves as being a small family. We do our best to strike a balance between business and personal relations with the team. As an example, we recently facilitated a holiday in Mozambique for our top performing agents from 2017. This trip was all about developing personal relationships and we stayed away from any real business conversations. How has the company done in terms of business growth objectives? 2017 was a real breakthrough year for us. We were able to build solid momentum throughout the year which gave us a platform to really experience hyper-growth in the last quarter. This has carried on in the early stages of 2018 which makes me confident we'll achieve our ambitious growth objectives by the end of the year.

How do you maintain ethics, integrity and professionalism? By putting the customer first. We always need to be asking ourselves the question "is this the best thing for our customers". If the answer is yes, the byproduct will be that ethics, integrity and professional are maintained How do you participate in mentorship, if you do? I believe you must start by a. setting the right example b. making sure you're approachable so people feel easy about talking to you about their challenges you need to be clear with people about what the expectations are. How does the company contribute to the community? As a low-cost remittance provider, we impact communities positively as we allow more money to arrive home. We also work closely with communities when it comes to employment as it www.theafricanpro.com

stands we currently have just under 1,000 entrepreneurs who act as agents for Mama Money. Events make up another part of our community involvement with sponsorship of excellency awards and local cultural celebrations. How is the company doing in terms of Transformation objectives? The nature of our business means that most people who work for us are migrant workers or ex-pats. It's great because a lot of migrant workers struggle to find meaningful employment and I would like to think we are able to offer that. Our team are extremely proud of what they do because ultimately our service has a benefit both in South Africa and the receiving country. How do you ensure the company is delivering quality customer service? You must always ask how can we be better? Are we doing enough? This also involves consistently asking customers for feedback and not being afraid to

admit when you should have done better.

What have been the highs and lows in your working career?

What makes you tick or keeps you awake at night in terms of your role?

Before starting Mama Money, I attempted a couple of ventures that didn't work out. I wouldn't call these lows because there were lessons in each of those failures that got me to the point I'm at today. Almost everything about Mama Money has been a high, but December 2017 really stands out as a breakthrough month and a validation of all the years of hard work and sweat that came before it.

I must pinch myself sometimes when I think what two guys with an idea, an internet connection and a phone line can achieve. I love growing an awesome team culture and seeing more and more people use our service. What keeps me up at night is an overactive mind that needs to remember every detail because time is so precious.

When you not at work, what do you get up to, including family life and where can people follow you online? When I'm not at work I can be found at the gym, on the squash court, or riding my bicycle with my trusted hound, Baloo in tow. I am getting married in March and can't wait for all the joys of starting my own family!

MZUKONA MANTSHONTSHO

www.mamamoney.co.za

The Internet of Things is here. SqwidNet is the SIGFOX network operator for South Africa. It provides an ecosystem for IoT innovation and for developing and delivering IoT solutions that are enabled through: • the deployment of long-range networks that are purpose-built for IoT • access to low-cost and highly secure connectivity • access to low-cost, low-power devices and modules. SIGFOX is a global IoT network deployed in 36 countries across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The SqwidNet network roll-out started in January 2017 and now covers close to 65% of South Africa’s population. National coverage will extend to 85% of the population by the end of this year. For more information or to sign up as a SqwidNet partner, visit www.sqwidnet.com.

D E P A R T U R E

O F

JACOB ZUMA WILL NOT IMMEDIATELY TURN AROUND SA ECONOMY SAY EXPERTS

“There is no doubt that there are massive amounts of investment capital parked overseas waiting to be brought to this country to be invested in multiple sectors of the economy. This, however, is not going to happen before investors are satisfied that the situation has been turned around and that South Africa has once again become a safe investment haven.”

he damage done to the economy by nine years of Jacob Zuma’s presidency was so severe that even his decision to resign with immediate effect is unlikely to reverse the decision by ratings agencies to further downgrade South Africa’s credit rating. Independent economist Dawie Roodt said there was a strong possibility that Moody’s and Fitch would announce further downgrades later in the year opening the door to higher interest rates further tightening the noose around the collective neck of consumers. Neil Roets, CEO of Debt Rescue, one of the largest debt counselling companies in the country, said the next hammer blow to strike consumers will be finance minister Malusi Gigaba’s budget speech on February 21 during which he is expected to announce radical steps to

plug the government’s R50-billion plus budget hole through increased taxes and possibly even a higher VAT rate.

the direct result of more consumers who are unable to pay their outstanding debts and who choose to go under debt review.

“There is no doubt that although there is a sense of elation that we may be seeing the beginning of the end of state capture and widespread corruption, we are nonetheless in for a very rough ride before we will start picking the fruits of Cyril Ramaphosa’s presidency,” Roets sad.

“There has been a disturbing increase in the outstanding amounts of debt that consumers have ratcheted up that they now have to deal with.

He said the fact that there had been a marginal decrease in the unemployment rate recently, the real figure of workers who were sitting idle at home and the many who had given up looking for jobs remained disturbingly high. “We at Debt Rescue are experiencing our highest growth rate ever of folks seeking relief from their crushing debts by being placed under legal debt review. This is www.theafricanpro.com

“Debt counselling and the follow-up process of being placed under debt review has for a growing number of South Africans become the last remaining option of hanging on to their meagre belongings while they repay their debt in smaller amounts over a longer period of time,” Roets said. He said that while he fully expected the economic situation to improve over time, consumers would have to exercise patience.

“The damage done to every aspect of the economy by Jacob Zuma and his cohorts has been so severe and so deep rooted that it is going to take years rather than months to reverse.

More than half of all South Africans are three months or more behind in their debt repayments, collectively owing some R1.73-trillion in debt (latest National Credit Regulator stats).

“It will not be before we see the guilty put in jail and those in government and in state owned enterprise fired for misconduct that the economy will begin to recover.

“There is growing evidence of tax avoidance and even illegal tax evasion and this is something the state cannot afford.

“There is also a likelihood of growing dissatisfaction with the government’s lack of service delivery which will manifest itself through increased violence and protest action. “The harsh reality is that in order to get the country out of the hole in which it finds itself thanks to the massive maladministration of the Zuma government, we are all going to have to pull together and do our best to grow the economy based on sound economic www.theafricanpro.com

principles of hard work and prudent investments,” Roets said. Roets said most South African consumers had reached the point where they would simply have to face the fact that they could not maintain their lifestyle as they did in the past. “It has now become a matter of survival. Opening more accounts and acquiring more store cards and credit cards is absolutely not the answer.” “South African consumers have consistently notched up the unenviable reputation as having one of the highest debt ratios as a percentage of GDP among emerging market economies,” Roets said. GERRY PIETERSE, Mediaservices

MORGAN TSVANGIRAI:

organ Tsvangirai, who was born March 10 1952 in Buhera, in Manicaland just across the border from Zimbabwe’s Gutu District in Masvingo, became leader of Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change in September 1999.

He was a very brave and iconic figure in the leadership of Zimbabwe’s anti-authoritarian and social justice movements that emerged in the wake of the austerity inducing structural adjustment programmes of the 1990s. Workers, students, and progressive church leaders were combined into the MDC. Later many white farmers and global supporters were to join. As a combined force they came to threaten the ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) as never before . But for ZANU-PF’s coercion, chicanery, and corruptive influences – with the help of its southern neighbour’s ruling party – Tsvangirai could well have become Zimbabwe’s second president, ushering in a democratic era for that country, still struggling to be born. Alas, that historical moment of optimism and opportunity has passed for the present. Yet, with its inevitable revival, Tsvangirai will be remembered as an heroic herald for the epoch foretold, albeit ignobly postponed by the current ruling party and its pervasive, debilitating effect on Zimbabwe’s politics. But his death, combined with Robert Mugabe’s coup-led removal as president of ZANU-PF and the country just a

few months ago, could mark the end of the Zimbabwean political parties’ internecine fighting. Unfortunately the men in uniform who filled the vacuum created by both parties’ factionalism won’t budge easily.

Working People’s Convention in early 1999. A new social democratic impulse had been ushered into Zimbabwe’s political order. Tsvangirai headed it.

The early years

Meanwhile Mugabe and ZANU-PF promised the unruly war veterans huge monthly pensions and that he would speed up the takeover of around 1,500 white farms. He also depleted the fiscus when he joinedLaurent Kabila in his efforts to stave off Paul Kagame’s proxies in the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s second war.

Tsvangirai’s rise to represent many Zimbabweans’ hopes for a democratic polity beyond Mugabe and ZANUPF started with his leadership of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions in the late 1980s. He was instrumental in divorcing it from a corrupt relationship with ZANU-PF. He also supported the efforts of university students and the Zimbabwe Unity Movement to deconstruct the one-party state. The 1990s witnessed many serious and violently suppressed strikes, demonstrations and stay aways. One nearly entailed Tsvangirai’s assassination and another brought the public servants into the union’s fold. Tsvangirai was viewed as a transformative leader. He commissioned serious evidence based research from his team on how to conjoin the unions and other civil society groups to a new social project. As one researcher told me: He knew what ‘hegemony’ meant – he read the stuff – and he could use it correctly. Thus he chaired the National Constitutional Assembly as it emerged in 1997. He also set the groundwork for the Movement for Democratic Change to be catapulted into action with the www.theafricanpro.com

The state reacts

But by the end of 1999, with Mugabe’s constitution up for referendum and promising takeovers of the white farms, the commercial farmers joined the new party’s bandwagon. So too did the UK government, as if to atone for its wilful blindness during the massacres in Matabeleland known as Gukurahundi . Thus even at its birth, the MDC was placed between the social democratic rock of the working class and new social movements and the hard place of private property rights and other neoliberal verities. These were the only some of the tensions plaguing the leader of an opposition party rather than a trade union or social movement. As one young ex-MDC activist has put it, movements aren’t parties. Rather, they are “narrow in focus. They are susceptible to early political liquidation.” Yet parties without this foundation wax and wane as new socioeconomic forces come in and of focus.

HEROIC HERALD OF AN EPOCH FORETOLD Stolen elections By 2000, with Mugabe’s February referendum loss and mid-year parliamentary elections approaching, the MDC faced the first of five coerced and corrupted – stolen, to be blunt – ZANU-PF electoral roadblocks over the next 18 years. In 2008 unprecedented hyperinflation, unemployment, infrastructural decay and millions facing famine undoubtedly had a lot to do with Tsvangirai’s victory in the March elections. But his 47% to Mugabe’s 43% meant a run-off. ZANUPF then waged what some observers called its mini-Gukurahundi. To save his party members’ lives Tsvangirai withdrew. He was also forced to agree to the South Africa initiated “government of national unity” from 2009 to 2013. This certainly encouraged many MDC members to abandon movement politics for the elitist parliamentary and semigovernance option.

to the MDC’s fragile throne as a man deserving a much neater end to his career reached the last of his mortal coil. They have done little to honour the man who veteran Zimbabwean journalist Peta Thornycroft remembers did more than anyone “in Zimbabwe’s sad history to challenge the fearful state created by Mr Mugabe”. Honouring his legacy If those inheriting Morgan Tsvangirai’s legacy want to restore it to its previous shine they should stop challenging each other long enough to revive the energy and clarity their leader had at millennium’s turn – perhaps inventing a new social base with it. DAVID B. MOORE The Conversation

The highly suspect 2013 election put ZANU-PF in Zimbabwe’s driver’s seat again – although it took four years for it to reject its sleeping pilot via a coup that gave the country as well as ZANUPF a slightly new president. That the coup-makers could only make it light, with democratic pretence, was due in large part to the MDC’s efforts over the decades to keep the democratic discourse strong. But the 2013 to 2017 political drought also caused the MDC to fragment even further: the sad end being what appeared to be a scramble of pretenders www.theafricanpro.com

www.theafricanpro.com

WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT

CO-WORKING C

oworking isn’t a new concept. In 15th-century Italy, painters, sculptors, architects, engineers and scientists worked together in the Renaissance “bottega.” Bottega workshops brought together different types of talent to compete, collaborate, learn and improve, most often under a master teacher. These bottegas encouraged environments that increased the level of discussion among diverse groups and helped these individuals to turn their ideas into actions. The interactions led to higher levels of innovation for all. So, what’s new? Technology of course. In a time where communication, speed and efficiency are crucial, we are once again embracing the co-working concept, but with the added benefits of technology. Businesses, have had to adapt and without a doubt, those who have the ability to be flexible and adaptable will have an edge in an ever more competitive landscape. Whilst the human element is essential, technology is clearly a defining factor. If you’re still growing your team and using freelancers or contractors, the same business phone number when out of the office, for example, gives the appearance of a larger, more unified team. With flexibility becoming ever more important from both a business owner and employee perspective, more growing companies need to begin exploring all the available technology and the doors it can open for an adaptable and progressive future. South Africa is breeding a new age of entrepreneurs, for various reasons, whether it be the best alternative to

unemployment or whether the gaps in the market are being snapped up by smart, innovative individuals. It truly is a positive outlook for the country in general, the question being, how to stand out and rise above the competition. Starting up a business is not for “sissies” and the concept of flexibility in business has become the subject of much debate in recent years. Whether it’s flexible working hours, remote working or different approaches to traditional processes, flexibility and responsiveness is becoming increasingly important, especially for small businesses and start-ups. Attracting and retaining talent

it comes to winning over the best new talent, as well as keeping them motivated and willing to stay with the company in the long-run. Technology is doing away with the 9-5 working hours 20 years ago, the traditional nine-to-five, in-office working culture was the norm, as no suitable and reliable alternatives were available to make any other working formats viable. Fast-forward to 2018, however, and technology has created endless options for businesses to break out of the rigidity of standard business practices and create their own rules.

Start-ups and new businesses don’t have the luxury of a full staff compliment, so every resource counts and time and money spent on training is worth its weight in gold. The question is, are you guaranteed to hang onto that talent? Why then, do we continually see businesses putting their talented at the bottom of the priority list.

Remaining contactable as a small business

The concept of flexible working has gained a lot of traction recently. Millennials in particular, put a lot of importance on flexible hours and worklife balance when searching for new jobs. Some recent research shows that they would even sacrifice some of their salary for this perk, showing just how crucial it is for many.

With the rise of serviced office specialist like Regus, these options have become a reality. For example, front desk staff will answer your phone using your company’s identity, take messages, whether you are using it as a virtual office or whether you prefer the co-working set up. Regus membership allows you these options and the ability to grab a meeting room should you need your peace or privacy. The ways of working are endless.

This means that start-ups and small businesses offering flexible working as an employment benefit, will have the edge over other companies when www.theafricanpro.com

Start – ups inevitably run a business from an unconventional office – perhaps a kitchen table or even a local coffee shop. Having reputable contact details and a landline business number, therefore, may initially seem unfeasible.

So why the emphasis on co-working spaces?

Co-working spaces have grown in popularity over the last few years, and it is no surprise that many companies are now exploring the option of moving their business into the hub of a dynamic coworking environment. But what exactly is co-working, how does it differ from a typical office environment, and could it be a good choice for your business?

Typically, co-working allows entrepreneurial-spirited teams the freedom to work in a collaborative environment. Whereas, in a traditional office environment, most are employed by the same organisation, those in a co-working space work for various companies, spanning a variety of verticals and sizes. Co-working spaces are available in many cities worldwide. In these ecosystems, workers are exposed to a range of new people, and can benefit from mingling, mentorships, and even partnering with other firms.

from the company’s traditional office environment, and in co-working spaces to promote out-of-the-box thinking. While co-working helps individuals thrive in a collaborative working environment, some may feel that coworking spaces can be slightly noisier than a traditional office. That’s not necessarily the case. Co-working spaces that provide private offices, meeting rooms and phone booths can empower you to focus, noise-free and without any distractions. 2. Co-working as the new networking Co-working communities play host to a wealth of networking events that not only equip your employees with new skills and insights, but also provide them with a platform to meet other like-minded individuals. In some cases, many businesses working in these environments build commercial relationships with other companies, ultimately benefiting the bottom line of both enterprises.

If you’re thinking co-working could be right for your business, here are 4 points you should consider when making the move to a co-working space:

Another thing that differs between co-working spaces is the sense of community and the helpfulness of the Community Managers.

1. Creativity and innovation The vibrant interior designs of modernday co-working spaces and the variety of individuals and companies they attract, ensures that co-working spaces perfectly foster an environment of creativity, inspiration, and innovation, helping to stimulate new ideas and approaches.

The Regus concept not only assures by chance interventions, but fosters an environment of community and openness, where Community Managers facilitate interactions and where longlasting friendships are made at events.

In this environment, employees can build relationships with a range of individuals working in creative or technology-based start-ups. More businesses now choose to seat their innovation teams away

3. Cost and up-keep By taking an office at a co-working space, you could save your business up to 40 percent in costs compared to a traditional office space.

Businesses are not required to deal with purchasing furniture, cleaning, maintenance, internet connectivity, or the more mundane tasks such as checking how much ink is left in the printer. It’s all taken care of by the centre management. Instead of you taking care of the maintenance of your office, the coworking provider will ensure it remains in tip-top shape. You can then focus on your business’s growth, without the hassle or headaches. 4. Flexibility by design Co-working spaces allows you to quickly scale up or down office space based on the business’ requirements and levels of maturity. Regus office spaces offer a variety of membership options, allowing you to consider your office needs on a monthly – rather than annual – basis. You don’t need to know exactly how many people your team will have in half a year or a year, at any given month you’d only pay for the offices and seats you’re actually using. In co-working spaces different workplace environments are typically customised to support different working styles dependent on whether you need to be heads down on a task that requires solitary thought and attention, or in a large meeting space that needs all hand on deck. Regus has spent many of hours asking these questions, testing these theories and coming up with a holistic solution that will work for a variety of workers. Looking at our entrepreneurs all the way up to our corporates, the agility and flexibility that this gives to every type of business, large or small, is becoming a necessity, rather than just a preference.

GIDGETTE OSBORNE www.theafricanpro.com

“How can you help us navigate this continent’s opportunities?” “With our broad experience and commitment to Africa.”

Our commitment to Africa’s growth remains as strong as ever. Deep insights into cross-border opportunities, together with our expertise in 20 African countries and presence in key markets internationally, still make us the right choice in realising your business’ potential. Let us be your partner for growth on this continent we call home. standardbank.com/CIB

Corporate and Investment Banking

Authorised financial services and registered credit provider (NCRCP15).

The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited (Reg. No. 1962/000738/06). Moving Forward is a trademark of The Standard Bank of South Africa Limited. SBSA 237110.

THE OVERLOOKED POTENTIAL OF

R U R A L S PAC E S A

ural areas are arguably the most overlooked spaces in Africa. This is true both in terms of government services as well as corporate attention. Decision-makers have very little access to credible information about these remote rural spaces, and as a result, they can be tempted to act on misconceptions about an area’s economic activity, population, needs, and potential. Whether true or not, misconceptions and sparse data can make rural areas unattractive prospects for investment, sales, and corporate expansion.

Yet, it’s a mistake to rule out rural spaces and consumers, especially in Africa. Global commerce is fiercely competitive, with business leaders and investors still waking to the vast potential of Africa’s burgeoning consumer market. The continent, now home to more than 1.1 billion people, will account for one-fifth of the world’s population by 2025. SubSaharan Africa’s population stood at 1.03 billion last year. What’s especially significant is that well over 637 million – 61.6% – of these men, women and children live in rural areas. 61.6% is a massive consumer segment to neglect simply because of inadequate information. This is particularly true in

the case of Digital Banking, a business sector that has much to gain from, and offer, the hard-to-reach regions of developing nations. Geospatial analysis methods provide vital illumination for business leaders and investors by filling crucial gaps in their understanding of rural African consumers. Rural and Poor are Not the Same Thing The opinion that “rural” always equates with “poor” is no longer sound. More and more Africans are entering the consumer class, and many of these are in peri-urban or rural areas, creating appealing new investment opportunities. Moreover, it’s too simplistic to view elevation in economic status as stemming solely from traditional rural-to-urban migration. Over the past two decades, the discovery of resource-abundant areas in Africa has drawn workers away from cities to rural zones, where they establish economically vibrant centres. This has certainly been the case in Zambia, with the expansion of mining investment in the territory. Even those who uphold rural-to-urban movement patterns continue to maintain their traditional homes, properties and fields. As their income has increased, so too has their investment in the countryside.

www.theafricanpro.com

Migration in Africa is a multi-direction process, transporting consumers and their capital with it – including to rural areas. Good data on these emerging rural consumers can illustrate promising opportunities that may not be immediately visible from the outset. Digital Banking: A Poster Child for Rural Business Opportunity One of the areas where rural potential has been identified by investors is mobile financial services. The rise of Digital Banking in the region has been spurred by Sub-Saharan Africa’s status as the fastest growing mobile market in the world. 420 million unique mobile subscribers were recorded in 2016, along with 731 million SIM connections, and a SIM penetration rate of 74%. By 2020, those same figures are expected to jump to 535 million subscribers, and almost 1 billion SIM connections (85% penetration). Building on this widespread communications availability, mobilefacilitated monetary transactions help to create a more financially inclusive society. In terms of rural populations, the move to Digital Banking has multiple benefits. There is the time-saving convenience, of

“The opinion that “rural” always equates with “poor” is no longer sound. More and more Africans are entering the consumer class, and many of these are in peri-urban or rural areas, creating appealing new investment opportunities. Moreover, it’s too simplistic to view elevation in economic status as stemming solely from traditional rural-to-urban migration. Over the past two decades, the discovery of resource-abundant areas in Africa has drawn workers away from cities to rural zones, where they establish economically vibrant centres. This has certainly been the case in Zambia, with the expansion of mining investment in the territory. Even those who uphold rural-to-urban movement patterns continue to maintain their traditional homes, properties and fields. As their income has increased, so too has their investment in the countryside….”

www.theafricanpro.com

course, of no longer having to travel to physical bank buildings in urban centres to perform transactions. Ease of use has also streamlined the movement of funds between developed and undeveloped areas, matching population migration patterns in both directions. The result is a more interconnected Digital Economy, where the contribution of rural areas is more noticeable at a national level, and more likely to gain notice from other future investors. There certainly has been Digital Banking buy-in throughout Africa. In cashstrapped Zimbabwe, Econet’s EcoCash, a mobile-enabled funds transfer service, became so popular that by mid-2017 electronic money counted for 70% of all financial transactions in the country. In the rest of the region, over 140 mobile money services, including cross-border remittance systems, were in place by the end of 2016. Effective Data Collection Strategies for Rural Spaces Obvious investment potential exists – from Digital Banking to FMCG – but gathering information on rural spaces and consumers can be daunting at first if you are restricted to traditional methods like household surveys. The effort and expense to reach out-of-the-way

locations makes this approach unfeasible for most companies. Geospatial analysis overcomes these hurdles by using sophisticated algorithms which are applied to already-existing data sets, such as census data, surveys, and satellite imagery. No need to scavenge for more information. A crucial part of the process is the use of geospatial coordinates. In Fraym’s case, multiple data sets and analyses are applied to areas as small as one square kilometer, to generate precise information on populations. This way, it becomes possible to pinpoint new customers, size potential markets, and locate new sites for stores or projects. In terms of Digital Banking prospects, useful data points to apply in analyses could include existing communications technologies, mobile network reach and the location of rural SMEs with much to gain from digital banking. Hyper-local results gained from geospatial analysis are often surprising. In one recent incident, a Fraym analysis revealed a high-potential advertising zone in a rural area that would have been overlooked if only district-level statistics had been used. The key to success is pinpointing the potential of the growing communities and neighborhoods within large rural provinces and districts.

Ultra-precision is especially valuable in rural spaces, which tend to be vast and lacking in conventional structure. And over time, the machine learning behind the analytical algorithms becomes extremely accurate – capable of making predictions about areas that were not heavily surveyed, for example. This functionality has huge benefits for lesservisited and lesser-documented rural spaces. As a specific Digital Banking example, Fraym’s frontier-pushing data science techniques have helped to identify half a million Ghanaians in the Volta region who are ready to adopt digital financial services. Three-quarters of these adopters live in rural parts of Volta, in far-flung settlements like Jambo and Kpandai. Benefits for Everyone The greater the investment made into rural Africa, the more everyone involved will benefit, from the businesses expanding their reach, to the locals presented with more choices – particularly in relation to their financial security. With a combination of relevant data and cuttingedge analysis, truly profitable decisions can be made. It’s time to end to the era of anecdotes guiding your attitudes toward rural spaces. KURT FERREIRA

www.theafricanpro.com

DOES MICROFINANCE REALLY

ALLEVIATE POVERTY? T H E 3 4 B I L L I O N D O L L A R Q U E ST I O N

espite around US$34 billion in funding and numerous microfinance initiatives to help entrepreneurs in the world’s poorest countries, informal moneylenders and predatory loan sharks continue to thrive. Designed to help alleviate poverty in some of the world’s poorest countries, microfinance initiatives provide loans to entrepreneurs and small businesses, hoping this will help the poor to work themselves out of desperate poverty. But if formal, government-supported microfinance initiatives are widely available, why haven’t loan sharks and predatory lenders been wiped out? If microfinance cannot compete with informal lenders, can we be confident that it really works? These questions really matter. Philanthropic donors and policy-makers are enthusiastic about microfinance initiatives and, understandably, those working in microfinance often have a vested interest in showing that their work is effective. Research into how microfinance initiatives really are performing should therefore take into account the often highly politicised context in which poverty alleviation schemes operate. But that isn’t always easy – or even possible. In Thailand, for example, the controversy surrounding rice subsidies for poor farmers forced the former prime minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, to flee the country. She was tried and convicted in absentia. At around the same time, it was reported that, relative to their peers in South-East Asia, Thailand’s poor are getting poorer.

In such politicised contexts, it is difficult to find researchers willing to ask awkward questions about why this might be so. This means that the enthusiasm of microfinance funders is still not grounded in rigorous studies. Research on microfinance sits somewhat uncomfortably across disciplines – finance, economics, management and development studies, among others – and many research projects studying the effectiveness of microfinance schemes are driven by academics’ need to publish in high-ranking academic journals. This can lead to research that applies highly complex and discipline-specific quantitative methods to large samples of microfinance borrowers without focusing on more fundamental questions such as why predatory lenders still thrive. Fortunately, some researchers and governments are starting to realise that we know less about these schemes’ effectiveness than we might think. That’s why my team started our research by asking a fundamental question: Why is it that moneylenders still thrive when formal microfinance is widely available? The sceptical approach Attempting to evaluate microfinance initiatives in isolation, many studies ignore the competition from informal lenders. In contrast, we set out to listen to people and gather information from three different sources. We conducted in-depth interviews with poor microentrepreneurs, many of which had borrowed from both formal and informal lenders. This latter type of borrower, in www.theafricanpro.com

“Among our findings is that microfinance initiatives can produce unintended consequences. When poorly managed, they provide entrepreneurship opportunities for “middle men”, where borrowers who more easily qualify for loans from microfinance initiatives then lend to poorer borrowers. Consequently, the poorest of the poor micro-entrepreneurs benefit less than the comparatively less poor, and this reinforces existing socio-economic hierarchies in these countries….”

particular, drew interesting comparisons. We also interviewed representatives of formal microfinance initiatives and informal lenders, including loan sharks. Tagging along to visit loan shark clients, ethnography-style, provided the level of insight often absent from purely quantitative studies. Interviewing both lenders and borrowers allowed us to uncover distinct informal borrowing schemes used by microbusinesses, and revealed a mismatch between incentives and strategic objectives in formal microfinance schemes. Our recent paper aggregates findings from two studies in Indonesia – an ideal research setting because, along with Bangladesh, it hosts some of the world’s most widely available microfinance schemes.

Among our findings is that microfinance initiatives can produce unintended consequences. When poorly managed, they provide entrepreneurship opportunities for “middle men”, where borrowers who more easily qualify for loans from microfinance initiatives then lend to poorer borrowers. Consequently, the poorest of the poor micro-entrepreneurs benefit less than the comparatively less poor, and this reinforces existing socio-economic hierarchies in these countries. Getting it right (and wrong) This informal intermediation is just one of the problems making formal microfinance initiatives less effective than they might

www.theafricanpro.com

be. In fact, the formal sector can learn a lot from the informal sector. Poor staff management in formal organisations permits – and even fosters – informal intermediation, reducing microfinance effectiveness. We found that loan officers at formal microfinance organisations have an incentive to focus on quantitative outcomes such as the number of loans provided and rollovers of “safe” loans, rather than on funding the poorest borrowers. Loan officers know that some borrowers use their loans to lend to others; they provide loans to these informal intermediaries because they know that they will reliably pay back their loans.

We even found collusion between intermediaries and loan officers, as well as former microfinance loan officers becoming informal lenders themselves. “It is easy to do”, they said, easier than to “sell noodles or operate a small grocery stall”, and borrowers “do not care whether we have licenses or not”. During preliminary fieldwork in Thailand in August 2017, we found that informal intermediation and relending of loans between borrowers occurs there, too. To stop predatory lenders from taking advantage of poorer borrowers, the microfinance industry needs to develop ways to identify and prevent management failures. It is also important to understand that informal lending doesn’t just involve predatory loan sharks. There is a whole spectrum of informal intermediation, for example, ranging from the benign and casual to the systematic and downright criminal. Therefore, research on poverty alleviation must take a sceptic approach, and listen to borrowers and all lenders carefully. Without learning from the different lending schemes of informal lenders, microfinance initiatives cannot be efficient and competitive – and that is why they haven’t displaced the informal lending on which many borrowers still depend.

FRITHJOF ARP (The Conversation)

RE-DEFINE YOUR

DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGY GROW your business by reaching NEW markets. Talk to us and ﬁnd out how

info@drutechmedia.co.za | +27 79 524 0905

www.drutechmedia.co.za

DESIGN WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT DOMAIN SERVICES www.theafricanpro.com

Nose Cab

Main Cab

Auxillary Cab

Alternator Cab

Engine Cab

Radiator Cab

Manufacturer: CTLE

Manufacturer: Transnet Engineering

Manufacturer: Duys

Manufacturer: CTLE

1 7 2 4

Air Conditioner

Manufactured in South Africa by Booyco. The air conditioner cools the locomotive main cab.

Platform

The platform is manufactured from raw materials by Transnet Engineering in South Africa. It provides the basic structure and support for all elements.

Traction Motor

Final assembly and testing in South Africa by Transnet Engineering. The traction motor provides power to the locomotive wheels.

Bogies

Manufactured and assembled in SA by Transnet Engineering. The bogie allows for the locomotive wheels to follow the contours of the track.

www.theafricanpro.com

Fuel Tank

The fuel tank is manufactured in South Africa by Duys.

Radiator

Manufactured and assembled in South Africa by Wabtec. The radiator cools the engine water.

Brake System

Manufactured and assembled in South Africa by Knorr Bremse South Africa.

REMEMBERING BRA

HUGH

MASEKELA

rumpeter, flugelhorn-player, singer, composer and activist Hugh Ramapolo Masekela has passed away after a long battle with prostate cancer. When he cancelled his appearance last year at the Johannesburg Joy of Jazz Festival, taking time out to deal with his serious health issues, fans were forced to return to his recorded opus for reminders of his unique work. Listening through that half-century of disks, the nature and scope of the trumpeter’s achievement becomes clear. Masekela had two early horn heroes. The first was part-mythical: the life of jazz great Bix Biederbecke filtered through Kirk Douglas’s acting and Harry James’s trumpet, in the 1950 movie “Young Man With A Horn”. Masekela saw the film as a schoolboy at the Harlem Bioscope in Johannesburg’s Sophiatown. The erstwhile chorister resolved “then and there to become a trumpet player”. The second horn hero, unsurprisingly, was Miles Davis. And while Masekela’s accessible, storytelling style and lyrical instrumental tone are very different, he shared one important characteristic with the American: his life and music were marked by constant reinvention. As Davis reportedly said: I don’t want to be yesterday’s guy. Much has already been written about Masekela’s life and its landmarks: playing

in the Huddleston Jazz Band in the 1950s on a horn donated by Louis Armstrong; performing in the musical “King Kong” in the 1960s and at the Guildhall and then Manhattan schools of music with singer Miriam Makeba; US pop successes in the 1970s and then touring Paul Simon’s “Graceland” in the 80s and 90s.

This exposure attracted attention to his talent from potential patrons at home and abroad. Pushed by the horrors of the massacre when the South African police shot and killed 69 people on 21 March 1960, and pulled by donated airtickets and scholarships, Masekela left for London, and then New York.

What is less discussed is the music, and the innovative imagination he has periodically applied to draw it fresh from the flames.

In the next two decades, Masekela’s revisioning of his music took many forms. He found America hard, but with wife Miriam Makeba (the marriage lasted from 1964 - 1966), the production skills of Gwangwa, and the support of American singer Harry Belafonte he proactively introduced audiences to South African music and the destruction of apartheid.

Breaking new ground The Huddleston band, plus time as sideman and in stage shows, were the traditional career path for a young musician. But then Masekela broke his first new ground. With fellow originals, including saxophonist Kippie Moeketsi, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim and trombonist Jonas Gwangwa, as The Jazz Epistles they cut the first LP of modern African jazz in South Africa. “Jazz Epistle: Verse One” (1960) featured band compositions marked by challenging improvisation – “a cross between mbaqanga and bebop”. Mbaqanga is form of South African township jive and bebop an American jazz style developed in the 1940s. Masekela had also joined the pit band and worked as a copyist for South Africa’s first black musical, “King Kong”.

www.theafricanpro.com

On the ironically titled 1966 live “Americanisation of Ooga Booga”, he demonstrated the creative possibilities of “township bop”. Masekela did this by mashing up repertoire and playing styles from the South Africa he had left and the America he had landed in. But he was also looking in other directions: in collaborations with other African musicians; towards fusion (with The Crusaders), rock (with The Byrds) and even pop at the Monterey Pop, festival. That list captures only a fraction of his projects in the 1960s. Some bore instant fruit: his 1968 single, “Grazin’ In the Grass”, topped the Billboard Hot 100 list and sold four million copies; the previous

“To cap the transformation, the individualistic rebel of the 60s and 70s became an elder statesman of social activism. In 2001, he established a foundation to help other musicians escape addiction. Once more he foregrounded the music of continental Africa, to campaign against xenophobia. And the return of his own illness became the cue to exhort other men to get checked for prostate cancer…” year’s “Up Up and Away” became an instant standard.

Gomez, keyboardist Larry Willis and Semenya.

early playing years in South Africa, but by the early Seventies he admitted:

In 1971, he teamed up with Gwangwa and Caiphus Semenya for another panAfrican vision: The Union of South Africa. In 1972 he explored a stronger jazz orientation on “Home is Where The Music Is” with, among others, sax player Dudu Pukwana, bassist Eddie

Sixties counterculture

I had destroyed my life with drugs and alcohol and could not get a gig or a band together. No recording company was interested in me…

But as the title of “Grazin’ In the Grass” suggests, Masekela was also bewitched by other aspects of Sixties counterculture. He dated his addiction back to the alcohol-focused social climate of his

www.theafricanpro.com

That depression inspired the song that achieved genuinely iconic status back

home in South Africa: the 1974 reflection on migrant labour, “Stimela/Coal Train”. Foreign critics have handed that status to other Masekela songs, such as “Soweto Blues”, “Gold” or the much later “Bring Him Back Home”. Yet powerful though those are, it is Stimela, with its slow-burning steam-piston rhythm that captured the hearts of South Africans in struggle back home, and still does today. And of course the lyrics: There’s a train that comes from Namibia and Malawi /there’s a train that comes from Zambia and Zimbabwe/ from Angola and Mozambique… Masekela said: For me songs come like a tidal wave … At this low point, for some reason, the tidal wave that whooshed in on me came all the way from the other side of the Atlantic: from Africa; from home. Shortly afterwards, Masekela headed off to Ghana, hooked up with Hedzoleh Soundz, and was soon back in the charts. “Stimela” received its first outing on the album “I Am Not Afraid”, with West African and American co-players including pianist Joe Sample.

By the mid ‘80s, the hornman was back in southern Africa, recording “Technobush” at the mobile Shifty Studio in Botswana, and performing for the Medu Arts Ensemble with a Botswanan/South African band, Kalahari. His music shifted again: roots mbaqanga came strongly to the fore to speak simply and directly to people now openly battling the apartheid regime just across the border. Returning home After liberation and his return home, Masekela once more chose fresh directions. In 1997 he banished his addictions and began to showcase the virtuoso player he could have been 30 years earlier without the distractions of the West Coast. He fronted big European jazz bands, and benchmarked a long musical friendship with Larry Willis with the magisterial Friends. But his shrewd ear for the music of today, rather than yesterday, also took him into younger company. He collaborated with current stars – including singer Thandiswa Mazwai – often encouraging them to take centre stage. Just before the recurrence of his cancer, he was planning a festival collaboration with rapper Riky Rick.

www.theafricanpro.com

To cap the transformation, the individualistic rebel of the 60s and 70s became an elder statesman of social activism. In 2001, he established a foundation to help other musicians escape addiction. Once more he foregrounded the music of continental Africa, to campaign against xenophobia. And the return of his own illness became the cue to exhort other men to get checked for prostate cancer. Other South African musicians have succeeded overseas; many have made one mid-career image switch – but few have shown us, in only one person but more than 30 albums, so many of the faces and possibilities of South African jazz.

GWEN HANSELL (The Conversation)

YOUNG EMERGING ENTREPRENEURS

SHARE ANZISHA PRIZE, A F R I C A’ S P R E M I E R AWA R D FOR YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS

frican Leadership Academy and Mastercard Foundation are pleased to announce that 22 year old, Ibrahima Ben Aziz Konate from Cote D’Ivoire has been awarded the top prize at the seventh annual Anzisha Prize awards gala. Ibrahima Ben Aziz is the founder of Poultry D’Or, a poultry business that often has over 500 sales a day and employs 15 people.

Ibrahima was selected from a competitive pool of diverse entrepreneurs from 14 African countries. For the first time ever, Anzisha Prize is thrilled to award the grand prize to an applicant from Cote D’Ivoire. This will truly expand the reach and impact of the Anzisha program across various countries. “It is hard to believe that I was chosen as the winner of the prize. It has been a dream of mine to join the Anzisha Prize network since I first heard about it. The $25 000 is the difference that I need to scale my business and show the young people in my community that entrepreneurship is possible, even at a very young age,” says Ibrahima. Each prize winner has founded a business that responds directly to a social or economic need within their community. The two runner-ups were Edgar Edmund, 17, from Tanzania and Victoria Olimatunde, 15, from Nigeria. Edgar Edmund’s business Green Venture Tanzania has created a method of turning recycled plastic materials found on the streets into durable construction blocks.

His long-term vision impressed the PanAfrican panel of judges and his business model showed potential for making a significant and long-term impact. While Victoria, the founder of Bizkidz, a board game that teaches students financial literacy was chosen from 219 applications from her home country. In her presentation to the judges she demonstrated great leadership potential and a commitment to job creation. The winner of the Agriculture Sector Prize sponsored by the Louis Dreyfus Foundation was Ignatius Ahumuza from Uganda, founder of Art Planet Academy. Ignatius is already a role model proving that the agricultural sector can provide sustainable and fulfilling livelihoods for young people across Africa. Art Planet Academy’s purpose is to expand agricultural education across rural communities to increase farming skills and food security. This is an example of how a driven, industrious and energetic 21 year old can contribute to his or her country’s economic development.

“It is always a great privilege to meet the newest group of Anzisha Fellows. Their drive and commitment to improving the lives of their families, communities and nations is admirable and inspiring,” said Koffi Assouan, Program Manager, Mastercard Foundation.

www.theafricanpro.com

“Entrepreneurialism is an important driver of economic growth across the continent. As these finalists return home, they will become role models who will inspire the next generation to pursue their dreams.” The Anzisha Prize is a partnership between African Leadership Academy and the Mastercard Foundation. The 15 Anzisha Prize finalists were selected from an applicant pool of more than 800 entrepreneurs from more than 32 African countries. The finalists and emerging business leaders were recognized at an exclusive, invitation-only ceremony on Tuesday 24 October 2017 in Johannesburg. The 15 finalists presented their ventures to a panel of judges after spending 10 days in a business accelerator camp to strengthen business fundamentals. They join a more than 70 strong pool of Anzisha Fellows and will receive ongoing business-consulting support, access to experts, and access to networking opportunities to enable sustainable venture growth. “Young African entrepreneurs such as the Anzisha Fellows are a testimony to the need for youth organizations to promote and provide continued guidance on entrepreneurship and selfemployment for young people. Ibrahima is an example of how entrepreneurship and self-employment is key for achieving smart, sustainable and inclusive growth.” says Lerato Mdluli, Program Manager for the Anzisha Prize.

www.theafricanpro.com

ALI Media Fellowship Programme

Cultivating Excellence in Business and Financial Journalism

Celebrating 46 distinguished leaders in media and business from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa who will influence and strengthen the future of financial journalism in Africa

Theophilus Abbah

Joseph Adeyeye

Kemi Ajumobi

Uduak Amimo

Issa Aremu, NPOM, mni

Michael Arunga

Mideno Bayagbon

Terryanne Chebet

KC Rottok Chesaina

Medina Dauda

Karl Gostner

Pheladi Gwangwa

Fatima Abbas Hassan

Ufrieda Ho

Charles Ike-Okoh

Wallace Kantai

Ekundayo Ezekiel Kayode

Lucy Nyasi Kilalo

Reuben Kyama

Chidi Henry Lemchi

Phathiswa Magopeni

Sikonathi Mantshantsha

Ingrid Martens

Teldah Mawarire

Ngiphiwe Mhlangu

Moshoeshoe Monare

Wayua Muli

Christine Mungai

Akeem Olabode Mustapha

Noel Kazungu Mwakughu

Juliet Nabwire

Peter Ndoro

Phakamisa Ndzamela

Ruth Nesoba

Andile Ntingi

Ramah Nyang

Oluwatoyosi Ogunseye

Olawunmi Ojo

Yvonne Buliba Okwara

Samson Omale

Adesuwa Onyenokwe

Lekan Otufodunrin

Kevin Ritchie

Antony Sguazzin

Jacqueline Waweru

Semeyi Zake

Sunday Trust, Nigeria

Citizen TV, Kenya

BusinessDay Media Ltd., Nigeria

Financial Mail, South Africa

Media Trust Limited, Nigeria

CCTV Africa, Kenya

Punch, Nigeria

The African Professional, South Africa

Nation Media Group, Kenya

I’M Original Productions, South Africa

CCTV-Africa, Kenya

Punch, Nigeria

@ALIMediaFellows •

Business Day, Nigeria

Freelance Journalist, Nigeria

EnergyTimes Newspaper, Nigeria

Mail & Guardian, South Africa

Nation Media Group, Kenya

Guardian Newspapers Ltd., Nigeria

Citizen TV, Kenya

Primedia, South Africa

Nation Media Group, Kenya

eNCA, South Africa

SABC, South Africa

Kenya Television Network, Kenya

Nigeria Labour Congress, Nigeria

Primedia Broadcasting, South Africa

Freelance Journalist, Kenya

The Times Media Group, South Africa

Financial Mail, South Africa

Silverbird Communications, Nigeria

World Vision, Kenya

Nigeria Television Authority, Nigeria

Businessday Media Ltd., Nigeria

Nation Media Group, Kenya

BBC, Kenya

The Media, Nigeria

The Vanguard, Nigeria

Freelance Journalist, South Africa

eNCA, South Africa

Mail & Guardian Africa, Kenya

GetBiz, South Africa

The Nation, Nigeria

ALI Media Fellowship

ALI Media Fellowship • www.alimediafellowship.org

The Star Newspaper, South Africa

Bloomberg News, South Africa

ALI Media Fellowship Programme is made possible through a partnership with Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa, underwritten by Bloomberg Philanthropies. The Bloomberg Media Initiative Africa is a pan-African programme to build media capacity, convene international leaders and improve access to information in order to advance transparency, accountability and governance on the continent. www.bmia.org

Anchorage Ltd., Kenya

Business Day TV, South Africa

CUB3D/SAA534

THE ART OF FLYING REDEFINED

OUR NEW A330-300 SIGNAL A NEW LUXURY IN FLYING. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proud to bring the ultimate in luxury and comfort on board our new Airbus A330-300. These additions to our fleet feature elegantly decorated interiors and high-resolution in-flight entertainment systems for both Economy and Business Class. Passengers can now experience improved privacy and room to relax. The new fleet is testament to our commitment to improve every journey and go to uncharted territories. Go to flysaa.com or call +27 11 978 1111 or contact your local travel agent to book. The new aircraft currently only fly on selected international routes. Interiors are not standard across all fleet. *Only in Business Class.