Transform SA Magazine 34

SIMPHIWE MASIZA:

A JOURNEY OF RESILIENCE, PERFORMANCE AND UPLIFTMENT

INSIDE: ANALYSIS: HOW GOVERNMENT SPENDING CAN STIMULATE SA’S ECONOMY

ICT: WITH THIS APP ENTREPRENEURS CAN START AN ONLINE SHOP IN SECONDS

ENTREPRENEUR: TAKING AFRICAN INNOVATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL, $1M ORDER

GUEST NOTE: SLOW TRANSFORMATION IN THE LEGAL FRATENITY REMAINS

PHOTO: BY ROMEO LEKALAKALA

PHOTO: BY ROMEO LEKALAKALA

”You must have three Ds, namely desire, determination, and discipline.”

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) greylisted South Africa last week. Just as I thought South Africa could be approaching rockbottom because of loadshedding, now it has a new low and one can be assured that rock-bottom isn’t far. Before we dig deep into greylisting, what is the FATF? The FATF is a global financial watchdog that comes up with international standards relating to money laundering, terrorist financing, and the financing of weapons of mass destruction. This is serious stuff folks. The rand dropped by 1.2% against the US dollar after the announcement was made on Friday, February 24. I immediately took interest as to what this means for the ordinary South African or a budding investor like me. Brace yourselves ladies and gents, it might get rough.

So, it turns out that our government which is a member state of the FATF has not been up to date with some of the rules of the FATF which include making sure that government maintains and meets the requirements of the watchdog including strengthening financial laws, responding to its communication, reporting, and making submissions. It is known that criminals and terrorists are attracted to countries where financial systems and regulations are weak, and we happen to be one of those in the eyes of the watchdog. Apparently, the problem

publishingeditor

started during the infamous wasted 9 years and the new Thuma Mina administration has been trying to rescue the situation by introducing new laws and sadly it has failed to do so. A series of laws were enacted in December 2022 but as it seems, a little too late.

Not that it makes me feel any better, but South Africa was not alone in this round of greylisting, Nigeria also made the list. The other countries that have been greylisted in the past include Botswana and Mauritius from which we can get a sense of what happens to a country that gets greylisted. Not only African states are on the list, Turkey is also on the list. A scary discovery was that when the two states Botswana and Mauritius got greylisted they were also automatically added onto the EU’s list of nonco-operative jurisdictions and the UK’s list of highrisk countries. One may argue that this is unkind, shouldn’t EU and UK have their own systems and methodologies to satisfy first. Perhaps a discussion for another day.

So, in essence this means we are less trustworthy to international markets than we were before the greylisting. This will add an extra burden on the banks and financial institutions when they have to transact with their counterparts and the cost of

doing business will increase and guess who will eventually pay for this? Your guess was right! You and I because we use banks, and we are part of the financial system. Also, because it makes South Africa less desirable to foreign direct investors which means less economic activity and less job opportunities. This also means that the efforts of the like of SA Tourism such as the suspicious R1 billion Tottenham Hotspur sponsorship, at least on the part of the business tourism may dwindle.

When Pakistan was greylisted in 2018 and 2019 it lost over R600 billion in economic activity. This is an economy similar to ours in size. So in some instances greylisting may impact GDP.

In this edition of Transform SA we bring you Simphiwe Masiza, the founder of Empowaworx. Masiza’s story is one of hope and resilience. He started fending for himself at a very young age and moved on to build a strong entrepreneurial business, empowering many young people. We also have input by Dr. Tsibani regarding the application of technology in reducing water constraints. There is an advise to government regarding stimulating economic activity.

Sakhumzi “Saki” Mabhele

Sakhumzi “Saki” Mabhele

Water has become a constrained resource and the ambition is to achieve shared economic growth following the principles of Back to Water Business (B2WB), Business Expansion Attraction and Retention (BEAR), visionary leadership in water, and the energy and food (WEF nexus) model.

Utilities play an indispensable role in African economies by providing physical bulk supply of resources including water infrastructure to support energy efficiency and food security. The WEF model is driven by technology to provide advanced connectivity of Community-Based Sustainable Water Management and Observation Systems (CoSMOS). African institutions such as University of Johannebsurg (UJ) and German-African Research think tanks are compelled to adopt the CoSMOS approach to address water efficiency, energy efficiency and food security. This must be aligned to Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and related international partners such as Agricultural Policy Dialogue between German and African Union (AU) in January 2023.

Programmes and projects like CoSMOS are driven by the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) and have been tested in various countries including Germany with its 14.0. Various programmes are already underway such as the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership (AMP), the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) from United States of America (USA), Industrie du Futur or Future Industry by France, Made in China (MIC) 2025, Society (S5.0) of Japan, and Education 5.0 (E5 .0) in Zimbabwe.

Based on the aforementioned international best practices using North-South and South-South methodology there is compelling evidence of a Community-Based Sustainable Water Management and Observation System (CoSMOS) in Mpumalanga which is driven by the fourth industrial revolution (4IR), fifth industrial revolution (5IR), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Analytics, Information Communication and Computation Technology (ICCT) , fifth-generation wireless (5G) and sixth-generation wireless (6G).

Some of the objectives of CoSMOS for transformation and sustainable development include:

• Creation of resilient communities and societies by promoting human values, fighting poverty, crime, diseases, deprivation and social ills;

• Partnerships with African organs of civil society, governments and businesses to form trialogue model of governance informed by universal access plan to address weak links in the distribution of wealth using AfCTA;

• Provision of a comprehensive integrated service package using IoT and 4IR , and One Stop Shop (OSS) for meeting African Union (AU) Agenda 2063 performance targets and enhance localisation and beneficiation of products for commercialisation;

• To identify WEF nexus sins and data gaps for remodelling and forecasting analysis;

• To collaborate on research that is aimed at improving co-existence between human and environmental needs as per findings report by German and South Africa water partners on the 30-31 January 2023 CoSMOS workshop in Berlin;

• To prioritise training, retraining, retooling and upskilling to address current and future skills required for adaptive capacity to 4IR and related technological disruptions.

Disruption by technologies indicates that water utilities must adapt to an era of digital water, energy, food, ecotourism, and hospitality. Equally, on the occasion of the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (GFFA) in Berlin in Germany in January 2023, the German Federal Ministry for Food and Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, and Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment of the African Union (AU) have signed a declaration of intent in order to cooperate closely on key issues of food systems transformation in future.

For this purpose, the German Federal Minister of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) is initiating an “Agricultural Policy Dialogue” with the AU. The aim of this Agricultural Policy Dialogue is to make water, agriculture, energy and food systems in Africa crisisresilient and more climate-friendly. As part of this transformation agenda for African countries, the CoSMOS approach may lead to support of agribusinesses, commercial and emerging farmers structured programme of action and skills transfer on technology for monitoring and modelling various transformation scenarios and products.

South Africa as a society is in the process of deepening its post-apartheid democratic mission. This includes combating historical remnants of apartheid such as the widening inequality, high levels of poverty and relentless unemployment. In this transitionary process, there are other impediments such as the energy crisis, water scarcity and climate change.

Dr. Fumene George Tsibani

Dr. Fumene George Tsibani

Contributors

NOMLAYO MABHENA

Nomlayo Mabhena-Mlilo is a Senior Associate at Cliff Dekker Hofmeyr Dispute Resolution practice. She focuses on commercial litigation with specific attention to property and property finance-related litigation for major financial institutions. She further focuses on project finance litigation for StateOwned Enterprises, and has experience in petroleum franchising litigation. Her practice extends to administrative law, business rescue, and insolvency law.

DUMISANI HLATSWAYO

Dumisani Hlatswayo is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, and copywriter. His novella Inhlonipho is currently prescribed for grade 9’s. In 2012, Hlatswayo’s drama, Ngixolele Mngani, was awarded second place in the Maskew Miller Longman award.

In 2016, Ukhozi FM aired his drama, Singcwaba Nini. In 2017 Dumisani’s second novel Imibala Yothando won the Sanlam Literature Award For Youth. His novel Ithuba Lesibili was shortlisted for the same award. He recently contributed a short story for an anthology, Please Like What You See.

SINQOBILE KHULUSE

Sinqobile Khuluse (BA) (LLB) is the Head of Human Resources at Sandock Austral Shipyards. Khuluse hails from a humble home in Umlazi township. An Admitted Attorney specialising in Employment law. Khuluse has a passion for manufacturing having previously worked in the Automotive manufacturing sector.

DR. FUMENE GEORGE TSIBANI

Dr. Fumene George Tsibani has over 27 years experience in public governance and administration. He is an independent Institutional Development Expert in Infrastructure Planning and Strategies, Capacity Building, Monitoring and Evaluation, Social Research and Evaluation, Public Policy and Leadership. He holds a Masters and PhD In Sociology (SU) and several other professional certificates.

Professional Membership are: Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) and member of Black Business Council (BBC) and Black Business Council in the Built Environment (BBCBE) and BBC Infrastructure: Water and Sanitation chairperson 2017 todate. He has written a book entitled: Nation Building Plan between 2020 and 2064.

It is often said that “ the wheels of justice turn slowly but grind exceedingly fine .” But what happens when the justice system itself is battling to achieve the kind of change that is essential for the achievement of constitutional imperatives such as the promotion of access to justice?

The Department of Justice (“ Department ”) has, since the dawn of democracy, undertaken to take strides in transforming the legal sector. The Justice Vision 2000 document envisioned a new system of justice for South Africa. There was, at that stage, a realisation that the new administration had inherited a legal system that was designed to implement colonial and apartheid policies.

In Justice Vision 2000 it was recognised that the legal profession has to be transformed to be able to respond appropriately to the needs of all the people of South Africa and it was stated that the Department would be giving attention to such transformation. In so doing, one of the key result areas that the Department would focus on was a “ well-trained, broadly representative, accessible and evenly distributed legal profession ”.

THE WHEELS OF TRANSFORMATION IN THE LEGAL SECTOR TURN SLOWLY

The focus on a broadly representative judiciary was recently in the spotlight during the recent judicial services commission interviews for superior courts as there is the continued realisation that the objectives of transformation within the legal profession remain to be achieved.

This realisation is one of the reasons I decided to qualify as a conveyancer of the High Court of South Africa. The property industry is falling behind in the journey of transformation. One of the best ways to address this lag is for young legal professionals to enhance their training and step into spaces which were not previously as broadly representative of the South African population.

I am very passionate about inspiring young people, and more specifically young women to rise above the challenges that are inevitably faced by the South African youth. In August 2022, I attended the National Youth Development Agency’s Executive Chairpersons “Women of Firsts” High Tea; which was an initiative of the Office of the Executive Chairperson aimed at cultivating a diverse pool of influence and leverage representation across various sectors to address socio-

economic challenges faced by the South African youth, particularly women. At this event, we pledged our time and resources to the emancipation of young women in our respective sectors.

In the same vein, I participated in the Johannesburg Junior Council’s Women’s Day event which was an outstanding opportunity to speak to young women who want to grow and make an impact in the world they live in and leave it better than they found it. Another platform that has been helpful in my quest to reach young people is the mentorship program under the South African Chapter of the International Association of Women Judges.

The Department may have the mandate to foster transformation within the legal profession, However, it remains imperative that legal professionals themselves take active steps to ensure that the demographics of the country are well represented within the profession to ensure an adequate response to the needs of the people and promote equal access to justice.

Nomlayo Mabhena-Mlilo

Nomlayo Mabhena-Mlilo

details publisher’s

Publisher Publishing Editor

PAPASHA MEDIA (PTY) LTD

Sakhumzi “Saki” Mabhele 1 York Street, Kensington B, Randburg

2194

Tel: 010 023 1845

Fax: 0866 11 44 78 saki@transformsa.co.za

Media Liaison: Production Media Assistant:

Design & Layout Printer

Content Development

Advertising Sales

Editorial Enquiries

Advertising Enquiries Head of Operations

Online Advertising General Enquiries

Nobomi Ndevu, Nqobile Zakwe Arefa Seleho

Papasha Design

SAKIPRINT Litho

Dumisani Hlatswayo

Oarabile Dilebo, Vusumzi Melane editor@transformsa.co.za

advertising@transformsa.co.za

Shumikazi Bhuka

shumikazib@papashamedia.co.za onlineads@transformsa.co.za info@transformsa.co.za

Tel: 010 023 1845

Fax: 0866 11 44 78 www.transformsa.co.za

Facebook page: Transform SA

Twitter page: @Transform_SA

TERMS

AND CONDITIONS OF USE / DISCLAIMER

Transform SA is a product of Papasha Media (PTY) LTD . 1 York Street, Kensington B, Randburg, 2194. Transform SA (ISSN No. 2079-7273) considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible. However, reporting inaccuracies can occur, consequently readers using this information do so at their own risk. Transform SA is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not rendering a legal or advisory service. Although companies and contributors mentioned herein are believed to be reputable, neither SAKIPRINT (Co. CK2002/063910/23), nor any of its employees, sales executives or contributors accept any responsibility whatsoever for such persons’ and companies’ activities. SAKIPRINT CC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the publisher. Permission is only deemed valid if approval is in writing. Transform SA buys all rights to contribution, text, images unless previously agreed to in writing.

Stock images supplied by Shutterstock.com

Transformation in a Political Landscape

Written by Matome Seketa

When South Africa was transitioning from apartheid to political freedom, many of the previously marginalised citizens (blacks) carried the hope of a better life ahead of them. When the ANC finally won the election, to many, the dreams of a better life seemed more attainable.

Dreams were sold, promises of a better life were spewed, and the light that was at the end of the tunnel was getting nearer. However, as many would agree, it was all but a lie.

The system of apartheid in South Africa was responsible for establishing a society that was fundamentally unequal and marked by dispossession. As a result, any political changes made in the aftermath of apartheid had to prioritize balancing those imbalances.

There was a desperate need for socio-economic transformation, and a need to retain the dignity of a black South Africa.

The only political party that has been in governance since the end of apartheid, the ANC, has been sleeping on the job. And that is because South Africa still has highest economic inequality globally. The gap between the affluent and impoverished citizens has been progressively widening since the end of apartheid.

As we stand, 70 percent of the country’s economy is still in the hands of 20 percent of the country’s citizens. The country’s political transition was mainly focused on basic human rights. The rights for housing, basic education, health, etc. The ANC, on a part, deserves some credit on the progress attained in those aspects. However, as the only political party that has been in governance since after apartheid there little to show in terms of redressing the damage successfully done by apartheid.

Transformation, however, should not only be focused on socio-political affairs, issues such gender inequality, patriarchy were among some concerning issues. Black South African women were the most marginalised. Men were prioritised to job opportunities and leadership positions. Unfortunately, this is still the case.

Many state and state-owned entities’ strategical position are still occupied by more men than women. The other group that is still left behind is the youth. The youngest president of this democratic country was aged 57. That says a lot about the progress made since democracy.

South Africa continues to grapple with the energy crisis. This is, in part, the result of the government’s failure to take proactive measures. State capture and corruption allegations that have recently brought to light by the now former Eskom CEO, Andre De Ruyter have exacerbated the problem.

Transformation vs Crisis Is Artificial Intelligence the Cause of the High Rate of Unemployment?

The rollout of ChatGPT was a huge blow and has kept many wordsmiths up at night. Many writers were, and are, still wondering whether that is the end to their skills demand.

In as much as the energy crisis is crippling the economy, restoring the entity responsible for the country’s energy supply should not take away from addressing the dire need for transformation. More so now than ever because its impact affects mainly those who were previously marginalised.

This crisis can in fact be the best opportunity to ramp up the country’s transformational efforts. The high demand for energy should be a chance to create more opportunities for black entrepreneurs.

There are a range of ways in which the energy crisis could be leveraged to drive transformational change. For example, investing in renewable energy sources could create new opportunities for small-scale black entrepreneurs to participate in the energy sector. There is also a trend of black-owned mining companies that can meet up the need for coal.

Prioritizing transformational change alongside efforts to address the immediate crisis can be a more effective and equitable way to our country’s energy and economic crisis.

One way to achieve this is by investing in renewable energy sources while also providing training and education for young people in the sector. By equipping young people with the skills and knowledge they need to participate in the renewable energy sector, South Africa can build a more skilled and diverse workforce that supports long-term economic growth and sustainable energy supply.

Simply appointing a new minister to the entity responsible for energy supply may not be enough to solve the crisis. South Africa has a history of ministers who have failed to effectively address issues in their portfolios, and addressing the energy crisis requires a more comprehensive and collaborative approach that involves a range of stakeholders, including government, industry, and civil society.

Because of this ChatGPT, and several other language models that are currently being introduced to the market, the question of whether AI is going to replace human workers has once again been brought up.

Although many knew that AI was upon us and that it is going to replace more workers, few have imagined that creative workers such as writers were also under threat.

AI’s ability to often perform tasks with greater accuracy and efficiency than humans makes it preferable to human resources. Furthermore, AI can work continuously without the need for breaks or time off, leading to higher output and faster completion of tasks. The efficiency, speed, and long-term financial benefits of AI are the main reasons many employers will continue to prefer it over human resources.

However, it is not all doom and gloom, the development and implementation of AI technologies can also create new job opportunities in fields such as data science, machine learning, and AI development. While AI may play a role in job losses in certain industries, it is not the sole cause of South Africa’s unemployment crisis in particular. Our country’s unemployment rate can be attributed to our poor education system and lack of investment in education and training programs tailored for the fourth industrial revolution.

The rollout of artificial intelligence might not affect as many yet due to its high cost. However, any company will prefer automation in a long run to human resources.

Experts also assert that the implementation of AI can improve productivity and lead to economic growth. However, this positive impact is only valid if the benefits generated by AI can offset the negative impact on employment.

DRIVING CHANGE, A SKILLSET AT A TIME

is a well-oiled machine that facilitates seamless transformation in the banking sector

is known to be a thought leader in the banking and alternative banking sector. The entity is at the forefront of providing cuttingedge research to the banking and alternative banking sector. Through constructive stakeholder engagement, BANKSETA also conducts robust discussions on topical issues affecting the sector.

Over and above that, BANKSETA conducts globally recognised research on a variety of skills development research topics and assists the sector with its skills development plans. Researchers inform the sector about new developments and emerging issues within the sector, locally and globally. Among the emerging issues are digitalisation, technology, cyber security, risk management and compliance. It is through such emerging issues that the sector learns whether new skills are required or if there is a need to reskill, upskill, and outskill its workforce.

“COVID-19 has transformed the banking industry, resulting in sweeping changes across multiple areas, such as customer service. The pandemic has served as a powerful reminder to all businesses and households that the unexpected can occur”, the BANKSETA Head of Strategy and Research, Vuyani Ntanjana observed.

According to the 2023 BANKSETA Research conducted by Redflank on the ‘Implications of Covid-19 to the banking and alternative banking sector’, approximately 78% of stakeholders viewed the pandemic as resulting in the emergence of new skills, and 64% thought it would cause the emergence of new occupations. Among the emerging skills identified were digital skills (83%), cybersecurity skills (67%), client relationship management skills (54%), and emotional intelligence (51%). Among the emerging occupations were risk managers (75%), cybersecurity specialists (73%), and client engagement managers (41%). Additionally, stakeholders identified skills such as managing individuals and teams in a remote working environment and occupations focusing on employee wellness as emerging.

Head of Strategy and Research: Mr. Vuyani Ntanjana

On the other hand, it was noted that 64% of stakeholders believed that there were certain jobs that had become redundant as a result of the pandemic. These included tellers (38%), branch managers (19%), and call centre agents (13%). It was noted that while 53% of stakeholders believed that some skills had become redundant, other stakeholders noted that rather than skills becoming redundant, the nature of the skills required had changed.

Considering the changing skills needs mentioned above, it is important to understand the extent to which training providers are adequately capacitated to provide training in these new skills. It was established that 83% of stakeholders agreed that training providers are adequately capacitated to provide training in new skills emerging as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings also justified the BANKSETA Sector Skills Plan Research on drivers of change in the banking and alternative banking sector.

As part of its 2020-2025 strategy, BANKSETA is implementing the following Research Agenda:

• The Skills analysis of Fintechs and how they contribute to skills gaps in the banking sector;

• What are the barriers that contribute to slow pace of transformation in the banking and alternative banking sector?

• Emerging and new occupations in the banking and alternative banking sectors;

• New Management Development models for the banking and alternative banking sector;

• Skills implications for the banking sector and skills development;

• Regulatory analysis of the banking and microfinance and skills implications;

• The value of professional designations in the banking sector and the future of work, and,

• The constraints of the SETA funding model, as well as mitigation measures.

“Our strategy to meet the demand for new skills in the banking sector is driven by the drivers of change including COVID-19’s impact on workplace and skills development,” Ntanjana stated.

“BANKSETA employs a rigorous process for appointing its research partners to make sure that it receives quality research products from its partners. We provide proper briefings for research partners and that is always followed by constructive engagement throughout the research process and we are committed to implementing its research recommendations’’, Ntanjana stated. “ If one analyses the programmes that are being implemented by the BANKSETA, there would be agreement that the programmes that are implemented are research-based. For instance, our research informs that there is a huge demand for online training as a more effective and efficient way of accumulating skills in the banking and alternative banking sector and the BANKSETA has heeded that call by implementing short-term online courses’’, Ntanjana stated.

BANKSETA research findings and recommendations are communicated in stakeholder engagement sessions and are published on BANKSETA platforms for the benefit of BANKSETA stakeholders.

BANKSETA promotes zero tolerance for all forms of abuse and is implementing a Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Pilot Project as a form of intervention. The objectives of the GBV Project are clear:

• To assist Post School Education Training and System (PSET) institutions and entities to address the occurrence of GBV;

• To promote the safety of all students and staff by putting in place comprehensive prevention programmes intended to raise awareness of policies and services addressing GBV, as well as other measures aimed at preventing incidents of GBV in the PSET environment; and

• To provide for or refer GBV victims to comprehensive, specialised support and other assistance.

The GBV Project is being implemented in three universities in the Eastern Cape that are as follows:

Fort Hare Walter Sisulu Rhodes

The training of stakeholders includes students, residence wardens, university security and case management practitioners and will commence in March 2023 at Fort Hare and Walter Sisulu Universities.

“The BANKSETA supported the South African President’s call for the inclusion of initiatives to address GBV in the strategic plans of government departments, public entities, and civil society. The three-year pilot GBV project is supporting government national priorities in implementing the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide and working towards the progressive realisation of National Skill Development Plan (NSDP) Outcomes,” Ntanjana concluded.

The BANKSETA supported the South African President’s call for the inclusion of initiatives to address GBV in the strategic plans of government departments.

GOVERNMENT SPENDING CAN ENABLE GROWTH

Written by Pedro Mzileni

To enable this economic environment, we offer friendly tax rates to corporates, we allow any industry to invest anywhere in the world even if it uses domestic labour and our local environment to drive production, and we provide unregulated free trade agreements as the cornerstone of our imports and exports.

This macroeconomic approach has led to the collapse of the manufacturing sector and a general deindustrialization of the economy. This is an irreversible trend that we have been sliding on as a country for the past 30-50 years. Our free trade agreements and liberalization of the economy has not generated the jobs and the growth we require.

Despite this problem being so articulated with so much evidence, government refuses to change gears and pursue an alternative.

This takes me to the second issue – which is the paradigm used to structure our fiscal policy – a problem that also emanates from the misplaced macroeconomic strategy.

The finance minister believes that fiscal consolidation will attract confidence of rating agencies and see South Africa as a safe destination given the lesser deficits on its books.

This approach does not consider the fact that a country can use government spending, loans and

even debt to invest in productive assets that will generate sustainable revenue, drive growth and deliver jobs.

For instance, if the public purse can be used to fund small-scale farming activities, modernise the railways and our ports, build industrial technology and new telecommunications including the adding of more allocations to scientific research development and in the reactivation of the manufacturing sector – these productive assets can generate the necessary growth and recovery that the country requires to be sustainable again.

In other words, government spending can be used in more targeted sectors that will deliver tangible

From the 2023 budget speech delivered by the finance minister in Parliament I’ve picked up three major issues with our economic direction that require urgent solutions.

value in the productive economy. It is not true that all government spending is wasteful and it must therefore be avoided with the hope of reducing deficits. That approach will only deliver austerity.

Countries such as Germany, South Korea and China have used government spending to modernise their infrastructure, rollout business innovations and global trade to the extent where they even used IMF loans for the purpose of reopening their economies. Today, these countries are global economic powerhouses with full-employment from economies that were subsidised by their governments.

The third issue with our economy is the crisis of inequality. The extended unemployment rate is still standing above 40% and our gini coefficient rating is at 0.63 - which makes our case be one of the most unequal societies in the world, compounded with high levels of racialised underdevelopment as well.

Our economic model where a few big foreign listed oligopolies own the country’s most key productive assets creates a disconnection between the private sector and our national targets.

We don’t have a vibrant, sustainable and competitive small business environment like our comparable developing economies around the world and this makes it difficult for us to drive growth at consistent levels alongside our national development goals such as job creation, domestic investment, infrastructure development and economic transformation.

Our current monopoly industries that are dominated by the retail-mining-banking-energy complex are not interested in these national targets because our economic liberalisation policy allows them.

These three issues I’ve mentioned are fundamentally institutionalised on how the National Treasury prepares its annual budget speeches and the one delivered yesterday was not any different.

Now that we are in this problem, what then becomes a solution and a way forward is for a concerted effort from every working adult in South Africa that pays taxes to get organised and start building towards an alternative macroeconomic approach that will put industrialisation, job creation and reduced inequality at the core of its paradigm.

We need a developmental state that will put our strategic assets and national wealth to good use. This entails the utilisation of targeted taxation towards corporations, industries and mineral wealth to fund our national targets. The constant squeeze on the personal tax is unsustainable and has potential to trigger instability.

We need a freely accessible and high quality higher education system with centres that offer vocational skills, agricultural colleges connected to our infrastructural priorities, a comprehensive public health care system, a basic income grant, reliable electricity supply, and a manufacturing economy that is the primary foundation of our industrial policy.

These targets must shape the paradigm of our macroeconomic policy and they must feed a targeted fiscal and monetary policy that is centred on the concrete needs of ordinary people.

This direction requires an active citizenry that votes smartly and uses its power to surface a leadership that will lead our public institutions with due diligence and have strategic, productive and developmental relations with industry.

The first issue is our macroeconomic policy approach, which is an old problem crafted and maintained by this government since 1994. As a country we choose to rely on foreign direct investments (FDIs) as a key strategy to attract international investors, rating agencies and global institutions with the hope that they will bring the jobs and improve our living standards.

FROM SHOOTING STREET DICE TO HOSTING ICONIC EVENTS

One such company that thrived during the pandemic is Empowaworx, a strategic creative marketing company that specialises in events, founded by Simphiwe Masiza. When Covid-19 hit, Masiza and his team somehow managed to not just roll with the changes, but grow.

During the lockdown Masiza’s business was part of the hardest-hit industries. Many events businesses were unable to operate at all. His innovative thinking kicked in, and together with his team pivoted the business to be more of a creative strategic marketing agency.

The pandemic was tough on many industries, but the events space was particularly hard-hit. Most events companies were forced to scale down or close completely due to harsh lockdown measures which meant an immediate loss of revenue. However, there are few that found it possible to pivot.

Simphiwe Masiza

PHOTO: BY ROMEO LEKALAKALA

They offered bespoke insight-driven marketing, communication and digital solutions. Then they used technology to keep interacting with the people that would ordinarily participate in their live events. During lockdown Empowaworx successfully hosted nightly Digital Conversations speaking to numerous thought-leaders on a variety of topics.

Mazisa grew up in a poor family and they struggled to make ends meet in those days. He was born in the Eastern Cape in Pedi, a quiet town better known as Ngqushwa, 72 kilometers away from Grahamstown. From there, he moved with his mom to Mshenguville in Johannesburg.

“My hustling skills were honed in the streets of Mshenguville, and later Orange Farm. I used to shoot dice and I was given the nickname, number Knox man. At some point, I was the captain of the soccer team I used to play for. This is something that people who know me now find surprising as most can’t imagine me playing football,” says Masiza.

As the child of a single mother who worked extremely hard to keep her household together, Masiza found out he had a knack for entrepreneurship and came up with many schemes to bring in additional income to help his mother.

Without too much supervision, he got into a few scrapes and could have headed towards a far different future, thanks to a few good men that steered him in the right direction.

Despite his poverty-stricken background, Masiza had always dreamed of starting a business. As young as 8 years old, he knew what he wanted to do with his life: To start a business, accumulate wealth, and leave a legacy for his children. In order to achieve any of those goals, he didn’t need a Ph.D. or MBA, just determination.

At age 22, Masiza was already running a successful business, and he pursued his business ambitions relentlessly. Even when difficult times and rejections tested his mettle, he persevered.

Years later, he was able to get several executive qualifications from WITS and GIBS business schools, amongst other institutions. His qualifications include project management, strategy, business development, business management, event management, reputation management, business management, governance, and executive leadership.

He established himself as a leadership expert, events management guru, a sought-after energetic corporate MC and keynote speaker. To this day, he is still a sought-after speaker on branding and transformation. He attributes most of his success to his mother who inspired him to succeed despite all odds. “She was a catalyst for change, someone who could, with just her presence catapult you into new worlds,” he said.

Masiza is a born networker and has a flair for a salesperson. This explains why from a young age he was selling Tupperware in Soweto. In every person’s life, there is a catalytic moment and one of these was through motivational speaker Dr. David Molapo, who founded the I Can Leadership Institute Africa and is currently CEO of I CAN 4IR.

You must have three

Ds, namely desire, determination, and discipline.

Simphiwe Masiza

PHOTO: BY ROMEO LEKALAKALA

“It was around 1996 when I first heard about Dr. David Molapo. As students, we were invited to Standard Bank Arena. I remember him being introduced afterwards and I was inspired. Black motivational speakers were very rare and it was the first time that Masiza saw this as a potential career path. In our time, public speaking was not a career option. The most sought-after options when doctor or engineer. After David came, we realised that black people can be motivational speakers too. David said to me, young man you must have three Ds, namely desire, determination, and discipline,” recalled Masiza.

Masiza eventually worked with Dr. Molapo, as a co-ordinator and this enabled him to become a successful speaker and business leader. Masiza has worked in various different leadership roles

from project management to consulting and each role led to a business that has grown into a formidable transformative enterprise.

“Empowaworx began as a consulting firm and has expanded into a strategic marketing and bespoke eventing business with a special focus on empowering youth, entrepreneurs, women and redefines modern masculinity to mitigate the impact of toxic masculinity. EmpowaYouth is also one of these properties,” adds Masiza.

The annual EmpowaYouth Week in Orange Farm is coming up in May this year, where 10,000 youth are expected to attend a week-long summit that outlines different industries and career paths, as well as offering them thousands of job, learning and funding opportunities.

Another exciting upcoming event is the Annual National Empowamen Summit on 22 April this year, with over 2,000 men in positions of leadership that are able to impact resources and policies that will ensure transformation.

Masiza also founded The Speakers Firm – a premium speakers bureau that represents some of South Africa’s best black thought leaders, entertainers, subject matter experts and everything in between.

He is a brilliant example of his own maxim – ‘don’t let where you come from determine where you are going’. He has a passion for young people and many of his employees started out in junior positions and gone on to become GMs or leaders in spaces that speak to their passion. Thanks to Masiza’s encouragement and mentorship.

PHOTO: BY ROMEO LEKALAKALA

Saki Mabhele in conversation with Simphiwe Masiza

20 YEARS LATER

B-BBEE STILL DOES NOT REDRESS PAST IMBALANCES

Written by Dumisani Hlatswayo

It has been 20 years since the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act became law, but little progress has been made in redressing past imbalances.

The gap between the rich and the poor in South Africa is the widest in the world, and inequality has increased significantly. Our country has more than 500 townships, of which Soweto has more than 1.3 million residents. Yet, there is no evidence that B-BBEE is stimulating township economies, or empowering township entrepreneurs in any way.

Could this be due to poor leadership, corruption, or simply the inability of the current government to implement BEE policies?

According to financial services company Investec, the informal economy, or so-called township economy, accounts for 17% of total employment in the country. The township economy can create more jobs if the government focuses on stimulating it. However, this can only be achieved if the government focuses on the following issues that hinder B-BBEE progress.:

Fronting

We all agree that fronting hinders economic transformation. Even so, fronting continues unabated, with many companies giving previously disadvantaged employees a title but not a salary. When this happens, lawbreakers steal deserved opportunities from those who comply with B-BBEE scorecards.

Several companies have been investigated for fronting by the B-BBEE Commission, including Netcare Holdings, MTN Zakhele, and Nokia Solutions. In its report, the B-BBEE Commission found that the MTN Zakhele Futhi B-BBEE Scheme did not meet the objectives of the Empowerment Act. A remedial recommendation to address the defects of the Zakhele Futhi scheme was to change the governing documents and train the members of the board.

Historically, many reports have proven that fronting hinders progress for the township and rural economies in terms of economic empowerment. In its attempt to address fronting, the B-BBEE Commission issued warnings and terminated the licences of several companies. Still, window dressing is still the order of the day.

Black employees are still positioned as executives, but with significantly lower salaries than other executives. A lack of active participation by alleged black managers in top-level decision-making processes is concerning.

2

Black women’s empowerment

Many reports reveal that black women in South Africa are represented in the boardroom. One of those is the inaugural 2021 Sanlam Gauge report on the B-BBEE scorecard performance of 11 sectors in the country. According to this report, women are underrepresented in the agriculture, construction, finance, and forestry sectors.

The Commission for Employment Equity’s Annual Report for 2021/2022 shows that over three years, 55.3% of men and 44.7% of women are eligible for equal representation, with a gap of 7.8% between African men and women. The percentage of men in top management is around 75%, and the percentage of women is around 25%.

• In addition, Black Female ownership has decreased by 1.10 percent (-2.17%). The average growth of Black Women’s ownership is lower than Black ownership, indicating growing disparities.

Lack of black ownership

The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) published amendments to the BBBEE Codes of Good Practice that went into effect on 31 November 2018. A key goal of the policy was to address South Africa’s high unemployment rate and lack of black ownership.

“Large numbers of young people exited the education system prematurely and possess no professional or technical skills, making them effectively unemployable. About 60 percent of unemployed youth aged below 35 years have never worked,” stated the document.

According to the B-BBEE Certificate Portal, Black ownership decreased in 2021:

• Based on limited data, an analysis of large entities indicated that the Agri-BEE, Financial, and MAC sectors failed to meet their sector targets for Black and Female ownership.

• Construction and Property sectors failed to reach their Black ownership targets. Consequently, 40% of procurement spend should be allocated to women-owned businesses for growth and sustainability.

All of the above issues will require a high level of strictness and compliance from the B-BBEE Commission. The commission is responsible for ensuring that all companies comply with BEE policies, and that wealth filters down to relevant beneficiaries. It should ensure that there is no fronting and that women and black people are economically represented. Otherwise, what’s the point of having good policies if we can’t implement them?

Skills Development should be a priority for achieving South Africa’s economic growth and employment goals. This BBBEE element should measure the extent to which employers carry out initiatives designed to develop the competencies of black employees.

It is also recommended that companies align their enterprise development and supplier development initiatives with their supply chain requirements. Supplier Development assesses the extent to which companies purchase goods and services from empowering suppliers who are BBBEE-recognised.

Oscarine is a well-seasoned African female Industrial Engineer who obtained her Bachelor of Technology degree at Nelson Mandela University and her postgraduate diploma in industrial engineering at WITS University. Her background is in continuous improvement, business process re-engineering, and Program management.

How do you see your role at Multichoice? Frontline or a gatekeeper role, a BA’s scope is centred around ensuring what is good; is adopted by the business, and what’s negative is done away with to keep the business healthy.

A FUTURE SPARKLING BRIGHT

What excites you about your work? The one thing I love about my role is I never know what to expect, each day needs a different approach to problemsolving.

I’m a Business Analyst because I love diagnosing business problems and implementing solutions to eliminate them. Being part of integrating a payment method successfully on our platforms, reaching the mass market with simplified customer journeys to use such payment methods gives me a sense of “value-add” to enriching lives.

What important lessons have you learned in your career?

In one season of my career, I had to choose career growth over money, and that trade-off was painful, yet incomparable to the latter results, but through the knowledge gained, I tripled my salary after a year.

How would you describe your purpose? Finding practical solutions to everyday problems, both in personal and business relationships. I desire to see my stakeholders walking away with satisfactory solutions that need no specialised skills to implement.

What advice do you have for aspirant business analysts? To build your brand (values, principles, etc.), always be open to constructive feedback, whether you receive it well or not. When seeking assistance, don’t be afraid to sound clueless once in a while, that way you’ll be able to swim out of the deep end much faster.

In addition to sticking to the schedule, on-time delivery is a function of your relationship with those you’re building the solution for (Stakeholder matters get ahead).

Please share any exciting plans you may have for the future. MSc Industrial in the field of soft systems engineering will see me elicit key business requirements that will not only be clear for developers to code and deploy, but solving interdependent business problems to get holistic results. Business Analyst Certification with an International Business Analysis Institute, thereafter shadowing a Senior Product Development.

Oscarine Shingange

A PASSION FOR CHANGING LIVES

Sinqobile Khuluse (BA) (LLB) is the Head of Human Resources at Sandock Austral Shipyards. He comes from a humble background in the Mlazi township, in Durban. Khuluse is an Admitted Attorney who specialises in Employment Law.

Tell us about your background and career journey. What motivated you to choose this career path? After high school, I went on to pursue legal studies at the University of KwaZulu Natal. In addition to completing a BA and LLB degree, I also wrote articles and passed board exams. After practising for a few years, I discovered my love for employment law and began studying for my Master’s. While studying, I worked for a labour law firm.

Then, I was offered the position of Senior Manager of Industrial Relations in the Manufacturing sector. My breakthrough came when I was fortunate to be recognised by my then Group HR Director as one of the high-performing talent within the Group and appointed as the Human Resources Director of our sister manufacturing plant with approximately 3000 employees. It was an amazing experience to work for a company whose workforce was predominately composed of hard-working women who encouraged me to develop my leadership skills.

At Sandock Austral Shipyards, I oversee the Human Resources department. Working for the largest shipyard in southern Africa, I am passionate about job creation and making a difference in people’s lives. I also serve as the Chairperson of the Manufacturing Forum under the auspices of the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

What does your job entail? In my role, I am responsible for the Human Resources business unit and driving human resource strategy, employee relations, organisational development, and effectiveness. I deliver processes related to developing and maintaining our human capital strategy, integrated talent management, performance development, succession planning, transformation, learning and development, including training and managing all workplace experiential learning programs for unemployed graduates and overseeing apprenticeship training. In addition, I am the Transformation Manager.

What are some ways you promote diversity in the workplace- and how do you think we can accelerate the transformation process in South Africa?

I strongly believe that Transformation makes business sense, enough evidence has been gathered over the years that support this

statement, diverse teams can make more inclusive decisions that drive the business forward, and teams can leverage the differentiated lived experiences of others and in turn, the difference of opinion and views were more agile and nimble when it came to critical moments and times of crisis. COVID-19 is just one of the unexpected situations that businesses had to deal with and more often than not it was the teams that had forged ahead on their transformation journeys that were able to better navigate through the unknowns.

Transformation needs to become more than just a compliance tick box, it needs to be a rite of passage for any business to conduct business in our country. For any entity to call itself a good corporate citizen, it needs to be able to demonstrate, that it has transformed sufficiently in the critical areas, which are its top leadership composition and supply chain.

Sinqobile Khuluse

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS: SHOULD BE A PRIORITY FOR GOVERNMENT

The informal settlements are often dangerous since they don’t follow proper housing standards.

The majority of shacks are erected illegally. The occupation of land continued over time, with more threats of invasion of the land dubbed “Sihlalangenkani” in many parts of the country.

Shacks are mostly erected in high-risk areas. Therefore, floods and fires are most common in squatter camps, resulting in many deaths.

It is estimated that more than 2.2 million urban dwellers live in informal settlements in South Africa. Approximately one in five people live in shacks in many of South Africa’s biggest cities, including Johannesburg and Cape Town, according to the South African Cities Network.

Government reports suggested that between 2002 and 2016, informal settlements in South

Africa increased from 300 to 2,225. Each year, the number increases.

To protect residents from floods and fires, the Social Protection, Community, and Human Development cluster has announced that the government is working around the clock to formalise informal settlements. When it comes to transforming these settlements, the government should address two key issues:

1. Land

In South Africa, land ownership remains a contentious issue. In section 25, the property can only be expropriated “for a public purpose or in the public interest” and “subject to compensation” - the amount and manner of compensation must be agreed upon by those affected, or decided by a court.

Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill, which aimed to amend section 25 of the Constitution to allow for the expropriation of land without compensation, failed to garner the necessary votes in the National Assembly. This makes it difficult for the government to provide land to those living in informal settlements.

Nonetheless, the cluster believes one of the most important factors in human settlements development is access to land in urban settlements. The cluster briefing to the media on Sunday, 26th February, was led by Angie Motshekga, Minister of Basic Education, and DrJoe Phaahla, Minister of Health, reiterated this information. To date, 2,689 hectares of State land have been transferred to the Housing Development Agency from the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure.

2. Housing opportunities

From the released land parcels, nearly 64 000 housing opportunities are planned, which will contribute significantly to fulfilling the prescripts of the Freedom Charter, which states that “houses, security, and comfort” shall be provided.

Despite the increased number of informal settlements created by a variety of factors, the department still fails to upgrade informal settlements. Some informal settlements have existed for decades without access to electricity. A good example is Makause, an informal settlement located in Germiston, which is home to more than 10,000 people, many of whom have lived there for more than 20 years. Yet, another good example is Zandspruit in Honeydew,where thousands of people have been living in shacks for years. In most cases, the ANC government leaves shack dwellers dry and only remembers them during elections. They will then secure votes with food parcels.

“In the last financial year, about 24 671 stands were created through the informal upgrading

process,” Motshekga said. She told journalists that, in order to transform informal settlements, basic services such as water, electricity, sanitation, and security will be provided. As there is no alternative for Eskom, and the government is failing to keep the lights on, it’s unclear how the government will provide electricity to millions of people living in shacks.

3. Floods

In the past five days, Motshekga pointed out that the country has experienced devastating floods in KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.

Every year, we read about squatter camp dwellers who are displaced by floods or fires. Just before Covid-19, Mamelodi was hit by heavy flooding, leaving many people in a squatter camp destitute. Similar flooding occurred this year, leaving hundreds homeless.

One of the best ways to resolve this problem, is by providing proper housing to residents of squatter camps. Byinvesting in the upgrade of informal settlements this saves lives and provide South Africans with a place to call home In order to achieve thisthe government will have to increase its housing budget by billions of rands. There is still no money available to improve the failing power utility, as far as we know. Where will the money come from to build houses?

“With climate change, natural disasters are becoming more frequent and most of our infrastructure was not designed to be resilient,” said Motshekga.

“For an effective response to these disasters, we need land, we need South Africans to embrace each other, especially when families are homeless, vulnerable and distressed.

“It is in times like this that we need to collaborate, unite and focus on solutions that will provide relief to all those in need.”

Motshekga also expressed gratitude for all the interventions being initiated by private and public sector partners as well as social partners to assist those in need.

“It will be a long road, but together we can do so much more to minimise the impact of the devastating floods.”

Final Thoughts

Those in power must recognise the dignity of all South Africans, regardless of their socioeconomic status. Unfortunately, that is not the case for millions of impoverished individuals who live in squalor. No human should live in a shack or any substandard housing conditions, without access to basic services such as water, sanitation,road access, electricity andno refuse collection. It is the right of every South African to have a roof over their heads. This is what we all vote for when we go to the polls.

START AN ONLINE STORE IN SECONDS WITH THIS APP

In South Africa, there are few platforms that allow small business owners to take full control of their businesses. As a result, Elton Fasser founded Fassernate, an app that helps small business owners set up an online store where they can sell their products.

But it was not easy for Fasser to take Fassernate to the next level when he tried to launch his tech business. This dream was not realised until 2017 due to financial and resource constraints. In March 2022, the Fassernate app was released. And in only three months, it has reached an incredible 1000 downloads.

Throughout his career, he has worked for a wide variety of large corporations. With more than 25 years of experience in Information Technology. In his opinion, very little is being done to build and transform businesses into sustainable enterprises. We had a chat with Fasser and filed the below interview.

Could you please tell us a little about your career background? I began my professional career at South African Airways. I was one of the first non-white employees in the computer department. This was way back in apartheid state years. It was very challenging. You know, all these challenges you face in life end up molding you into what you are today. I must say, it was a very pleasant experience. You know, it definitely taught me good life lessons, and then I was supposed to hit up the Y2K operations. Unfortunately, I was involved in a political riot, I ended up getting shot and it took me another two years to actually start walking again.

And one could say that’s where the “never say die” attitude comes from because I completely believe that I would walk again. Despite the fact that it took me two

years, I succeeded. After that, I worked for a medical IT company called Meditech. That was my introduction to medical IT.

Before Fassernate, what was your life like?

I never went to varsity, I did not receive any formal training. Almost everything I do is self-taught. In the beginning, I used Bill Gates and Steve Jobs as both excuses and inspirations. They were both varsity dropouts. To an extent, I guess, one should feel embarrassed about not being able to afford to go to university. And I used to constantly tell people that, you know, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs both ended up building big businesses without having any formal qualifications.

In your opinion, how should transformation be approached? My first observation is that our government hasn’t done enough to help transform the way we do business and move small and informal businesses forward into a digital world.

Elton Fasser

TECH TO RESOLVE INEQUALITY

Most people who were raised in family businesses feel comfortable transitioning from the traditional 9-to-5 grind to running their businesses. Therefore, Tony Lebese has no problem running a business. His parents owned a coal business and a general dealer (spaza shop), where they sold groceries to residents in Winterveld, Pretoria. The 13-year-old was already flexing his entrepreneurial muscles by helping in a family business. Later, he qualified with an auditing qualification and worked for the Auditor General, SARS, and Shell.

When Lebese and his partner, Phillip Brits formed EESUp – an application aiming to tackle poverty and inequality in South African townships. He aims to generate income and promote wealth by partnering with grocery stores, and small businesses. His mission is to empower those around him by providing them access to resources they may not have had before. Here is the interview TransformSA conducted with Tony:

1

How did you get into business and what is your career background?

In 2009, I started several ventures under the banner of Sugarhill Corporation (Pty) Ltd, which included operating a pub, manufacturing cosmetics products, providing accounting services, and working with a start-up rescuing failing petrol service stations. From 2012 I worked as a business

coach, working with start-ups and medium companies, including contracting for Awethu Project and Siyakha Implementation Partners in 2018.

I had been mulling over the idea of harnessing the collective purchasing power of the township populations since 2001. Phillip’s inspiration stemmed from a visit to Alexandra township in 2012, wherein he experienced the daily difficulties experienced by the biggest portion of the SA population. So collectively, we have been bugged by the issue of inequality in SA for over 30 years.

producing assets in their neighbourhoods thus reducing the amounts of profits that are currently being exported out of townships. We:

1. Find the lowest prices on products

2. Cashback of 25% on consumer purchases.

3. Provide consumers and the community with a profit of approximately 20%.

4. Wealth wallets receive 20% of consumers’ profits.

2 3

How do you view transformation and economic empowerment?

Transformation and empowerment are crucial in addressing the imbalances of the past. To transform and empower themselves, communities need to assess what they have at their disposal. With EESUp, communities can claim approximately 20% of their grocery spend and empower themselves and their communities.

How do you envision South Africa in the next 5 years?

We envision a South Africa where the lives of the bottom 50% of the population have improved immensely, we’re going to bed hungry is a distant memory, and where the marginalised own income-

5. Profits are channelled into incomegenerating activities to the tune of 50%.

6. Consumers’ Social Wallets will receive 5% of profits.

4

We face high unemployment as a country, how is your company addressing this issue?

With its unique model, the EESUp application creates opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship. Through the EESUp operations fund and entrepreneurship in the townships, we will create jobs within our value chain by allocating 15% and 25% of profits from consumers’ purchases.

Tony Lebese

TAKING AFRICAN INNOVATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL THE VALENTINE’S GIFT THAT STARTED A BUSINESS

The majority of entrepreneurs started their businesses with their own savings, while others needed bank loans to get started. More often, they will start their businesses as part-time hustles.

When Vusani Ravele founded Native Decor, he started his business as a part-time hobby from his living room. The year was 2015, and Vusi had just received a cordless drill as a Valentine’s Day gift. With a new toy in his hands, he couldn’t stop drilling holes.

Vusi became one of the first entrepreneurs to benefit from a lucrative investment deal with his current business partner, Gil Oved, of The Creative Counsel. His company, Native Decor, makes visually pleasing and functional products using sustainable timber. In this interview, we learn more about Vusi’s business journey.

Can you tell us a little about Native Deco and what inspired you to start it? This business was a bit of a passion project for me. I was actually working full time as a sales manager when I started. It was after I received a cordless drill as a Valentine’s Day gift. As soon as I got the drill, I decided I wanted to make some products. After making those products, I realised they were actually nice enough to sell. Since then, I have continued to manufacture products.

How does Native Deco differ from its competitors? Our products are quite different from those of many other manufacturers in South Africa. All our products have a very modern, European feel to it. We try to make it as relevant and relatable to South Africa as possible.

We use birch plywood, which is something that a lot of companies don’t use in South Africa. The colour of our furniture items is different; you can see the difference in our products.

What are the ways native decor has successfully engaged and empowered young people, specifically in terms of economic participation?

Our priority is to hire young people, but we also hire people who haven’t necessarily worked in the positions they are being given? For us, that means giving them new skills, which is a big deal.

Legazy Technology Conferencing is the brainchild of Zuko Tisani. In 2018, Zuko secured a $1 million letter of intent from one of Africa’s largest TMT (technology, media, telecommunications) companies to host a new Web summit conference in South Africa. His company has since hosted many business events and grown from strength to strength.

Zuko was born and raised in Zwide, a township in Port Elizabeth. As his parents were still undergraduate students at Rhodes University, Zuko had to be raised by his grandparents until he was seven years old. During our interview with Zuko, he shared more about his business.

How did you come up with the idea for your business? It may have been 2016 when one event took place. I attended a conference sponsored by Accenture in Hong Kong called Rise. Coincidentally, I bumped into a friend whose mom is the ambassador of Hong Kong and South Africa. As a platinum pass holder, I had access to VIPs at the conference. As a result, I was able to find myself backstage with the likes of Travis Kalanick and Jack Dorsey.

As a result of my travels and studies of entrepreneurial ecosystems and climates around the world, Legazy Technologies was born. It became apparent to me how much the South African entrepreneurial ecosystem (the relationship between public, private, and entrepreneur) needed maturing, how invisible African innovation was to the world, and how small our market share was.

Who were your first clients? One of our first clients was Standard Bank; we took them to a conference called Web Summit in 2016, in Portugal. Since then, we have taken over 195 different individuals to exhibit all over the world.

What has been your biggest highlight? First, gaining a global footprint through my company. Then between 2018 and 2019, I made the under 30 Business Forbes list. It was a major milestone for me as well to shoot our first film. Writing, producing, directing, and the film was all amazing.

What else does your business do? I decided to challenge the status quo with a new business that matched my two passions: market cases and video. I noticed that businesses spend a lot of money on advertising but are unable to estimate how much they earn from sales or advertising. Why? Because there’s no way to track that. So, what we’ve been able to do is simplify the process by providing that data to them. We do this by making sure that our clients get rich data from a platform that can tell them when a customer is paying, what was the motive response, or what motivated that purchase.

Vusani Ravele

MASODI ORGANICS

NOW YOU ARE DRESSED, APARA

The purpose of dressing up and feeling good goes beyond covering our bodies. It is the best way to convey messages, bold statementsand express love for ourselves. Ayanda More can help you achieve that. She started a fashion consultant business, APARA Global.

It was not difficult for Ayanda to choose a perfect name for her business. She just had to think about what she was passionate about. As a result, she decided to “dress up” people from a tender age of 13. APARA means “dress up” in Setswana and Sotho.

Liz Letsoalo is the founder of Masodi Organics, an online business. The inspiration for her brand was inclusivity, creativity, and a trend toward more luxurious beauty products. It is named after her mother, Masodi, who has always been an inspiration to Liz. Liz shares about her business.

What was the first product you put on the market? There have been three products that have remained with the brand since its inception: whipped shea butter, body butter, and coconut oil. We also had other natural products such as Castor Oil and African Black Soap Shampoo for hair care.

What entrepreneurial values do you attribute to your upbringing? My childhood was full of freedom and joy, which was shaped by my preschool experience with Mmane Makgoba and Mmane Mokhubidu, who celebrated our individuality and made us feel like stars. Each time I reflect on it, my heart swells with gratitude.

How have you overcome stumbling blocks as a business owner? I think the resource is top of the list for most entrepreneurs, myself included. The most important idea is that entrepreneurs must find creative ways to stay afloat and grow sustainably and that running a business is a journey of refining and growing self.

What are your thoughts on transformation? I’ve seen different types of organizations, some with an incredibly liberal and open culture and others that felt a bit tenser. I think it would be fair to think that most organizations have a lot of work to do to achieve not only a transformed work environment but one in which every person genuinely has an opportunity to participate freely, and succeed. Some organizations look transformed from a numbers perspective, but when you look at the day-to-day experiences of what it feels like to be an ‘included’ person in the space, it does not look fair or healthy. And I think that can really erode trust and hope, especially in young people.

One of the most interesting things about APARA Global is that all of its house designed active wear is made from recycled plastic bottles that would otherwise clog landfills or threaten marine life. TransformSA touched base with Ayanda to learn more about the brand.

What does APARA mean to you, and what inspired you to start it? What inspired APARA was me really trying to find my purpose in life and wanting to understand what I was born for. As a result, I learned that I am here to serve the youth.

Drawing from my entrepreneurial, engineering and management skills, my aim is to eradicate poverty in South Africa by cultivating the next generation of innovative, social-minded leaders. The APARA Global Academy, launched in April 2020 for those ages 14-25, offers digital courses aimed at boosting development, leadership and personal growth. Meanwhile, the APARA Global Foundation, provides school clothing for disadvantaged children.

The business evolved from fashion to education to a sustainable brand, we use recycled fabrics to make our active wear. Sustainability for me is about eradicating poverty and quality of life for the next generation.

Give us some tips for surviving and thriving in business. The first thing you need is selfdiscipline because it propels self-growth. Discipline helps you to be consistent in pursuing your business goals. Second, you must be decisive, that is, a decision is only a decision when you act on it. Believing in yourself wholeheartedly is essential. If you believe in yourself, other people will believe in what you’re doing as well. Embrace failure, failure creates an opportunity. Lastly, be consistent. Consistency is the key to progress in all areas of our lives.

In what ways have you implemented gender-driven development at work? No matter what industry you work in, it’s not easy to be a woman to work and thrive. Although women are generally much better than men. We are just as good in corporate as men are. Yet, it is extremely difficult for a woman to blend into the corporate environment or into the entrepreneurial one.

To address this, we have launched a mentorship program that will pave a way for young women. We are now recruiting other women graduates from outside South Africa, mentoring them, and teaching them on how to manage daily tasks using project management methodologies.

Liz Letsoalo

Ayanda More

SIMPLIFYING THE BEE LANDSCAPE

ADVISORY

BEE ADVISORY, TRAINING AND STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT

CAPITAL

STRUCTURING AND IMPLEMENTION OF BEE TRANSACTIONS

BEE EXECUTIVE SEARCH TALENT

Transcend delivers BEE solutions that include a bespoke, three-pronged approachAdvisory, Capital and Talent - working together for true transformation. In this way, we find sustainable ways for businesses and people to reach their full potential; accelerate economic growth; and contribute meaningfully to South African societal and professional equality.

Please contact info@transcend.co.za or call us on (011) 442 2433 for more information.

Photo by Dan Grinwis