Rethinking leadership for the digital era
CONVERSATION WITH
GAMA ATTORNEYS INC.
:
PUBLISHING CREDITS CHIEF EDITOR Benito Mamaile editor@businessxposure.co.za EXPERT CONTRIBUTORS Frans Nel Dr. Travis Bradberry Morgen Moyo Madelain Roscher John Lombela Jacques Loots Thabiso Gama Elena Agaragimova South African Banking Risk Information Centre PICTURES Intellectual Media Cover Interview Pictures Credit: Tumi Phake DESIGNERS Intellectual Media and Communications LEGAL Loots Attorneys Gama Attorneys ACCOUNTS Istora Rapule accounts@businessxposure.co.za
THABISO GAMA Founder & MD, Gama Attorneys Inc.
HIGHLIGHTS
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RETHINKING LEADERSHIP FOR THE DIGITAL ERA
National Business Xposure and Intellectual Media and Communications considers its sources reliable and verifies as much data as possible. National Business Xposure (EAN 0 606110 895835). However, inaccuracies can occur, consequently readers using this information do so at their own risks. National Business Xposure does not accept responsibility for omissions or errors. the points of view expressed in articles by attributing writers and/or in advertisements included in this magazine do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental. Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained within this magazine, no legal responsibility will be accepted by the publishers for loss arising from use of this information published. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or stored in a retrievable system in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the publisher.
BENITO MAMAILE CEO & Business Development, Intellectual Media and Communications Platform Architect & Chief Editor, National Business Xposure South Africa
JACQUES LOOTS Admitted Attorney & CEO Loots Attorneys South Africa
DR. TRAVIS BRADBERRY Coauthor of Emotional Intelligence President at TalentSmart United States of America
MORGEN MOYO Founder My Success Hub South Africa
ELENA AGARAMIGOVA CEO & Talent Development Agar Consultancy United Arab Emirates, Dubai
MADELAIN ROSCHER MD, Multi Award Winning PR Specialist at PR Worx South Africa
JIMMY MSIBI CEO, SHERQ Specialist Masweja SHERQ Management South Africa
THABISO GAMA Admitted Attorney & CEO Gama Attorneys South Africa
CHIEF EDITOR’S LETTER
2020 A HISTORIC YEAR THAT CHANGED HOW WE LIVE AND BROUGHT US A NEW NORMAL ” Hopefully, as companies give more attention to the importance of work-life balance, more and more people will be in a better position to decide and act more holistically on what’s important to them.” – Mohamed Aly El-Erian -an Egyptian-American businessman
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www.fico.com
COVER INTERVIEW
Thabiso Gama GAMA ATTORNEYS INC.
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COVER INTERVIEW
Exclusive CHAT
Thabiso Gama
T
habiso Gama is a South African based attorney as well as the founder and managing director of Gama Attorneys Incorporated. He commenced his articles at a labour law firm based in Sunninghill, before joining a Corporate & Commercial law firm based in Sandton where he kickstarted the journey towards realising his vision of being a transaction attorney. Prior to establishing Gama Attorneys, he was a part of various transaction teams who advised private, listed and state-owned entities in a number of complex and high-profile commercial transactions of a combined deal value exceeding R5 billion. Thabiso spent a considerable amount of time leveraging and learning from established Corporate & Commercial as well as Banking & Finance experts
He has presented on a number of legal topics, including preference share funding to various entities, including a large multi-national construction law firm. At 29 years of age, he decided to take the oftenfeared path and established Gama Attorneys Inc. A Corporate and Commercial Law firm based in Midrand and Sandton, Gauteng. Since the inception of the company at the end of February 2020, Gama Attorneys has already advised various businesses in transactions with a combined deal value exceeding R600 Million. Thabiso has expertise in Mergers and Acquisitions; Debt Restructuring; Asset Finance and Competition Law. His vision is to turn Gama Attorneys Inc into a socially responsible business and one of the best Corporate and Commercial law firms in South Africa.
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COVER INTERVIEW
Thabiso Gama is a South African based attorney, founder and managing director of Gama Attorneys Incorporated. An agile legal firm specialising in all aspects of Corporate and Commercial law with offices situated in Midrand and Sandton with extended provincial footprints in Durban and Cape Town. Our team of dedicated lawyers execute business transactions with innovation, enthusiasm and commercial pragmatism and advise clients who are at the forefront of their industries.
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COVER INTERVIEW
Thabiso Gama | Gama Attorneys Inc.
JOIN THE CONERSATION ON
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COVER INTERVIEW
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COVER INTERVIEW
Thabiso Gama – Founder & Managing Director © Gama Attorneys Inc.
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COVER INTERVIEW
Thabiso Gama – Founder & Managing Director © Gama Attorneys Inc.
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OUR SERVICES Corporate and Commercial Banking and Finance
Competition Law Financial Services Labour / Employment Law Family Law Litigation
“ The power of the lawyer is in the uncertainty of the law. �
- Jeremy Bentham
Clients associated with Gama Attorneys Inc. operate seamlessly across all of these jurisdictions, in order to provide the best legal advice under competitive terms with original values
REAL ESTATE
Property market rises above challenges to meet 2021 on a winning streak
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Contributed by
Correspondent
This was particularly evident in the underR1mil price bracket, which achieved a total of 43.92% of sales. The next most active bracket was R1mil - R2mil, which achieved 35.99% of sales.
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REAL ESTATE
Bond repayments and rentals are the closest they’ve been in years.
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DATA SECURITY
Think CYBERSECURITY is expensive? Just wait until there's a breach... Contributed by
Lukas van der Merwe Specialist Sales Executive: Security
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TECH REVIEW
What 4IR means in the context of South Africa? Contributed by
Ekart Zollner | Bizcommunity
.
We live in an era that is more and more defined by technology and terminology, and whether we like it, not, whether we are ready, or not, we are in the midst of it already.
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GET INSPIRED ON THE GO
AVALAIBLE ON
CSI & SUSTAINABILITY
DIGITAL DEMOCRACY is still a long way off in Africa: it takes more than technology possible when a set of political, legal, and economic conditions are in place. For example, the content that citizens can access increasingly depends on giant tech companies, especially for poorer citizens. In his contribution on Facebook’s Free Basics - a service that provides basic online services without data charges - Toussaint Nothias explains that tech corporations’ dominant position enables them to shape how individuals use the internet under the pretence of making it more affordable.
From the mid-2000s onwards, the digital revolution raised hopes of democratic transformation and strengthening in Africa. But it hasn't quite turned out like that. Now, almost a decade after the "Arab Spring", techno-optimism has given way to techno-pessimism. African leaders have proved able to blunt the transformative potential of smart phones through censorship and internet shutdowns. When the internet is on, social media attracts more attention for spreading fake news than preventing election rigging. What was once thought of as “liberation technology” has turned out to be remarkably compatible with the maintenance of the status quo. Or has it? Does this more pessimistic reading overlook genuine progress? A new publication I co-edited with Lisa Garbe – Decoding #DigitalDemocracy in Africa – draws
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together the latest research on the extent to which digital technology has changed Africa … and the ways in which Africa is changing digital technology. The articles show that we should not miss the wood for the trees: despite disappointment, digital technology has had profound impacts on African politics and society. But, they also highlight how much more needs to be known about digital technology on the continent. DIGITAL ACCESS AND INCLUSION A lot of recent analysis has focused on the digital divide in Africa, and the many people excluded from online access by poverty and lack of coverage. Yet researchers have also found that closing this divide cannot be achieved by cheaper technology alone. Using digital technology to access information and resources is only
This raises tough questions about whether multinational companies engage ethically in Africa. As Julie Owono’s contribution points out, Facebook has been accused of “dumping” products such as Free Basics, stymieing the production of local alternatives. This has raised concerns of a fresh “scramble for Africa”, with multinational companies expending more energy and resources in securing new users than tackling hate speech and misinformation. SOCIAL MEDIA, DEMOCRACY AND ACCOUNTABILITY From the recent “virtual protest” in Zambia to #ZimbabweanLivesMatter, the potential of social media to empower dissenting voices is clear. Idayat Hassan and Jamie Hitchen’s analysis of WhatsApp and Facebook use ahead of elections in The Gambia shows that even in rural areas with limited connectivity, social media content contributes to offline political mobilisation.
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CSI & SUSTAINABILITY It is important not to lose sight of this more positive impact amid the growing focus on fake news and hate speech. Sadly, though, further problems are on the horizon. Azeb Madebo reveals how the Ethiopian diaspora has fuelled the polarisation between the Oromo community on the one hand, and the Ethiopian government and Ethiopian nationalists on the other. Not all fake news is believed of course, but when stories play into widely held fears, prejudices and assumptions, they can exacerbate distrust and encourage a cycle of violence. It is, therefore, significant that there is relatively little regulation of content moderation. Julie Owono shows that in part this can be attributed to the limited local capacity of content providers such as Facebook or Twitter. Neither has invested heavily in African experts capable of identifying fake news and hate speech circulated on their platforms. In part, it is also rooted in the limited funding available for civil society groups, considerable linguistic diversity, and the volume of information being shared. As a result, organisations such as Africa Check highlight instances of fake news but cannot hope to cover all harmful content. There are no easy answers to these problems though, because when governments do try and combat free speech, Ashwanee Budoo finds that misinformation is often abused as an excuse to clamp down on freedom of expression. FREE SPEECH, CENSORSHIP AND INTERNET SHUTDOWNS While growing internet coverage has enabled citizens to challenge authoritarian rule, non-democratic 22
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leaders have also manipulated or disrupted online access. According to Lisa Garbe, internet shutdowns have become the “new normal” in some authoritarian states. This is especially so during politically contested periods such as elections or major protests. Moreover, while internet shutdowns are important, they are the thin end of the wedge. A number of steps have been taken to prevent citizens from being able to express themselves online. There is a growing use of spyware across the continent to snoop on government critics. In Tanzania, restrictive laws about what can be said online go hand in hand with government pressure. A prominent lawyer was recently fired because of her “activism”. Uganda, Benin and several other states have imposed a social media tax that has excluded many users.
Meanwhile, those who can afford internet access still face restrictions on government information. Thus, Lisa-Marie Selvik argues that digital technology has done little to give many African citizens the right to basic government information. WHAT WE KNOW AND WHAT WE DON’T KNOW Some sixteen years on since the creation of Twitter, it is becoming clear what we do and don’t know about digital democracy in Africa. We know that digital technology is acting as a disruptive force that simultaneously has “liberating” and destructive potential. The continent has yet to develop an effective way to stop the flow of fake news. And the full benefits of digital democracy are being thwarted by digital exclusion that is driven by the high cost of data.
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IN THE KNOW WITH SABRIC
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LET’S TALK LEGAL
Finding Smarter Ways To Minimise Liability: Contractual SET-OFF Contributed by
Hellen Ramokgopa Corporate & Commercial Attorney
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SMALL BUSINESSES
7 lessons all SME’s can learn from 2020 Contributed by
Jeremy Lang Regional General Manager
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DIGITALISATION
RETHINKING LEADERSHIP FOR THE DIGITAL ERA Contributed by
Amir Sohrabi Area Vice President and Head of Digital Transformation for Central, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa
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