7 minute read
THE NEXT 45 YEARS
from African Leader 2022
REDEFINING SOUTH AFRICA IN OUR OWN IMAGE
Monde Ndlovu, head of advocacy and thought leadership, re ects on the BMF’s role in changing the South African landscape
The BMF is a thought leadership organisation that has played a crucial role in the development of laws to transform the economy, including the Employment Equity and Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment acts. e BMF was prompted to move into a thought leadership model because the country was on the brink of impending change and needed thinkers who would in uence the levers of power. With the ongoing struggle for political change, the BMF stood in the gap advocating for economic transformation. e work of thought leadership has not changed, but continues to evolve with the leaders of each passing generation. e phrase “rede ning South Africa into our image” came from Dr Reuel Khoza, who delivered the address at the BMF strategy session in January. I have since decided to borrow the phrase as I look at the role of the BMF over the next 45 years as it seeks to rede ne South Africa.
Rede ning South African society into an image suggests that the image is rstly what will be good for the society. Secondly, the image becomes the standard of ultimate re ection and emulation. irdly, the image is what we all aspire to become and commit to shaping our lives in that direction. erefore, an image is
Monde Ndlovu
a complete representation of an idea, place, imagination and thought. In the words of Lot Ndlovu, “we have a hope as we sit here, that black people will act di erently to white people, and the white people who join us today will act like us”. e image Lot Ndlovu is talking about is the idea of the BMF and how the organisation shapes all people. e BMF image is what South Africa needs today and in the future.
VALUES-DRIVEN IMAGE
Unpacking the layers of society using the iceberg model reveals that the tip is what people see and engage with. e tip is the noticeable behaviour and actions of others, but it does not communicate e ectively what lies beneath those behaviours and actions. Some leaders in our country enjoy articulating views that sound correct, yet they move at variance with what they profess, raising a question about values. Naturally, human beings seek to build self-con dence by watching the behaviour of their leaders and drawing strength from their words and even their inspiring actions.
However, this approach to building con dence in society is being challenged daily by the double standards that leaders unashamedly display. Beneath the iceberg is where the real discourse of values and assumptions lies. e BMF has, over the years, emphasised the role of values in shaping organisations and society in general. Values are actively built by progressive leaders who remain rooted in their context. Transformation must begin at a personal level to be internally aligned to the correct values that will build the social fabric of society. e BMF has upheld ubuntu, e ectiveness, integrity, creativity, and respect as its organisational values. ese values belong to the future yet live in the present. e BMF’s values remain timeless and above reproach in all respects. Members of the BMF are immediately challenged by the values of the organisation and how they t into the value system. Over the years, the
DID YOU KNOW?
The BMF achieved a signifi cant milestone in 2018 with the introduction of transformation as one of the main requirements for listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
Dr Reuel Khoza
BMF has seen some members behave outside of this “image”, yet their illicit behaviour does not change the organisation. e organisation has an internal mechanism – its values – that separates genuine leaders from the cha , and will keep society intact. As Mteto Nyati puts it, “values are the heart of society and any organisation.”
FAST FACT
The BMF launched Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) as a united force for black and white businesses in 2003. BUSA’s fi rst two CEOs were drawn from the ranks of the BMF.
IDEAS-DRIVEN IMAGE
e BMF has been the midwife of key legislations that have shaped the transformation trajectory of the country. e organisation has encouraged the culture of shaping ideas intended to drive the economic transformation agenda. e importance of generating ideas and sharing them is so that those ideas can be owned and championed by the collective. Outside of the collective, these ideas will not live or grow, but within the organisation they can be absorbed. is image of ideas is critical today because the country does not su er from a lack of ideas, but su ers from a collective movement that champions ideas. e BMF has been the organisation that encourages ideas to be debated and adopted. e Basotho Hat model, used to drive a rmative action, is still useful today. e model is a timeless approach to changing the management pro le of business and embedding transformation. Currently, we are seeing a concerning picture in management, where organisations still struggle to de ne how their management structures will be transformed. Organisations today cannot fully explain who is the sole custodian of transformation within their organisations. Some organisations are considering creating a transformation division and moving transformation out of human resources. e veri cation companies that exist because of the B-BBEE Act lack transformation themselves – many are white-owned. erefore, the Basotho Hat Model is still relevant today in rede ning management structures in all industries in the country. Part of the BMF’s mission statement states that the organisation stands for the “creation of managerial structures and processes which re ect the demographics and values of the wider society”. e BMF’s creativity value links to the creation of management structures and processes in all industries, including new industries. e Basotho Hat Model plays the role of creating management structures in the economy, while the re ection of the values of the wider society calls for the development of another model. is model, dubbed the Indigenous Management Model, is still being developed by the BMF, but will enhance the values of the wider society within business.
In continuing with the image of ideas, the BMF needs to start by creating a Dr Reuel Khoza library. e purpose is to house thought leadership concepts, host reading clubs and ne-tune ideas the organisation can champion. As the rst recipient of the BMF ought Leadership Award in the mid-1990s, Dr Khoza deserves the library-naming honour. e BMF has been a home for black professionals since its inception. e notion of home is profound because it is a place where one feels accepted and appreciated. e meeting of minds and the emotional and intellectual connections that havetaken place in the BMF are special. Beyond the need to gather ideas on how to drive transformation is the need to belong to a group of like-minded people who share common struggles and aspirations.
e cause of the black people keeps the BMF digni ed. Without the full participation of black people in the economy, the country remains at risk.
Mteto Nyati
DEVELOPMENTAL IMAGE
e BMF has also focused on developing managers and leaders who must have a presence throughout the country. e concept of the critical mass both at management and ownership level remains a just cause. Developing managers and leaders in all respects must be embraced. is task is the most important, it goes beyond partisan lines and other power considerations. For the country to get on a rmer developmental path, more competent, credible and patriotic managers and leaders are needed. e BMF continues to develop these leaders, but this task needs to be taken to higher grounds by the broader South African political economy. e BMF image, brie y unpacked above, will live on. It is contextual, dynamic and progressive. is image should make us tremble each time we lead because the cause of transformation is beyond all of us, yet about us.
IN ACTION
The George Negota Litigation Fund, launched in 2019, provides funding for litigation and dispute resolution. The BMF seeks to reinforce its monitoring capacity through this fund, which will serve as a tool to enforce transformation to achieve justice, fairness and equity.
If you wish to assist in furthering the work of the BMF, donate to the George Negota Litigation Fund by direct or online deposit.
