Public Sector Leaders | November 2022

Page 16

SOUTH AFRICAN YOUNG GLOBAL LEADER

Dr Mmaki Jantjies - Using technology to make a difference

16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM

Addressing the scourge of violence against women and children in South Africa

LEGAL MATTERS

Are members of your staff quietly quitting?

IN OTHER NEWS South Africa and Saudi Arabia sign deals worth billions

NOVEMBER | 2022
4 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 36 Editorial Contents NOVEMBER 2022 | ISSUE 21 Features 31 10 | Addressing The Nation Our common future depends on climate action now 12 | Cover Story Dr Mmaki Jantjies is using technology to make a difference 32 | In Other News South Africa and Saudi Arabia sign an agreement worth billions 38 | Money Fit 3 tips for making the most of Black Friday 40 | Regional Focus President Ramaphosa engages the community in the Northern Cape 48 | Legal Matters Quiet quitting and the effect on the workplace 50 | Upcoming Events November is all about doing the right thing 16 | Days of Activism Working together to break the cycle 20 | Towards a violencefree society New bill a step closer to ending GBV 22 | Child protection Protecting children’s mental health to reduce violence and poverty 28 | Protecting the Promise WHO and UNICEF publish bi-annual health report 30 | Cyber Attacks in South Africa Proposal for the establishment of a cyber commissioner’s office 34 | Medium-Term Budget Statement Policy Statement Taking tough action to ensure economic recovery 36 | Mapping Industrialisation in Africa Accelerating the development of the continent 44 | Water Security Strengthening service delivery 46 | The State of SOEs Increasing aviation through investment in South African airports 22 44 46

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Letter

from the

Editor

Welcome to the November edition of Public Sector Leaders (PSL)

President Ramaphosa’s Letter to the Nation on 7 November focused on climate change and the COP27 taking place in Egypt.

“We all have a clear stake and an abiding interest in the outcomes of COP27. The flooding earlier this year, the wildfires in the Table Mountain range, the locust plague outbreak in parts of the Northern Cape, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, are all associated with climate change. They affect our health and safety, our social and economic infrastructure and our nation’s food security.

“As a country, we will be outlining our own contribution to the global climate change effort, but at the same time be making a clear call for developed economy countries to meet their obligations.” – His Excellency Ramaphosa.

As part of his busy schedule, President Ramaphosa attended the Parliamentary Q&A and responded to oral questions by Members of Parliament in the National Assembly and addressed the 2nd Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF). His Excellency attended the coronation of King Misuzulu KaZwelithini and handed over the certificate of recognition at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban. President Ramaphosa also attended the inauguration ceremony of the newly elected

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho, Right Honourable Mr Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane. addresses the summit

This November edition of PSL focuses on the 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children and is covered in depth in our feature article. Continuing to look at this tragic reality we bring you an update on child protection measures and reflect on the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Bill (NCGBVF).

Our Trailblazer this month is Young Global Leader, Mmaki Jantjies and the Woman in Leadership spotlight falls on Minister of Women, Youth and persons with Disabilities, Honourable Maite Nkoana-Mashobane. The Regional Focus takes a look at

the Presidential Imbizo which took place in Northern Cape. In Other News, we shine a light on the agreements and memorandums of understanding worth billions that were signed between South Africa and Saudi Arabia during a state visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh in October.

Everything you need to know about the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) is right here in this edition – and to celebrate Africa Industrialisation Day, we zoom in on Mapping Industrialisation in Africa –looking at the current trends and the AfCFTA.

If you are concerned that some of your colleagues/staff members may be physically at their desks but have mentally tapped out, then our article on quietly quitting will make for an interesting read. And finally – what we all need at this time of year – in our Financial Fitness regular we share some money-saving tips and advice.

Whether you are in the public sector, the private sector, the supply chain or an interested individual, PSL has something for you.

We hope you enjoy the read.

8 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022
EDITOR’S LETTER
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Our common future depends on climate action now

Pesident Ramaphosa’s letter to the nation on 7 November focuses on climate change and the important discussions taking place at COP27 in Egypt.

Placing the climate change issue into local context, His Excellency recalls the tragedy of the floods which pummelled parts of KwaZulu-Natal, North West and the Eastern Cape this year –with homes being swept away, key infrastructure destroyed, businesses closed and worst of all more than 400 lost their lives.

“It has long been established that there i s a clear connection between the frequency of extreme weather events and climate change. It is also well-established that climate change has increased the likelihood of such events recurring.

According to one study, extreme weather events that were once expected every 40 years, now happen every 20 years. Extreme weather like flooding is also increasing in intensity. During the April floods, the city of Ethekwini received the equivalent of 110 days of rainfall in just one day,” - President Ramaphosa.

ADDRESSING THE NATION
10 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022

His Excellency is attending the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP27) which is being held in Egypt at a time when developing countries are coming under increased pressure to contribute more to reducing global warming; at the high-level roundtable on just transition, South Africa, as Chair, will be making the case for

developed economies to play their part support developing ones to meet their climate change commitments.

In this letter President Ramaphosa emphasises the balancing act required to ensure the country reaches its development goals at the same time as transitioning to a low-carbon, climate change resilient economy. Regarding the latter South Africa recently adopted a Just Transition Framework and released the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan for public comment. H.E. also points out that while historically Africa bears the least responsibility for climate change, it is our continent that is feeling its effects most acutely - and that 7 years after the Paris Agreement, countries with developed economies have largely failed to honour their commitments to provide substantial financial support for climate actions in developing economies.

“We all have a clear stake and an abiding interest

in the outcomes of COP27. The flooding earlier this year, the wildfires in the Table Mountain range, the locust plague outbreak in parts of the Northern Cape, Western Cape and Eastern Cape, are all associated with climate change. They affect our health and safety, our social and economic infrastructure and our nation’s food security.

“As a country we will be outlining our own contribution to the global climate change effort, but at the same time be making a clear call for developed economy countries to meet their obligations.

“It is only with this substantial support that we will be able to build the resilience that is needed to protect our country and safeguard our economy.

It is only with significant additional funding that we can ensure that future generations of South Africans live in an environment that is clean, conducive to health and well-being, and that has not been destroyed because of the inaction of today’s leaders,” –President Ramaphosa.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 11

A seed of change

South African Young Global Leader - Dr Mmaki Jantjies - is using technology to make a difference

By planting a seed, a landscape can be changed. Peo ya Phetogo, Sotho for ‘seed of change’ is the name academic and social entrepreneur Dr Mmaki Jantjies chose for her non-profit organisation, with the intention of using digital skills to make a tangible difference for young South Africans. Speaking to Public Sector Leaders, the Group Executive of Innovation and Transformation at Telkom explains her mission using an apt analogy: a light candle should not be placed under the table - it should be placed on top, for the light to be shared.

lighting the candle

Dr Jantjies’ first passion was racing - formula one racing to be exact. “I was crazy about F1 racing and I was set on landing somewhere in Germany to be part of the Mercedes Benz team,” she tells Public Sector Leaders. She hails from the North West province, in Mahikeng, and her journey in the world of technology started when she had the privilege of attending a former Model C school which offered computer studies as part of its curriculum.

Cover Story

did you Know?

dr Jantjies was one of five south africans chosen as part of this year’s cohort of young global leadersan initiative by the world economic Forum which has created a community of young leaders who are able to effect positive change. she was also south africa’s delegate representative to the g20’s w20 digitisation group in 2017 and 2018.

Her dream of becoming a mechanical engineer changed when fears of the ‘Y2K bug’ were stirred in the late 90s. The Y2K bug, also known as the ‘millennium bug” was an issue which arose from the two-digit code programmers used to identify the year. The fear was that, on the 1st of January 2000, computers would interpret “00” as the year 1900, rather than the year 2000, which would have a widespread impact in areas such as interest rate calculations.

Ultimately, the impact of the Y2K bug was limited, but it had another, more significant impact: it led Mmaki to the world of computer science. “And I decided that that’s actually what I was going to study because there was a huge skills shortage and continuous messaging at that time that that’s the key area,” says Dr Jantjies, who now holds a PhD in computer science.

After completing her junior degree, she spent some time as a consultant before returning to her studies “as I was studying further I became quite passionate about the research and innovation space because I enjoyed having a budget that allowed me to explore different experiments.”

From her parents, she learned that her degree was as useful to her as it was to her community. Education had opened doors for her, and she wanted it to open doors for others too. This, she describes using the candle analogy: “Take it out from under the table so that everybody else can benefit from it.”

What makes this analogy a poignant one, is that the candle is perhaps one of the most significant technological advances in human history. With the advent of candles came the ability to see better in the dark, which allowed more work to be done at night, accelerating the development of humanity. Dr Jantjies is using newer forms of technology to shed light on the potential of millions and, like her parents, she is giving back to her community.

“I spent a lot of time engaged in projects that looked at building learning applications, particularly maths and science; spent a lot of time looking at what are the reasons why children fail,” says Dr Jantjies. She realised that learning in a language which is their “second, third or fourth language” hinders the progress of many South African learners.

“And then I said, ‘okay, how do we build mobile applications that can leverage transition capabilities and allow children to be able to navigate between them.”

“My key area was how do we make maths much easier to learn? How do we enable resources, access to resources through maths and leveraging the mobile phone?”

One of the projects she got involved in was one focused on skills development through an immersive technology project.

“We looked at how we can bring in augmented and virtual reality

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 13

skills and build products that look at the challenges of South Africa.”

They realised that augmented and virtual reality could have the greatest impact on professions which carried risks that could be avoided with experiential learning and began training miners and dentists.

In 2021, Telkom formed a new innovation and transformation office, which Dr Jantjies came in to lead. “We have a research and innovation function which in essence partners with research institutions around the country to look for innovative products.”

The office runs a product incubator, where products are tested out before they can be sent out into the world, for Telkom and other businesses to use. They also invest heavily in startups and SMMEs.

you’re educatednow what?

As an adjunct professor at the University of the Western Cape, and the beneficiary of the leverage education can provide, Dr Jantjies understands that access to opportunities can be opened up through education.

“I’m passionate about education, right? But I’m passionate about access,” she says, before offering a breakdown of why education is merely a starting point. “First of all, education unlocks so much. But once you’re educated, is that enough? No, you need finance. How do we leverage off platforms to enable access to finance?”

“I work on products that enable access to a better living for South Africans.”

Her position as an adjunct professor means she teaches less, mostly supervising students in emerging research fields, which she enjoys doing but being an executive at Telkom also offers an opportunity to teach. “I feel like even if you’re in the corporate world, education becomes your mentorship and leadership role - it’s not necessarily just in class. But how do you translate that to making sure that your mentorship within your leadership role trickles and cascades to anybody you work with and anyone you touch?

You don’t have to be teaching to be standing in front of a class.”

Planting a seed

Dr Jantjies’ non-profit organisation, Peo ya Phetogo, is her effort to bring the power of technology to more people, particularly students and teachers after she noticed the

lack of diversity in the technology sector. She sees technology as an “enabler in solving problems.”

“And sometimes it’s not always necessary to use high-end technology to address the challenges we face. We can achieve this just as much as we were able to leapfrog in certain sectors and enable access.”

She cites mobile money, and the positive impact it’s had on the African continent, as an example of how technology can be contextualised, allowing for greater access to financial systems.

That’s not to say that South Africa, and the continent at large, should not be more involved in the development and use of high-end technologies. “I believe that we should have a voice in the higher-end technology [conversations], in the global community. But I think that in everything that we do when we’re using technology to solve

14 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022

our challenges, it needs to be contextual to ‘what are the challenges that we will be facing?’”

“If it’s a mobile phone, then let it be. If we can leapfrog through mobile phone applications or mobile phone deployable applications, then let it be.”

She tells of her experience working with students that came into her STEM programmes, which is indicative of how things have steadily changed. “I think there are a lot of students who will tell you the story about going around a computer, trying to figure out ‘how do you turn it on’ - having no idea of interacting with a computer. That has changed tremendously.”

She pinned the lack of diversity down to a grassroots problem, one that required not just teaching students but teaching teachers too, to ensure the endeavour is a sustainable one. Teachers need to know how to use technology to “translate it to the children”.

scaling with Partners Peo ya Phetogo first partnered with UN Women and Mozilla Foundation which focused on teaching young women skills. “...with multiple partnerships I’ve learnt scale, scale with partnerships to be able to achieve anything you need, you need to scale with partnerships,” she says, highlighting how development cannot take place in silos.

Before she joined Telkom last year, Dr Jantjies went on a “research and innovation sabbatical”, which

saw her spend two years travelling around the world to see how things are done in other countries. The partnerships between businesses and higher learning institutions were of particular interest to her.

“You tend to find that sometimes there’s a disjuncture between what academic institutions are producing and the skills that are actually needed within the sector.

And that wouldn’t be the case if we had stronger public-private partnerships,” says Dr Jantjies, reflecting on her sabbatical.

“If you look at the countries that are doing quite well within innovation, they have very close relations with the higher learning institutions.”

There are benefits for everybody, the skills developed will not only change the lives of young South Africans but can also be leveraged by both sectors, which will have a bigger pool of talent to draw from.

“The biggest things that I’ve achieved in my life have been through partnerships and even in the work that I do, we are very outward-looking, [as Telkom], where we leverage a lot of partnerships to enable what we do at work. So it is partnerships through both the public and private sector.”

More innovation can be enabled through the reduction of red tape and policies which incentivise even greater private-sector investment.

“I think there’s also a continuous need for us to continue to also invest in young startups right from [the] pre-seed stage to what they call series C and beyond.”

Keeping up with the future With the rest of the world rapidly adopting and developing new technologies, some have voiced concerns that Africa could be left behind. Dr Jantjies is far more optimistic: “I don’t think there’s a danger of us getting left behind. I think there’s a danger of us not getting the plumbing right.”

By plumbing, she’s referring to the details of who uses the technology, and how they use it. It’s all good and well building the Metaverse, but what about skills that augmented and virtual reality require?

“You can take the most advanced technology, put it in South Africa and if we don’t have the skill set to be able to utilise it, then what does it matter to us?”

In Dr Jantjies’ view, we need to equip young people in South Africa with the skills they need to solve the challenges in this particular context.

While there’s an opportunity to leapfrog the transition that many developed countries had to go through, seeds of change need to be planted now, so that our candle can shed light on everyone at the table.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 15

How you can become involved in preventing violence against women and children

Working together to break the cycle

No society is free of gender-based violence, but south africa deals with particularly alarming levels of violence perpetrated against women and children.

To create awareness and prevent this ongoing violence, 16 days are set aside annually to raise awareness of the violence and to encourage programmes and participation in preventing gender-based violence.

annually, this awareness week takes place between 25 November to 10 December. This year, the global theme is “UNiTe! activism to end violence against women and girls”.

16 Days of activism for No violeNce agaiNst WomeN
aND chilDreN
16 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign, which starts on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (25 November) and ends on Human Rights Day (10 December). The awareness campaign is coordinated each year by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership and offers an opportunity to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.

The campaign brings together the activists, advocates, and organisations working to combat gender-based violence and rallies citizens to join their efforts. It seeks to increase conversation around gender-based violence, share information, and highlight ways societies can become involved in tackling the ongoing violence.

growiNg levels of violeNce

Gender-based violence stems from power inequalities between genders in society, particularly in societies that are dominated by patriarchal power structures. Gender-based violence is more pronounced in societies in which violence and crime have become normalised, as well as in ones in which men are treated as superior to women. Gender-based violence often results in women being unable to cannot protect their bodies, meet their basic needs, participate fully in society, and have justice against men who perpetrate violence against women.

There are many forms in which gender-based violence can play out, including physical, sexual, emotional, financial, or structural. Most acts of interpersonal gender-based violence are committed by men against

women, with the perpetrator known to the woman, such as a partner or family member.

Many instances of gender-based violence remain unreported, but the statistics that are available show alarming levels of violence in South Africa, especially between intimate partners.

An estimated half of all women murdered are killed by an intimate male partner, and between 25% and 40% of South African women have experienced sexual and/or physical intimate partner violence in their lifetime. In addition, around half of women have experienced emotional or economic abuse at the hands of their intimate partners in their lifetime. But strangers and acquaintances can also commit gender-based violence, and one study found that one in 13 women in had reported nonpartner rape, and only one in 25 rapes had been reported to the police. Alarmingly, most men who rape do so for the first time as teenagers, and almost all men who rape have carried out their first attack by their mid-20s.

The far-reachiNg impacT of geNDer-BaseD violeNce Gender-based violence not only has devastating consequences for the women who experience it, but it also has much wider societal impacts. Gender-based violence is a human rights violation and has significant impacts on the survivors of violence.

It can lead to psychological trauma for both survivors and their families, along with the physical injuries sustained. There is also a wide impact on communities and society. The high rate of gender-based violence places a heavy burden

on the health and criminal justice systems in South Africa.

Healthcare facilities treat an estimated 1.75 million people annually for injuries caused by violence, and an estimated 16% of all HIV infections in women could be prevented if women did not experience domestic violence from their partners. In addition, more than a third of women who have been raped develop post-traumatic stress disorder and are at risk of other mental illnesses such as depression.

There are also economic consequences to gender-based violence, with many survivors unable to work or move freely in society. Reports have estimated that violence against women costs the South African economy between R28 billion and R42 billion – the equivalent of around 1% of the gross domestic product (GDP).

Gender-based violence is more prevalent in societies in which violence is the norm, which means that young men are more likely to perpetuate the violence in societies that record high levels of gender-based violence – continuing the cycle.

TakiNg Up The fighT for eqUaliTy

However, there are actions that each and every one of us can take to combat gender-based violence, and there is no better time to start than during 16 days of activism.

volunteer. Volunteering can be a great way of putting your time and energy into the issues you care about in your community, such as gender-based violence. There are numerous organisations carrying out

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 17 Sources:16DaysCampaign|GlobalCitizen|news24.com|SaferSpaces|UNWomen

important work to combat gender-based violence and empower women, but many of these organisations are staffed by volunteers and are in desperate need of more. Look for an organisation in your community supporting abused women and children, offer to work at your local police station’s victim support centre, or become involved in a non-profit organisation lobbying for women’s rights – there are endless ways to give of your time and make a difference.

Become an advocate. In our modern world of social media, it is becoming increasingly easier to find a platform on which to raise awareness and advocate against gender-based violence. You can use your social media platforms to share gender-based violence awareness content and direct your followers towards petitions and organisations they can support.

But your advocacy can also live offline – the 16 days of activism is a great time to start conversations with friends, families and colleagues about gender-based violence and to share messages of support for women. Some of these conversations may include educating men about gender-based violence, and speaking up against behaviours such as catcalling and shaming women for the way they dress.

Donate. If you don’t have the time to volunteer for an organisation, you can still support their work by donating. This could be through financial contributions, but you can also donate in other ways. You can make donations of clothes, food, sanitary products, books, and care packages. Every donation – whether it

be money or other goods – makes a difference in the work of those helping to empower and support people experiencing gender-based violence.

educate yourself. An important step in combatting gender-based violence is understanding why it’s perpetuated and why it continues to be such a widespread global issue. You can do your part by learning more about gender-based violence and the role you can play in preventing it. There are a wealth of online resources that can help you unpack the issue, but during 16 Days of Activism, many organisations and learning institutions also run seminars and workshops, which are highly educational.

Be ready to help. Ensure you’re in a position to help women suffering abuse by educating yourself on the signs of gender-based violence and the support system in place to help those experiencing it. This could include becoming a member of safety structures in your neighbourhood, such as the community policing forum or local safety watch.

Make sure you’re able to spot the signs of gender-based violence and educate yourself on the ways you can help someone experiencing abuse, such as by contacting support hotlines or reporting the incident to the police.

encourage others to become activists. Individual contributions are key to fighting gender-based violence, but the only way to eradicate it is by involving all of society. One way of reaching this goal is encouraging your friends and family to become activists or involved in the fight against gender-based violence.

Addressing gender-based violence is a complex issue and requires multifaceted responses and commitment, but we can all individually contribute towards this goal, along with government, non-profit organisations and civil rights activists.

While these organisations work to address the underlying, interlinked causes of gender-based violence, each of us can work towards preventing it from taking place in our homes and communities.

The activism campaign may only run for 16 days but putting a stop to the violence is an ongoing effort and needs daily commitments from each of us.

These commitments can live through simple actions, such as supporting organisations working to promote women’s rights or educating ourselves, starting important conversations with your loved ones, and advocating on social media for women’s and girls’ rights.

18 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022
Addressing gender-based violence is a complex issue and requires multifaceted responses and commitment
16 Days of activism for No violeNce agaiNst WomeN aND
chilDreN
EDUCATION OUTCOMES With Standard Bank Top Women & Umlambo Foundation I ’m a 2022Delegate andIDonated ! #RiseAboveTheNoise Brought to you by topco media
IMPROVING

New Bill a step closer to ending gender-based violence

Towards a violence-free society

Women, Youth, and Persons with Disabilities Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has published the National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (NCGBVF) Bill in the Government Gazette. The publication serves as a notice that the Minster will introduce the Bill in Parliament.

The Bill will allow for the establishment of a body to oversee the government’s plan to eradicate gender-based violence and femicide.

ELIMINATING THE SCOURGE OF VIOLENCE

The World Health Organisation estimates that 12.1 in every 100 000 women are victims of femicide in South Africa each year. This number is five times the global average.

Gender-based violence has been dubbed the “second pandemic” South Africa is facing, and to address this scourge, President Cyril Ramaphosa established the National Strategic Plan on GenderBased Violence and Femicide on 30 April 2020. The National Strategic Plan (NSP), which had around R21 billion allocated towards it, aims to

eradicate gender-based violence by 2030.

One of the key elements of the plan is the establishment of the NCGBVF to ensure the effective coordination and implementation of the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.

In March 2020, Cabinet approved the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide. Cabinet also approved the establishment of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Gender-based Violence and

20 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 TOWARDS A VIOLENCE-FREE SOCIETY

In March 2020, Cabinet approved the National Strategic Plan on Gender-based Violence and Femicide

Femicide to establish the National Council for Gender-based Violence and Femicide.

The NSP is government and civil society’s multi-sectoral strategic framework to realize a South Africa free from gender-based violence and femicide. The NSP sets out to provide a cohesive strategic framework to guide the national response to the crisis of genderbased violence and femicide by the government of South Africa and the country as a whole.

The Bill is the first step in establishing the NCGBVF and will mark out the objects and functions of the

Council. The Bill will also allow for the appointment of the Board of the NCGBVF.

“The gazetting of this Bill is a major step forward in driving a multi-sectoral, coherent strategic policy and programming framework to ensure a coordinated national response to the crisis of Gender-Based Violence and Femicide by the government of South Africa and the country as a whole. The National Council on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide, once established, will be the custodian of the National Strategic Plan on GBVF and will be responsible for driving its implementation,” explained Minister Nkoana-Mashabane.

INCLUDING ALL OF SOCIETY IN FINDING SOLUTIONS

The plan’s implementation is currently being driven by the End GBVF Collective, a volunteerism based collective of government, civil society, development partners, and business individuals who have banded together to respond to gender-based violence.

“Government has worked on drafting this Bill in consultation with multiple stakeholders in line with the Development of Public Policy and Subordinate Legislation guidelines,” Minister Nkoana-Mashabane said. This includes the business sector, labour councils, non-profit organisations, and citizens. It has been certified as constitutionally sound by the Office of the Chief State Law Adviser and has met all legal drafting requirements.

In October 2021, the department published the bill in the government gazette to solicit public input and

comments. In addition, in November and December 2021, provincial consultations were held to solicit input into the bill.

Once established and operational, the Council will work with key government departments, civil society organizations, and the private sector. This will contribute to building ongoing national, provincial, and local accountability for urgent, comprehensive, and all-inclusive response to Gender-Based Violence and Femicide.

Director-General of the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Advocate Mikateko Joyce Maluleke added: “As far back as 1998 the South African government promulgated the Domestic Violence Act, which covered a wide range of abuses from physical and sexual, to economic, and psychological, as well as stalking, damage to property, etc. More recently, you would have heard about The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development making amendments to the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Bill (NRSO), Domestic Violence Bill, & the Criminal Matters Amendment Bill.

“The Department of Social Development also opened up the Victim Support Services Bill for public comment. Amongst its scope, this Bill also proposes to make it a legal requirement that all service providers deal with victims of abuse in a professional manner, ensuring the dignity of the victim is preserved at all times during the process. These Bills strengthen the legal environment that provides justice for survivors of GBVF.”

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 21 Source:Globalriskinsights|DailyMaverick|Gov.za|IOL|SaferSpaces|SAnews

Protecting children’s mental health to reduce violence and poverty

Addressing the trauma

According to UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), violence against children remains a critical challenge facing South African society today. Despite tremendous efforts to curb this violence experienced by children, our country carries a legacy of violence and extreme inequality. This legacy, along with poverty and unemployment, impacts children’s safety and wellbeing, leaving many of them at risk of domestic violence, substance abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect.

In addition, these factors can also impact the mental health of children – and a recent Child Gauge by the Children’s Institute has identified children and adolescents in South Africa continue to face multiple adversities that erode their mental health.

Violence and The impacT on menTal healTh

According to the Child Gauge report, 42% of children in South Africa have experienced violence including physical violence and sexual abuse. Violence is pervasive, with 99% of children in some areas experiencing or witnessing some form of violence in their homes, schools, or communities.

UNICEF has found that a third of girls in South Africa experience some form of violence, often from someone they know.

22 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 Child ProteCtion
It is vital that we do more to challenge the silence and stigma that prevent people from seeking care

This constant exposure to violence, along with other societal factors, can have a deep impact on the mental wellbeing of children.

The Children’s Institute’s Director, Professor Shanaaz Mathews, says in the immediate aftermath of a violent event, children may experience waves of fear, anxiety, panic and shock; and without appropriate support, these feelings may give rise to post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, substance use and other mental health challenges.

“Given the scale and intergenerational nature of violence against children, our response to trauma needs to extend beyond dedicated psychological and psychiatric services,” said Prof Mathews. “Other services such as education, health, social services and the criminal justice system need to recognise and respond to the physical, social, and emotional impact of trauma on children, and on the professionals and caregivers who are there to help them heal,” she added.

She added that the environments in which young people live have a profound impact on their mental health.

“The characteristics of a neighbourhood – whether it is peaceful and clean or violent and dirty – has a bigger impact on the mental health of the people who live in it than their own individual predispositions,” said Prof Mathews. Almost two-thirds of South Africa’s children live in poverty, frequently in environments where the stress

of material insecurity is made worse by inadequate services, discrimination and violence. In addition, almost 40% of children live below the food poverty line.

“These children and adolescents are at particular risk of poorer mental health which can perpetuate an intergenerational cycle of poverty, violence and ill health,” said Prof Mathews.

Building a supportive society Although between 10% and 20% of South African children will develop a mental disorder or neurodevelopmental disability, every child needs support during their development, said Professor Mark Tomlinson from the Institute for Life Course Health Research at Stellenbosch University.

“The ordinary support of parents, teachers and communities can help build resilience and set children on a positive trajectory. Due to historical neglect and underinvestment in mental health, there are serious gaps in prevention and care for children and adolescents in South Africa,” he said.

These gaps often lead to gross human rights violations that rob children and adolescents of their quality of life, and potential to build resilience, said Bongani Majola, Chairperson of the South African Human Rights Commission.

Christine Muhigana, Country Representative at UNICEF South Africa, said that it is vital that we do more to challenge the silence and stigma that prevent people from seeking care – especially as UNICEF South Africa’s U-Report

found that 65% of young people with mental health issues did not seek help.

Child and adolescent mental health is the foundation of a strong, vibrant and healthy society, the report said, which is why investing early to promote children’s optimal mental health and wellbeing is one of the best investments we can make. It offers an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty, violence, and mental ill health.

The report calls on the government and South African society to create a more supportive and enabling environment that nurtures child and adolescent mental health, protects them from harm, and enables them to access care and support.

souTh africa’s children in numBers

• 20 million: The number of children under the age of 18

• 20% of children do not live with either of their biological parents

• 36% of children live in households where nobody was earning income through employment or self-employment

• 12.9 million children receive the Child Support Grant

• 83.5% of children are fully immunised in their first year

• 97% of children attend school and have access to education

• 57% of children are living in urban areas

• 70% of children have piped drinking water at home

• 78% of children have an adequate toilet at home

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 23

Addressing public sector challenges

Interview with Iron Mountain

Head of Public Sector, Neo Mothala

In 1936, Herman Knaust established Iron Mountain in the USA. Over eight decades later Iron Mountain now stores and protects information assets in 60 countries, with more than 225 000 customers in 95% of Fortune 1000 companies. Iron Mountain’s expansive real estate network totals more than 85 million square feet across over 1 400 facilities. The global leader in storage and information management services is spread across the world, with facilities in South Africa, North America, and the EMEA and APAC regions. Iron Mountain entered the African market in 2016, after the acquisition of Docufile South Africa. Here Iron Mountain’s Head of Public Sector, Neo Mothala, takes us through their public sector solution, plans for 2023 and more.

WHAT SERVICES DOES IRON MOUNTAIN PROVIDE?

We are the global leader in innovative storage and information management services, storing and protecting billions of valued assets, including critical business information and highly sensitive

data. Through a range of services including digital transformation, secure records storage, information management and secure records and IT assets destruction, we help businesses bring light to their dark data, enabling customers to unlock value and intelligence from their stored digital and physical assets at speed and with security, while helping them meet their environmental goals.

IN WHICH SECTORS DO YOU PREDOMINANTLY OPERATE?

Iron Mountain operates in 60 countries with 225 000+ customers in 95% of Fortune 1000 companies. Our customers are from all sectors; we have a large number of public sector customers globally, as well as financial services, healthcare and logistics businesses.

PLEASE UNPACK IRON MOUNTAIN’S PUBLIC SECTOR SOLUTION

The Iron Mountain Public Sector solution for secure offsite document management and storage of records is tailored to assist our customers in freeing up office space and reducing their real estate costs.

24 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 INTERVIEW IRON MOUNTAIN
Neo Mothala Head of Public Sector at Iron Mountain

Public sector employees can focus on their core roles and responsibilities and trust Iron Mountain with their records management.

Our Digital Transformation solutions are designed to enable public sector customers to become “paper-lite” by removing physical records from their processes and ensuring quick and easy accessibility to their information; thus transforming into an agile and digitally mature environment that addresses the changing operational needs.

The Information Governance Advisory Services help our customers stay compliant with up to date record retention policies and operational procedures as well as staff training. We help our customers modernise their data management strategy to improve compliance, reduce risk, and reduce costs. Finally, with our Secure Destruction Services we protect our customer’s brand and reduce risk by destroying records, and media in a compliant, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective way.

WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS HEAD OF PUBLIC SECTOR FOR IRON MOUNTAIN?

My role as Head of Public Sector is to build a deep understanding of our customer’s challenges and ambitions. Iron Mountain works globally with governments and public sector organisations to improve citizen outcomes and we can bring this experience and know how to help address the changing environment in South Africa. As strategic partners to our public sector customers we have a proven track record of delivering improved productivity and efficiencies.

WHAT HAVE BEEN SOME OF YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MILESTONES AS HEAD OF PUBLIC SECTOR?

I joined Iron Mountain this year, and I am really proud to have become part of the global Public Sector team, transforming organisations such as the UK’s NHS, government departments all over the world, local authorities and other essential public sector services. As a global entity we take pride in ensuring that we are a part of the South African government’s digital transformation plans when it comes to public sector records.

WHAT SETS IRON MOUNTAIN APART FROM THE COMPETITION?

For over 70 years, Iron Mountain has built an unrivalled reputation of offering secure and compliant information management solutions. We put our customers at the heart of everything we do and are proud to be our customers’ strategic partner, guiding and supporting organisations in protecting their information assets, improving efficiencies and processes and unlocking the value of data.

As a Level 1 B-BBEE organisation, diversity and inclusion are our key values and we uphold these values throughout our businessfrom resource development, to the diversity of our leadership teams, as well as the overall supply chain.

HOW CLOSELY DO YOU WORK WITH THE IRON MOUNTAIN GLOBAL COMMUNITY?

This is one of my favourite things about Iron Mountain: how diverse

our team is because of our global nature! We work closely with colleagues from all around the world on regional strategy and sharing best practices from different markets. For instance, my colleagues would share key challenges faced by public organisations in North America, EMEA and APAC regions, where we could identify common themes in our markets and ensure our public sector solutions are shaped to help resolve the pressing information asset issues and unlock the value of the data.

WHAT EXCITING PLANS DO YOU HAVE FOR 2023?

Our public sector team is growing and we are working to address the challenges faced by the public sector in SA. In 2023, we are planning to grow our scanning facilities and launch our Asset Lifecycle Management (ALM) solutions in order to meet our customers’ ambitions and help them achieve the right outcomes for citizens, by increasing efficiencies and reducing the risk of managing physical and digital data.

CONTACT DETAILS

Tel: 086 147 6668

Web: ironmountain.com/za

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 25

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Protecting the Promise

Every woman, every child

Anewly released report titled Protect the Promise, published by global partners, including WHO and UNICEF, is a bi-annual summary of progress in response to the UN Secretary General’s Every Woman Every Child Global Strategy for Women, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health.

“At the core of our unkept promise is the failure to address the gaping inequities at the root of global crises, from the COVID-19 pandemic to conflicts and the climate

emergency. The report describes the impacts of these crises on women, children and adolescents, from maternal mortality to education losses to severe malnutrition,” - Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General.

Here are some of the findings from Protect the Promise which confirm that where a child is born, their exposure to conflict and the economic stability of their family, fundamentally impact on their chances of a healthy life:

• A child born in a low-income country has an average life expectancy at birth of around 63 years, compared to 80 in a high-income country. This devastating 17-year survival gap has changed little over recent years. In 2020, 5 million children died even before the age of 5, mostly from preventable or

28 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 PROTECTING THE PROMISE
The economic empowerment of women requires fundamental social transformation

treatable causes. Meanwhile, most maternal, child, and adolescent deaths and stillbirths are concentrated in just two regions – sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

• More than 45 million children had acute malnutrition in 2020, a life-threatening condition which leaves them vulnerable to death, developmental delays and disease. Nearly three-quarters of these children live in lower-middle-income countries. A staggering 149 million children were stunted in 2020. Africa is the only region where the numbers of children affected by stunting increased over the past 20 years, from 54.4 million in 2000 to 61.4 million in 2020.

• The six countries with the highest numbers of internally displaced persons – Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Sudan, the Syrian Arab Republic and Yemen – are also among the top 10 food insecure countries.

• A woman in sub-Saharan Africa has around a 130 times higher risk of dying from causes relating to pregnancy or childbirth than a woman in Europe or North America. Coverage of antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, and postnatal care is far from reaching all women in low and middle-income countries, leaving them at elevated risk of death and disability.

• Millions of children and their families are experiencing poor physical and mental health from recent humanitarian disasters in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Somalia, Ukraine and Yemen.

In 2021, a record 89.3 million people worldwide were driven from their homes by war, violence, persecution, and human rights abuse.

The report refers to the Sustainable Development Goals and highlights the urgency of addressing conflict, food security, health issues and empowering women globally.

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL

Honourable Maite Nkoana-Mashabane, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities reinforced this message at the International Day of the Girl last month:

“Girls around the world continue to face unprecedented challenges to their education, their physical and mental wellness, and the protections needed for a life without violence. Girls with disabilities face additional barriers to accessing support and services.

COVID-19 has worsened existing burdens on girls around the world and worn away important gains made over the last decade. Investments in girls’ rights remain limited and girls continue to confront a myriad of challenges to fulfilling their potential; made worse by concurrent crises of climate change, COVID-19 and humanitarian conflict.

“The economic empowerment of women requires fundamental social transformation, in which every sector and every sector and every citizen must be involved including young women and girls” - Minister Nkoana-Mashabane.

PRESIDENTIAL SUMMIT GBVF

At the Presidential Summit on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide which took place in the Gallagher Estate, Midrand from 1-2 November, the theme was Accountability, Acceleration and Amplification, NOW!

The Summit reflected on progress made in the implementation of declarations proposed during the 2018 Presidential Summit, which reaffirmed the country’s commitment to a united, comprehensive and effective response to GBVF.

Participants at the two-day summit accounted for work being done towards the implementation of the National Strategic Plan (NSP) on GBVF, which aims to provide a multi-sectoral, coherent strategic policy and programming framework to strengthen a coordinated national response to the crisis of GBVF by the government and country as a whole.

Some of the interventions agreed upon included the need to allocate adequate funding to the NSP on GBVF, to implement consequence management mechanisms to ensure accountability, and to strengthen national, provincial and local accountability structures. Cabinet reiterated that all acts of violence and abuse will not be tolerated in our society. Communities are urged to tackle the scourge of GBVF head-on by reporting perpetrators to law-enforcement agencies -

Statement on the Cabinet Meeting of 2 November 2022.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 29 Source:Gov|UN

Cyber attacks are an ongoing problem in SA

Fighting cyber crime

In terms of ransomware and business email compromise (BEC) attempts, South Africa ranks highest on the continent. This is according to the African Cyber Threat Assessment Report 2021 by Interpol.

According to the report, the growing rate of digital transformation within the African region is facilitating the emergence of new attack vectors and opportunities for cybercriminals. The Executive Director of AFRIPOL, Tarek Sharif, said the African continent has huge potential in terms of information and communication technologies, because of the youth of its population.

Interpol stated that research from a Kenyan IT cybersecurity company, Serianu, highlighted that cybercrime reduced GDP within Africa by more than 10%, at a cost of an estimated $4.12-billion in 2021.

“More specifically, South Africa had 230 million threat detections in total, while Kenya had 72 million and Morocco 71 million. In South Africa, 219 million detections were related to email threats. South Africa also had the highest targeted ransomware and BEC attempts.

“The exploitation of these vulnerabilities within South Africa was further highlighted by Accenture, who identified that South

Africa has the third highest number of cybercrime victims worldwide, at a cost of R2.2 billion a year. The scale of this cyber criminality is further evidenced when we consider that the country has seen a 100% increase in mobile banking application fraud and is estimated to suffer 577 malware attacks an hour. Such malware attacks are one of the emerging threats,” the report said.

Interpol’s strategy to fight cybercrime is based on three pillars, including raising awareness in the populations, the reinforcement of policy, treaty and common legislation to fight cybercriminals and the establishment of

30 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022
Fraud
Cyber

technologies on a national scale to reinforce cyber-defence.

Cyber protections bill proposal

The country’s official opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), is proposing a new bill to embed cyber protections in the country’s constitution.

The proposed Constitution Eighteenth Amendment Bill will seek to amend Chapter 9 of the Constitution to provide for the establishment of a cyber commissioner’s office. According to the DA, the cyber commissioner will be tasked with supporting and strengthening constitutional democracy in South Africa by “advising, monitoring

and establishing cyber security capabilities in the public sector and will work with tertiary institutions and the private sector to establish minimum good standards, build capacity and create awareness.”

The DA stated: “Cyber technology is increasingly central to government functioning and the provision of services to citizens. Proper cyber security is also fundamental to safeguarding many of the rights enshrined in the Bill of Rights and safeguarding our critical infrastructure and democracy.”

“At present, personal information of individuals in possession of state departments is also not sufficiently protected against cyber-attacks.

Based on input from the member countries in Africa and data drawn from Interpol’s private partners, the most prominent threats were identified as below.

online Scams – For African member countries, the highest-reported and most pressing cyberthreat across the region was identified as online scamming. This threat seeks to target and take advantage of victims’ fears, insecurities, and vulnerabilities through phishing, mass mailing and social engineering. Member countries have reported a sharp increase in the number of online banking scams, including instances of banking and credit card fraud.

DigitalExtortion– This threat is also identified as one of the most prominent cyberthreats within the region. Digital extortion seeks

to target individuals with either allegations of sexually compromising images or through direct blackmail campaigns. While such threats are not new on the threat landscape, the move towards a digital society –particularly within the African region – has created new attack vectors for criminals to both obfuscate their identity and target new victims.

BusinessEmailCompromise–

Alongside online scams, Business EmailCompromise(BEC)was identified as a significant concern and threat to the region. Businesses and organizations that rely heavily on wire transfer transactions are vulnerable to this threat in Africa. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the increase in this type of cybercrime. > Ransomware – The threat of ransomware is expanding across the African

These attacks place private and public information at risk, which results in state-owned entities and the economy losing billions of rands to cyber-crime.”

The party further added that the state-owned entities currently tasked with addressing cyber-crime are chronically underfunded or lack proper expertise to perform their function adequately. “In addition, these entities are not sufficiently streamlined, and often operate in silos across Government Departments. It is further vital that an entity that is directly accountable to Parliament and not to the national executive be tasked with safeguarding such fundamental rights,” they said.

continent. Allegedly, more than 61% of companies in this region were affected by ransomware in 2020 alone. 1 These attacks targeted some African countries’ critical infrastructure, including healthcare and maritime sectors.

Botnets – Botnets are networks of compromised machines used as a tool to automate large scale campaigns such as DDoS attacks, phishing, malware distribution, etc. The number of botnet victim detections in Africa was around 50,000, with a monthly average detection of 3,900. In Africa, there have been numerous high-profile instances of such DDoS attacks on critical infrastructure within the past five years.

(Source: Interpol)

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 31
Source:Gov|UN

South Africa and Saudi Arabia sign agreements worth billions

SA ready to increase the overall export of a basket of goods

IN OTHER NEWS
32 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022

Agreements and memorandums of understanding worth billions were signed between South Africa and Saudi Arabia during a state visit by President Cyril Ramaphosa to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh on 15 -16 October.

The joint Saudi-South African Committee and the executive authorities’ efforts to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in many economic fields - in a bid to achieve their goals and aspirations in accordance with the vision of the leaders of the two friendly countries - have been widely lauded.

In a joint statement issued at the conclusion of President Ramaphosa’s official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia the two countries stated: “The two sides expressed satisfaction with the development of investment and economic relations between the two countries, stressing the importance of exerting further efforts to boost these relations to reach a level that accords with the volume of the two countries’ economies by aligning the objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030 and South Africa’s National Development Plan 2030; exploring investment sectors and opportunities in areas of common interest, mainly renewable energy, industry, mining, tourism, logistics and agriculture; enabling and encouraging the private sector and investors in both sides to make joint and mutual investments; increasing investment delegations and events;

and exchanging expertise in the fields of improving and developing the investment environment.”

When it comes to the energy sector, where South Africa has had its fair share of challenges, the countries agreed to explore areas of joint cooperation in a number of energy fields, “including petroleum and petrochemicals, energy efficiency, and fields of electricity and renewable energy such as solar, wind and atomic energy, as well as the developing projects relying on these sources, enhancing cooperation in the field of hydrogen, innovation and clean technologies to manage hydrocarbon emissions, working to localise energy sector products and relevant supply chains, and developing projects concerned with these areas.”

Arabia, to bring greater balance to the trade account.

“The current flows of investment between our two countries are very promising. One such company, from Saudi Arabia, is active in the renewable energy space, one of the catalytic sectors for South Africa. South Africa has unparalleled opportunities that await investors with the financial capability and appetite.

“Just as Saudi Arabia is positioned as the gateway to the Middle East and to the region, South Africa is the gateway to a dynamic continent with great prospects. Africa is growing its output, rapidly urbanising and has a young population,” he said.

The two sides expressed satisfaction with the development of investment and economic relations between the two countries

President Ramaphosa said trade between the two countries already totals $5-billion and it can be increased further in the next few years.

“South Africa stands particularly ready to increase the overall export of a basket of goods with Saudi

President Ramaphosa added that our country’s service sectors and professional skills are highly regarded across the Middle East. “Our engineers, doctors and teachers have already made a mark here.

We also have filmmakers, entertainment entrepreneurs, bankers, insurance firms, tourism companies and information and communication technology businesses who are ready to partner with you.”

Both countries have praised the positive and fruitful results achieved since President Cyril Ramophosa’s visit to the Kingdom in 2018, which contributed to the expansion of cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 33

Taking tough action to ensure economic recovery

Consolidated government spending will exceed R2.2-trillion this year and will rise to R2.5-trillion in 2025/26.

While South Africa’s “robust pace of economic recovery” was derailed earlier in the year – due to natural disasters, industrial action and widespread power cuts – the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement maps out several positive measures the government intends to take to encourage economic growth.

During his delivery of the statement, Finance Minister Enoch Gondogwana said the global environment will be less supportive of South Africa’s economic growth than anticipated in the February 2022 Budget Speech. The IMF’s global growth forecast for 2022 has been revised down, from 4.4% to 3.2%, and the 2023 estimate from 3.8% to 2.7%.

“We now expect real GDP growth of 1.9% in 2022, compared with an estimate of 2.1% in February. Over the next three years, the economy is expected to grow at an average of 1.6%. This level of growth is too low to support our developmental goals. Accordingly, we must take action to put our economy on a higher growth trajectory,” said Minister Gondogwana.

Part of this action will be the implementation of structural reforms, including in the electricity sector, and several policy and regulatory changes aimed at creating a competitive energy market, are also underway.

Minister Gondogwana added that the government is also working to address inefficiencies in port and

rail which are costing the economy billions and undermining efforts to raise growth.

A FOCUS ON SPENDING

The government will be focusing on infrastructure growth and has set aside R112.5-billion in 2025/26 for building new and rehabilitating existing infrastructure – an increase from R66.7-billion in 2022/23. This includes roads, bridges, storm-water systems, and public buildings. This makes spending on capital assets the fastest-growing item by economic classification.

Government debt is projected to be more than R4.7-trillion in the current financial year. The medium-term strategy will maintain a prudent approach to fiscal policy, to decrease the debt burden and

34 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 MEDIUM-TERM BUDGET
STATEMENT
POLICY

debt-service costs by reducing the country’s annual deficits, said Hon. Gondogwana. A consolidated fiscal deficit of 4.9% of GDP is projected in 2022/23, and this will decline to 3.2% of GDP by 2025/26.

Consolidated government spending will exceed R2.2-trillion this year and will rise to R2.5-trillion in 2025/26.

This comes as revenue collection has exceeded projections, and the gross tax revenue estimate for 2022/23 has been revised up, by R83.5-billion, to R1.68-trillion. The higher estimate is largely due to improvements in corporate income tax collections, with strong receipts from the finance and manufacturing sectors.

The budget has been adjusted to reflect the R6.3-billion allocated

towards disaster relief, especially after the April flooding in several parts of the country. The social wage, totalling R3.56-trillion over the next three years, or 59.2% of the consolidated non-interest spending, will take up the biggest share of the budget in support of poor households and the most vulnerable in our society.

BUILDING CAPACITY OF SOES

State-owned enterprises (SOEs) represent critical components of economic activity, especially in transport, engineering, and energy, said Minster Gondogwana. Therefore it’s essential that they should be self-sufficient and contribute to economic growth.

However, due to “financial weakness caused in previous years by bad leadership and corruption”, the government finds itself with little option but to “act to keep these key services running”, he said.

“The financial support to SOEs recognises their potential to contribute to our long-run growth prospects. We are thus tabling a Special Appropriation Bill to provide additional funding to Denel, Transnet and SANRAL. These allocations will allow these entities to adjust their business models and restore their long-term financial viability.”

The following support will be given to SOEs:

Transnet is allocated R2.9-billion to ensure the return of out-of-service locomotives and R2.9-billion to deal with flood damage that affected its operations.

Denel is allocated R3.4-billion to support recent progress made to stabilise the entity. This allocation will be augmented by R1.8-billion

in sale of non-core assets and will unlock a committed order book of R12-billion awaiting execution.

The Gauteng government is expected to contribute 30% towards settling SANRAL’s debt and interest obligations, while the national government will oversee 70%.

To ensure Eskom’s long-term financial viability, the government will take over a significant portion of the utility’s R400-billion debts.

Minster Gondogwana added that the government is doing “everything necessary” to prevent greylisting by the Financial Action Task Force; the international standard-setting body that oversees global compliance with anti-money laundering rules, and two bills have already been tabled in Parliament to address weaknesses in the country’s legislative framework.

The government is also investing in building the capacity of our regulatory and enforcement institutions, and additional resources will be allocated to the National Prosecuting Authority, the Special Investigating Unit, the Financial Intelligence Centre and the South African Revenue Service, to further improve the capability of the state to investigate and prosecute sophisticated financial crimes, said Minister Gondogwana.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 35 Sources:BusinessTech|EWN|DailyMaverick|News24|TimesLive
The financial support to SOEs recognises their potential to contribute to our long-run growthprospects

Mapping industrialisation in africa

Looking to African industrialisation in a post-COVID world

Accelerating the development of the continent

African economies are at the bottom of the industrialisation ladder, with only 2% of global manufacturing taking place on the continent. Relying heavily on raw commodities, much of Africa’s imports remain manufactured goods and this causes wealth to drain away from the continent.

Annually, the 20th of November marks Africa Industrialisation Day – a commemoration that aims to raise awareness about the importance of Africa’s industrialisation and the challenges faced by the continent.

Accelerating industrial development

The COVID-19 pandemic illustrated that manufacturing remains the backbone of economies. However, it also shows the vulnerability of our production systems to sudden shocks.

The United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO)’s Industrial Development Report 2022 found that countries with stronger industrial capabilities were more resilient to the economic impact.

Nobuya Haraguchi, Chief of UNIDO’s Industrial Policy Research Unit, says a key message of the report is that Africa needs to accelerate industrial development, not only to achieve economic development but also to strengthen resilience.

There are some strong success stories of industrialisation on the continent

The report showed that a different world is emerging after the pandemic, in which global value chains are being re-evaluated. African countries, as latecomers to those value chains, will need to prepare themselves very quickly to respond to these changes and seize opportunities.

The report advocated the importance of advanced digital technologies in strengthening resilience, and digitalisation is set to play an essential role in fostering industrial development in Africa.

According to the United Nations, industrial development is of critical importance for sustained and inclusive economic growth in African countries. Industry enhances productivity, increases

36 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022

the capabilities of the workforce, and generates employment, as well as introduces new technologies. This in turn helps nations to achieve high growth rates, diversify their economies, and contribute to poverty eradication.

Africa remains the world’s least industrialised region, with only South Africa categorised as industrialised. For this to change, there needs to be a fundamental shift in the structure of the African economies to make industry, especially manufacturing, a larger portion of their trade.

To unleash their full potential, African countries must embark on industrial transformation. The African Development Bank believes there is the potential to double the industrial GDP by 2025, and by doing so increased overall GDP increasing to US $5.6-trillion.

Working ToWards increased conTinenTal Trade

There is a real opportunity to create jobs and promote inclusive economic transformation through manufacturing and industrialisation, says African Development Bank President, Akinwumi Adesina. “Exploiting Africa’s opportunities for industrialisation involves adding value to domestic products, soft and hard commodities, and developing forward and backward linkages to the regional and international value chains,” he says.

“There is an urgent need for Africa to rapidly diversify its economies –and add value to everything that it produces. Exporting raw materials only leads to vulnerabilities –and no nation or region has succeeded by simply exporting primary commodities.”

It is hoped that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, which will become operational on 1 January 2021, will usher in new and dynamic opportunities for industrialisation. But to seize the path of industrialisation in Europe and North America, Africa will need to look at inclusive and sustainable industrial development. This will include the decoupling of economic growth from environmental degradation and embracing greener technologies.

“Industrial development does not have to damage the environment, pollute the air and water, or release damaging greenhouse gases. The transformation in production processes and business models— going hand-in-hand with the right choice of technologies—will

present solutions to the daunting environmental challenges of our times. Moreover, committing to sustainable production patterns makes business sense, as it reduces the waste of costly resources and contributes to increased competitiveness,” says Helen Hai, UNIDO Goodwill Ambassador for industrialisation in Africa.

There are some strong success stories of industrialisation on the continent. For instance, in Ethiopia, the government has invested around $1.3-billion in the construction of industrial parks. The parks have attracted international anchor companies and have created more than 50 000 permanent jobs. Around 85% of those jobs are held by women.

In South Africa, an initiative by the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) demonstrated the potential of increased energy efficiency in industrial production, through a project to introduce energy management systems in industrial companies. This has seen energy costs cut in more than 80 companies.

And if the AfCFTA agreement is successfully implemented, Africa’s manufacturing sector is projected to double in size with annual output increasing to $1-trillion by 2025. Projections show that the trade agreement has the potential to create over 14 million jobs in Africa’s manufacturing sector.

With African markets growing and the AfCFTA in place, there are now major opportunities for African manufacturing.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 37 Sources:ODI|AFDB|Brookings|UN|UNIDO|WorldBank

3 tips for making the most of Black Friday

financial lessons

38 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 BLACK FRIDAY
BY KATHRYN MAIN Positive

Cynics argue that Black Friday doesn’t teach you any life-long lessons that you need to learn. Described by sceptics as a “capitalist consumption machine” that encourages consumers to spend till they drop - even if they are getting a steal on credit (borrowed money) - is just one of the numerous shortcomings of the entire event. But what if we told you that you can take all the bad from this event and turn it to a lifetime of positive financial lessons?

Black Friday is the biggest man-made discount event of the year. Dare we say, it might just be better than Christmas shopping. Falling on 25 November this year, many have their wallets and shopping lists at the ready for the shopping trip of their lives.

Happening over a minimum period of 24 hours, depending on each retailer, one would view the event as a coming together of not-sosmart consumers spending money they do not have on things they do not need, in record time. It isn’t the best example to set for kids due the emphasis on consumerism and irresponsible spending habits. But

what can we learn from this year’s Black Friday extravaganza that we can take away with us? Here are the three major lessons that you can learn from this big event.

BUDGET IN ADVANCE

Black Friday is happening for the eighth-year running, so it is safe to say that it is going to happen again in 2023. Budgeting a whole year in advance is a great way to plan for upcoming events. It’s also a great way to get your kids involved. Including them in the process of budgeting by saving R200 a month for twelve-months in preparation for the event can teach them, and you, the benefits of delayed gratification. A budget also encourages us to create a list of the essentials that we could not get during the year at a cheaper price. Creating a spending plan for our money ensures we don’t spend money we don’t have to start with

SAVING

homework

The biggest discount event on the planet is also the best way to teach yourself healthy spending habits

Having a budget is one thing, but saving 20% of that budget after buying everything on your list of essentials will give you the zeal needed to continue the tradition into the following year. Take that 20% and do something for someone else. Why not donate toys or clothes to an NPO? Having the foresight and practice to save 20% of your budget here and there is a nice way to start giving back to those who need it more than we do.

RESPONSIBLE SPENDING

There are an enormous variety of products available on Black Friday. Retailers use the discount angle

to get consumers through their doors and drive their sales up. This makes the “logical consumer” within us disappear for at least 24-hours, only to reappear when there is no money left to spend or when we are in severe debt due to overspending. This event just shows us, as well as our kids, what not to do in the event we can’t afford to go on a shopping spree. It shows how easy it is to land into debt and serves as an example of how to avoid these traps for your kids in the future. You must lead by example.

The biggest discount event on the planet is also the best way to teach yourself healthy spending habits as well as an alternative attitude towards money.

For those of you who have left the shopping list budget to the last minute and are looking to buy in bulk for the financially tough months that are about to follow, look out for great deals from large retailers. Do your homework and research into what you need and make sure you buy what is on the list. Do not be tempted by other bargains you can’t afford. Spending more than you planned will land you in debt and that is not how you want to start your 2023.

Sources:KathrynMainistheFounderandCEOofMoneySavvy. Emailheratkathryn@moneysavvyhumans.co.zaorvisitwww.moneysavvyhumans.co.za

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 39
Do your
and research into what you need and make sure you buy what is on the list

“Leave no

one behind”

President Ramaphosa engages the community in the Northern Cape

Fondly known as the “Diamond Province,” the northern Cape is South africa’s largest province with the most untouched landscapes in the country. While the population is low compared to other provinces, with only 2.3% of the population living in the province, the majority of South africa’s diamonds have originated from the northern Cape province.

40 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 Regional Focus

“Leave no one behind” - this was the theme for the fifth Presidential Imbizo that took place at the Mxolisi Dicky Jacobs Stadium in Upington, Northern Cape, on Friday, 21 October. The Presidential Imbizo aims to enable members of the public and communities at large to interact with President Cyril Ramaphosa and leaders from all three spheres of government.

Thus far, President Cyril Ramaphosa has visited five provinces for the Imbizo, namely the North West, Free State, Mpumalanga, Gauteng and Northern Cape to interact with residents.

Among the challenges that were raised by Northern Cape residents include basic services such as water and electricity, poverty and unemployment, corruption, dilapidated infrastructure, limited healthcare facilities, the illicit drug trade, ownership of minerals, and more.

reDStone

Solar Plant

To pave the way for the Imbizo, President Ramaphosa paid a visit to the Redstone Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Thermal Plant in Postmasburg. According to the government, this project forms part of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP) which aims to bring additional megawatts onto the country’s electricity system through private sector investment in wind, biomass and small hydro, among others. The Redstone CSP Plant makes up 100 MW of the remaining 314 MW that is under construction.

The presidency stated: “The Redstone CSP Plant project has to date created 972 jobs, with 1 500 jobs expected at project peak. About 100 permanent jobs will be created during the operations and maintenance phase.”

a governMent that liStenS President Ramaphosa told the members of the community that they are a government that listens to its people. “We have listened and everything you have said has been written down because you have raised important issues that are of concern... We are a government that has taken a policy position that no one must be left behind and that is what we have decided to do,” he said.

He added that sometimes the government doesn’t do as well as they want to because of the challenges they have. “Some of you have touched on those challenges. The shortage of resources is one of the big challenges and you have also touched on a huge challenge of unemployment which is big in the Northern Cape.”

With the challenge of unemployment, President Ramaphosa said the government’s programmes on unemployment have to include everyone and not only focus on those who fall under the youth group in South Africa (between the ages of 18 and 35) but also include those who are beyond 35 years of age.

We have listened and everything you have said has been written down because you have raised important issues.

President Ramaphosa thanked the Saudi Arabian government for funding the project. He said more than R12-billion was injected into the project by the Saudi Arabian government.

“We have started with the programme targeting people aged 18 to 35, but many people remain unemployed. Up to 64% of those who don’t work are people below 35. At the same time, those who are 36 and above are also unemployed, so they must also be targeted. Our programmes for unemployment have to [include] everyone so that we do not leave anyone behind,” he said.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 41 Sources:SAGov|SAinfo

An empowered

CATERING FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
42 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022
Nothing for us, without us
disability sector can contribute to a better South Africa

AIf it’s not disability inclusive, it’s not inclusion.” This is one of the key messages of this year’s Disability Rights Awareness Month (DRAM) celebrated between November 3 and December 3, annually with December 3 being the International Day of Persons with Disabilities - also celebrated as National Disability Rights Awareness Day.

According to the stats, people with disabilities continue to face various challenges including but not limited to, serious unemployment; poverty and inequality in South Africa.

Speaking at the launch of the Disability Rights Awareness Month, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Honourable Maite Nkoana Mashabane, said the department’s approach to DRAM is informed by a series of wide consultations with the disability rights sector and government departments.

“This is grounded in the principle of ‘Nothing for us, without us.’ Our commitment to the unique needs, experiences, and expertise of persons with disabilities is premised on international, regional and national frameworks”.

She added that the country has the necessary policy frameworks and legislation and needs to move into implementation and introduce specific priorities and “achievable targets to ensure the progressive realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities in South Africa.”

If it’s not disability inclusive, it’s not inclusion.

Honourable Nkoana Mashabane shared that the department, in partnership with the National School of Government, has concluded a Memorandum of Agreement to roll out the Disability Inclusion Training.

“The training will serve to improve government departments capacity to implement the policy directives and deliverables of the White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”

PROGRESS

Touching on the progress her department has made thus far, Minister Nkoana Mashabane said they have worked on the priorities of the Presidential Working Group on Disabilities and there has been reasonable progress on these priorities including amongst others: Capacitating the disability coordination function at the epicentre of all spheres of government

Accelerating the pace of providing access to quality inclusive education for children with disabilities out of school. Finding sustainable solutions to the huge backlogs in the provisioning of assistive devices.

Accelerating the recognition of South African Sign Language as an official language.

The creation of a sustainable funding mechanism for the sector to increase footprint and impact of programmes led by national, provincial and local organisations.

She added that while the progress on priorities over the past year displays a great deal of leadership in advancing the rights of persons with disabilities, more can be done by everyone.

Sources:Dirco-DepartmentofWomen,YouthandPeoplewithDisabilities

“Let us advance the mandate of building an inclusive and transformative society where the needs of all are handled with equal priority and equitable resourcing,” said Minister Nkoana Mashabane.

Week 1 (07 - 11 Nov)

National Priority 6: Social cohesion and safe commu nities

Sub-Theme 1: Resourcing the advancement of accessible communication, information and technology methodolo gies for persons with disabil ities.

Week 2 (14 - 18 Nov)

National Priority 3: Education, Skills and Health

Sub-Theme 2: Adequate resourcing and supply of all economic and health related services for persons with disabilities.

Week 3 (21 - 25 Nov)

National Priority 6: Social Cohesion and Safer Com munities

Sub-Theme 3: Capacity building on entrepreneurship and business skilling for per sons with disabilities.

Week 4 (28 Nov – 03 Dec)

National Priority 5: Social cohesion and safe commu nities

This week coincides with the 16 Days of Activism against Women and Children Cam paign Sub-Theme: Re sourcing the state to ensure provision for access to justice for persons with disabilities.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 43

Water security through partnerships across all sectors

Strengthening service delivery

Public-private partnerships and a focus on the entire water value chain hold the secret to ensuring water security for South Africa.

Speaking at the recent Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA) Biennial Conference & Exhibition in Sandton, Minister of Water and Sanitation Senzo Mchunu said his department has several plans in place to ensure water security in the country.

The conference is a flagship event of the southern African water sector, bringing together water professionals, companies, regulators , and stakeholders.

reducing waTer scarciTy Through prudenT use South Africa is a water-scarce country, receiving only half of the global average rainfall. In addition, water resources are not distributed evenly in the country, and millions of citizens drink water that is captured in reservoirs in excess of 400km away.

Because of this water scarcity, South Africans must be prudent in their water consumption, said Minister Mchunu. However, while there are some water scarcity concerns in parts of South Africa, the county does not face the risk of running out of water, he added.

the government is committed to putting in place public-private collaboration agreements with industries

“I can state, categorically, that we do not have an immediate threat of water outage. However, this does not mean we are not a water-scarce country, and that people should not use water sparingly. We do not have an immediate water crisis so to say, but we should not lower our guard,” Minister Mchunu said.

Water Security
44 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022

South Africa is a water-scarce country, receiving only half of the global average rainfall

Minster Mchunu added that there are several projects underway to increase water security. This includes interventions in water-strained communities such as the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro. He added that his department is working to plan future projects, to ensure they are ready for implementation as the correct financial year starts.

“We have also developed an Infrastructure Procurement Strategy in line with the National Treasury Framework for Infrastructure Delivery and Procurement Management. This is done to enable smarter, quicker and more effective infrastructure procurement and will be implementing the strategy over the coming months,” he said.

Minster Mchunu added that the department is also prioritising hands-on monitoring of progress with all major projects which have been historically delayed, including the Giyani water project, the Vaal River intervention project, Hammanskraal water quality concerns as well as the Umzimvubu and uMkhomazi water projects, amongst others.

Around 11% of all households experience water service infrastructure backlogs – about which Minister Mchunu said the department is engaging with provincial and local governments.

He added that these engagements had shown that many municipalities did not have the necessary skills and trained personnel to deliver at the capacity required of them. Reduced budgets and decaying infrastructure also added to their challenge, said Minister Mchunu.

parTnering for a waTer secure fuTure

He also said that the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) would change its focus from bulk water resources management to assisting in the declining capacity of municipalities to deliver water to consumers. He said the new focus would see attention given to the entire water value chain.

“As DWS we can’t just point fingers at municipalities because consumers don’t know about and aren’t interested [in] what the different spheres of government are responsible for; they just want water. So where there is no water, DWS will assist without disrupting the powers delegated to the municipality,” he said.

To strengthen water service delivery and municipal capacity, Minister Mchunu has called on the private sector to enter into partnerships with the government.

“There is a need to increase participation of private sector partnerships through finance and skills enrichment in the water sector.

Besides this, we are strengthening our role in regulating, supporting, and water-scarce municipalities where municipal water and sanitation services are deteriorating,

linked to the reinstatement of blue, green, and no drop regulatory monitoring tools,” he said.

This call echoed statements made at the recent International Water Association (IWA) World Water Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark, where Minter Mchunu said there is a need to increase private sector involvement in water services to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

In his speech, Minister Mchunu said where there is a constraint in the municipalities in terms of finance and expertise, there is substantial expertise in the private sector.

“However, private sector involvement in municipal water and sanitation services is considerably low compared to other middle-income countries. The reason for this is a lack of capacity in municipalities to take bankable projects to the market, coupled with a Public Private Partnership (PPP) regulatory framework, which means it takes eight to 12 years to facilitate a PPP,” he said.

To change this, the government is committed to putting in place public-private collaboration agreements with industries, such as the mines and agriculture, for joint funding of infrastructure projects. It is also putting in place a Water Partnerships Office (WPO) with the Development Bank of Southern Africa to assist municipalities to contract for PPP and independent water producers. This regulatory framework is currently being finalised by the National Treasury.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 45 Sources:DBSA|GreenPeace|News24|DWS|SAGov|TalkoftheTown

The state of SOEs: ACSA

Increasing aviation through investment in South African airports

Upgraded airports, increased retail spaces, and improved digitisation are just some of the ways the Airports Company South Africa (ACSA) is looking to improve travellers’ experiences at airports across the country.

ACSA has unveiled plans to expand infrastructure and capacity in the medium and long term in a bid to recover from the pandemic. Among these plans are reopening shops and restaurants, a digital

parking system, and upgraded pay stations. But there are also large-scale infrastructure upgrades planned for OR Tambo International Airport, King Shaka International Airport in Durban, and Cape Town International Airport.

REGROUPING AFTER LOSSES SUSTAINED IN THE PANDEMIC

The upgrades come as ACSA works to recover the losses experienced during the pandemic. In the financial year ending in March, ACSA recorded an R1-billion loss. However, this showed recovery

against the previous year’s loss of R2.6-billion thanks to improved travel on the back of decreased travel restrictions as a result of the pandemic.

ACSA recorded that revenue was up by 81% in the 2021/22 financial year, from R2.2-billion to R3.9-billion, in a “difficult operating environment” created by the pandemic and civil unrest.

Chief Executive Officer, Mpumi Mpofu, said that the recovery was supported by a gradual and

46 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 ACSA BYJESSIE TAYLOR

The outlook for travel through South African airports is positive, especially with a growing trend towards intra-Africa travel

intermittent recovery in passenger numbers in comparison to the previous year.

“Domestic travel accounted for 83% of passenger traffic during the reporting period. We are still experiencing 30% less volumes than in pre-COVID-19 travel, but the domestic market has been instrumental in driving our performance during the period under review,” said Ms Mpofu. Retail revenue increased by 95.8% to R607-million (2021: R310-million) due to increased traffic volumes. Among the improvements underway for OR Tambo are a revised governance framework and a new organisational structure.

Other upgrades include the replacement of most credit card payment devices and a mobile application for easier payments, the development of a seamless parking system, including license plate recognition, and the replacement of all lighting, including in baggage reclaim areas, security checkpoints, and parking garages. The airport will also see the refurbishment of escalators and travelators.

A FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS

Similar improvements are being implemented at King Shaka and at Cape Town International. These include a biometrics-driven

automated border control system, electronic check-in bays and an upgraded parking management system, which includes a tap-and-go credit card payment option.

In addition, tenders have been issued for repairing the taxiways and motorised gates at Cape Town and OR Tambo and repairing boarding bridges at the three airports.

Improvements to security systems come with a price tag of R460m for this financial year, while R172m will be spent on improving parking systems. Repair and maintenance costs will increase to R339m.

In addition, OR Tambo will become the first airport to use the South African Revenue Service’s (SARS) new digital travel pass, which will come into effect in November. The system will collect necessary travel information and grant a traveller pass via email, simplifying passenger movement at South African airports. All travellers will be required to complete the declaration, and once completed, air passengers will receive a pass before they board. The online system will ultimately be rolled out at all South African international airports, with the programme expected to be fully operational at the end of the first quarter of next year.

A strategic national asset The Department of Transport has been lobbying for the expansion of South Africa’s airports and has committed to giving them increased attention in the next few years. This will include expanding

Sources:businesstech|airports|news24| timeslive

existing international airports into larger ‘aerotropolises’, while rationalising the need for smaller, less profitable airports. The government owns a 74.6% stake in ACSA, and the Public Investment Corporation holds 20%. The rest is held by a number of private investor groups.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has described the state-owned enterprise as a “strategic national asset with an important role to play in South Africa’s economic reconstruction and recovery”. He also added that the company has a role to play in the growth of the aviation sector on the continent.

“While it is true that ACSA has been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic as a result of travel restrictions, it remains on course on the recovery path,” said Mbalula.

Mpofu has said that the outlook for travel through South African airports is positive, especially with a growing trend towards intra-Africa travel. She added that central, west and north Africa had fully picked up in terms of travel to Europe, and this remains a good indicator of recovery on the rest of the continent.

“African aviation is also performing much better, with a number of countries rebuilding with extensive economic growth by building airports and ensuring route development and traffic development from their countries to Europe and the US, but also within the continent, so the outlook for Africa is good. Recovery is projected for 2024, and we as ACSA are looking to participate in the opportunities that present themselves.”

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 47

Quiet quitting and the effect on the workplace

Quiet quitting is the current new workplace buzzword, and although it seems like a resignation, it instead describes a fight against the hustle-bustle culture.

The COVID-19 pandemic restricted public meetings and caused many people to reassess their careers. As a result, not only did millions lose their employment, but millions also re-evaluated their jobs and quit!

People are not only leaving their jobs, but they also want to have

more of a work life balance. Quiet quitting is the new way to do just enough to get by at a job.

UndeRStanding the teRm qUiet qUitting

Quiet quitting means employees have limited their tasks to their job description to avoid extended hours. They want to accomplish the bare minimum and create clear boundaries to achieve work-life balance. These employees still do their jobs but don’t subscribe to the ‘work is life’ culture to lead their careers and stand out to their seniors. Instead, they do what’s

their job description and when they leave work, they leave ‘work’ at the office.

Quiet quitting could also mean that an employee is unhappy at work or is feeling burned out. The employee deals with burnout by leaving without a fuss. This helps reduce stress or could also mean they are looking for a new job or are ready to switch careers.

Why aRe employeeS qUiet qUitting?

Quiet quitting is trendy but not new. Poor compensation, unreasonable

48 | Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 LegaL Matters
in
Have you noticed that the “lights are on but noone’s at home” for some of your staff?

Quiet quitting is the new way to do just enough to get by at a job.

and management communicate differently via Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Because they’re scheduled, these interactions may feel more rigid than workplace chats. Fewer meetings might strain employee-management relations, and the feeling of regular support and appreciation can easily be lost.

CleaR SignS of qUiet qUitting

Quiet resignation signs depend on the employee’s reasons for leaving. For example, if an employee is miserable, the indicators may be more evident than if they want a better work-life balance.

Quiet quitting indications include:

• not attending meetings;

• arriving late or leaving early;

• reduction in productivity;

• less contribution to team projects;

• not participating in planning or meetings; and

• lack of passion or enthusiasm;

• lack of ways to help employees manage stress at work;

• lack of help for employees to manage stress at the workplace to prevent burnout

As a leader, you can help people deal with stress and put their mental health first. Businesses should use digital wellness or informal check-ins to help their employees stay healthy. A company must set and stick to work boundaries to have a good work culture.

Discuss career paths with the employee and provide them with precise, practical tasks to accomplish their goals, offering insight and encouragement along the way!

If businesses don’t assist staff in managing reasonable expectations and making them feel appreciated, there won’t be any improvement in quiet quitting

LabourExcel specialises in offering a variety of Labour Law and HR Solutions. Silke Rathbone, one of the Principal Partners, has crafted and honed her skill set and assists corporates and individuals along the Labour journey to ensure they understand what is required of them at all levels.

workload, burnout, or lack of growth prospects have caused workers to quit for years.

The pandemic transformed work culture and again highlighted quiet quitting. More people questioned their jobs and sought work-life balance. In addition, people are venting on social media or other platforms where there is an audience, and so often, this venting is fuelled by many who feel the same way!

Working from home has impacted business dynamics since individuals

hoW Can CompanieS help employeeS?

By improving the employee experience, you can prevent disengagement. Discuss ways to make employees feel appreciated, listen to their ideas, and continually encourage them, no matter how small or mundane their role may seem.

Next, ensure reasonable workloads and work-life boundaries. Also, have regular check-ins with staff to provide clear boundaries and an open, honest relationship.

• The services Silke offers are:

• Human and Industrial Relations Related Services

• Retrenchments – assisting with everything relating to the restructuring of a business;

• Unfair dismissals cases;

• Unfair discrimination cases;

• Drafting of employment contracts;

• Transferring of a business as a going concern;

• Labour Law Statutory Compliance – audit;

• Monthly retainer packages for IR advice;

• Outsourced HR services.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 49

November is all about doing the right thing

INTERNATIONAL FRAUD AWARENESS WEEK

In 2000 the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) created Fraud Awareness week as a “dedicated time to raise awareness about fraud”. The objective is to reduce the impact of fraud, by encouraging business leaders and employees to be proactive. Individuals and organisations are able to join efforts by joining the campaign as Official Supporters, through the ACFE, which serves as a symbol of your commitment, and also offers you access to resources to educate and inform others.

WORLD DIABETES DAY

This year World Diabetes Day will continue under the theme of ensuring access to diabetes care, which started in 2021. Starting in 2007, the day has been used as a platform for raising awareness around the lack of access to diabetes care. “Globally, an estimated 422 million adults were living with diabetes in 2014, compared to 108 million in 1980,” says the UN, which has taken the global prevalence up to 8.5%, from the 4.7% recorded in 1980.

WORLD CHILDREN’S DAY

In 1959, on the 20th of November, the UN General Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child. This marked the beginning of Universal Children’s Day, which is now known as World Children’s Day, to “promote international togetherness, awareness among children worldwide, and improving children’s welfare.” The 20th of November also marks the anniversary of the adoption of the convention on children’s rights.

50 | Public Sector Leaders | November UPCOMING EVENTS
17 14 13-19

AFRICA INDUSTRIALISATION

DAY

With the details of the African Continental Free Trade Area being ironed out, industrialisation on the continent is set to see a rapid rise. Beginning during the Second Industrial Development Decade for Africa, in the 90s, the UN has recognised the 20th of November as Africa Industrialisation Day “to raise awareness about the importance of Africa’s industrialisation and the challenges faced by the continent.” Industrialisation is seen as a strong driver of economic growth, particularly on the continent.

WORLD FISHERIES DAY

Did you know that fish make up a quarter of the dietary protein in the world’s diet? Did you know that 60% of the people involved in inland fisheries are women? Fish are key to food security and World Fisheries Day offers the opportunity for fishing communities to celebrate their contribution to the world economy, as well as their contribution to the general population’s dietary requirements.

“16 DAYS OF ACTIVISM FOR NO VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN

16 Days of Activism begins with International Day of No Violence Against Women on November 25 and ends on International Human Rights Day on December 10. The week involves programmes aimed at increasing awareness about the prevalence of violence against women and children while offering an opportunity to reflect on what has been done to prevent further violence and how the justice system deals with perpetrators.

Public Sector Leaders | November | 51 Sources:FraudWeek| UnitedNations|16DaysCampaign|Dirco
21
25-10
20

of

For more information contact our Head of brand: Lee-Anne Bruce at lee-ann.bruce@topco.co.za 19-20 July 2023
a
Be
part
the transformation.

And who hAs tumbled from the top?

Looking at the list of the richest women in Africa, what is striking is that acquiring billionaire status does not happen overnight. Everyone featured here has spent a lifetime investing in, and growing, their entrepreneurial empires. Silver hair and gold in the bank!

Top to bottom: Folorunsho Alakija; Ngina Kenyatta; Hajia Bola Shagaya; Wendy Appelbaum; Wendy Ackerman
Who are the top 5 Wealthiest Women in africa?

Topping The lisT of wealThy powerhouses in africa is:

folorunsho alakija - a nigerian billionaire

Fifty years ago Folorunsho started out in the fashion industry and today her business interests include real estate, oil and gas and printing.

She is the owner of several groups of companies including Dayspring Property Development Company Limited, a real estate company which owns properties around the globe, as well as Rose of Sharon Prints and Promotions.

Folorunsho is also Executive Director of FAMFA Oil, her family-owned oil production company.

nexT is: ngina Kenyatta - the mother of current Kenyan president, uhuru Kenyatta

Nearing her ninth decade Ngina Kenyatta is a billionaire with a portfolio which includes investments, banking, media and the dairy industry. “Mama Kenyatta” has a 24.91% share in the Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA) –she also owns shares in Media Max, a media company that owns K24 TV, Kameme Radio, and The People newspaper.

Third place goes To:

hajia Bola shagaya who also hails from nigeria

With a current net worth of almost a billion US, Hajia Bola started out as an auditor for the Central Bank of Nigeria and then her entrepreneurial verve kicked in! She started an empire by importing Konica photographic equipment for resale. Nearly 40 years later she is CEO of Bolmus Group International with interests in oil, real estate, banking, and photography. Hajia founded Practoil Limited, and in 2005 became its managing director. Today Practoil is one of the largest importer and distributors of base oil in Nigeria today.

4Th and 5Th places are held By souTh african powerhouses:

wendy appelbaum is the richest woman in south africa and the 4th wealthiest on the continent

Wendy Appelbaum is the daughter of Liberty Group founder Donald Gordon and the owner and Chair of De Morgenzon Wine Estate. Previously, Wendy also served as the DeputyChairman of the Women’s Investment Portfolio Limited (Wiphold Limited), which is a renowned women’s investment holding company that is listed on JSE. Overall, Wendy is also

a director of Sphere Holdings (Pty) Ltd, which is a black empowerment company addressing financial services in mining sectors. In 2015, she was awarded both the Forbes Woman Businesswoman of the Year, and the Forbes Africa Woman of the Year.

wendy ackerman –fMcg powerhouse

Wendy Ackerman is one of the founders and an Executive Director of Pick ‘n Pay Stores. Along with her husband Raymond Ackerman, Wendy has been a tremendous force in building up one of South Africa’s leading FMCG retailers, which, to date, consists of over 450 stores, with the inclusion of 121 supermarkets and 14 hypermarkets.

The company extends its food and retail services across South Africa, southern Africa and even Australia, and has employed an estimated 49,000 people over the years. Wendy received an Inyathelo Award for her family’s philanthropic efforts in 2007.

a cauTionary Tale

For many years Isabel Dos Santos, daughter of Angolan President, José Eduardo dos Santos, topped the list as the richest woman in Africa. Currently in self-imposed exile in Dubai she is embroiled in legal battles while watching her empire implode.

Public Sector Leaders | November 2022 | 55

Showcasing

2 - 4 MAY
Africa’s business technology success stories to the world. For more information contact our Head of brand: Clay Tsapi clay.tsapi@topco.co.za Scan the QR code to watch the #ATW highlights for 2022
2023

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