Publishing Editor: Sakhumzi “Saki” Mabhele

publishingeditor

Earlier this year, the World Bank released a damning report about inequality in Southern Africa. According to the report South Africa continued to be amongst the most unequal countries in the world ranking first among 164 measured countries. The report did not shy away from linking its findings to race dynamics in South Africa placing on the spotlight the sad reality that black people remained poor with little access to employment opportunities. It stated that about 10% of the population owns about 80% of the country’s wealth, a clear indication that transformation is failing in South Africa. Indeed, if the intention through the Broadbased Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act was to eradicate the socio-economic disparities that were created by the apartheid regime then it has failed to yield the expected results. Whether this failure is attributed to the provisions of the Act or the implementation of the Act that could be debated. We are approaching three decades since South Africa became a democracy and yes, the poor remain poorer, and the rich have become richer.

Inequality in South Africa should also not be dealt with in isolation or outside the socio-economic realities of the African continent. There are known similarities and socio-economic challenges in various African states where Africans remain poor with little or no access to resources and economic opportunities. The time has come for Africans to look beyond the systems that were developed to undermine success stories and triumphs of the people of Africa. The time has indeed come for Africans to seek solutions from within, recognize African creative minds, take charge and advantage of what is uniquely African. Initiatives such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)

We also have entrepreneurs who continue to create job opportunities even during tough economic times

present a rather unique opportunity for Africa to advance its economic ambitions. In the same vein celebration of African success stories, recognition of African excellence and genius is paramount in the transition towards a more self-reliant Africa. In this respect, I admire initiatives such as the Africa Genius Awards (AGAs) which seek to recognize and rebuild the confidence of Africans in Africa’s own abilities and strengths. This initiative gives credence to the fact that there is so much talent and intellect in the continent to achieve way more than what many have been led to expect from Africa.

In this edition our lead story is the AGAs which once again took to the fore to celebrate the Africans who have contributed to the continent in different ways. This resonates well with the transformation agenda of the continent which must rewrite the falsehoods and omissions about African success. Also, in this edition we look into the matter of scrapping B-BBEE as proposed by South Africa’s major opposition party the Democratic Alliance (DA) when it announced its intention to introduce what it termed the Social Impact Bill to replace B-BBEE modelled on one of UN SDGs.

We also have our usual features looking at professionals who are leading in various institutions. One such individual who shares great leadership insights in this edition is Dr Sibongile Vilakazi. In addition, we have entrepreneurs who continue to create job opportunities even during tough economic times. Issac Mbatha’s story is fascinating. He was cleaning tents when he entered the industry and today, he is the owner and employs over 54 people. These are real stories which remain an inspiration to many.

Enjoy the read