EDITOR’S COMMENT MANAGING EDITOR Alastair Currie SENIOR JOURNALIST Kirsten Kelly JOURNALIST Nombulelo Manyana FEATURES WRITER Ziyanda Majodina HEAD OF DESIGN Beren Bauermeister DESIGNER Lizette Jonker CHIEF SUB-EDITOR Tristan Snijders CONTRIBUTORS James Cullis, Andries Fourie, Bruce Munnings, Shireen Sayed, Bhavna Soni, Martin Stols, Peter Townshend PRODUCTION & CLIENT LIAISON MANAGER Antois-Leigh Nepgen PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Jacqueline Modise GROUP SALES MANAGER Chilomia Van Wijk BOOKKEEPER Tonya Hebenton DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Nomsa Masina DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR Asha Pursotham SUBSCRIPTIONS subs@3smedia.co.za PRINTERS Novus Print Montague Gardens ___________________________________________________ ADVERTISING SALES KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER Joanne Lawrie Tel: +27 (0)11 233 2600 / +27 (0)82 346 5338 Email: joanne@3smedia.co.za ___________________________________________________
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Mentorship, collaboration and teamwork win the day
W
e live in a world of constant change and uncertainty. This has been the case throughout the path of human existence and our planet’s evolving history. But it’s how we respond to the changes we experience that defines our future. Nothing is insurmountable; however, we first need to take collective responsibility for the things we can control, like getting South Africa’s freight and passenger rail services back on track, fixing Eskom, and ensuring that our water and wastewater treatment plants are fully compliant. We have the skills and we certainly have the agricultural, construction, manufacturing and mining resources. But we still haven’t connected the missing dots in terms of full trust and collaboration between the public and private sector. One of the major frustrations expressed by the business community is that, despite assurances from the public sector, bureaucratic hurdles are not being removed fast enough. Initiatives like government’s Operation Vulindlela are meant to introduce urgent structural reforms. Areas include digital communications, electricity, water and transportation, where there’s a varying degree of progress against targets. A prime example is the conclusion of South Africa’s first radiofrequency spectrum auction in March 2022, which was hosted by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa. More than R14.4 billion was raised for the fiscus, and the expectation is that this will spur a digital transformation that makes the internet available to even the poorest households.
Responding to global economic turbulence Moving forward, an even greater priority is the need to respond to the highly volatile financial market conditions induced by the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The collective views shared by experts at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos,
Switzerland, in May 2022 show that there’s a rocky road ahead for most nations – and especially developing economies. Key issues include potential global food shortages, hyperinflation, and a steep rise in energy prices in the short term. According to Statistics South Africa, local fuel prices rose by around 33.2% in the 12 months to March 2022. Within the mix, the price for petrol and diesel increased by around 32.6% and 35.1%, respectively, and more hikes are on the way during 2022. This obviously places renewed pressure on household budgets and makes the cost of doing business far greater. None of these experiences are new. For instance, while it had severe consequences at the time, the 1970s Energy Crisis was not the beginning of the end, but a major shift induced by a series of geopolitical events like the one we’re witnessing in Ukraine. It also spurred the shift to renewable and alternative energy solutions, and e-mobility, all of which are rapidly gaining momentum today. Those countries that successfully weather the peaks and troughs do so because they’re more resilient and internationally competitive. That is largely due to building high-performing economies and forging the best international trading alliances. It’s all about the right enabling framework. A case in point is the participative management style unfolding within our local coalition governments, particularly within South Africa’s major metros. Healthy debate here is already yielding more balanced and beneficial results on the infrastructure front.
Alastair To our avid readers, check out what we are talking about on our website, Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and have your say.
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