Business leaders must unite to save SA from social disaster
As the election draws closer, our media headlines and collective attention inevitably become saturated with opinions about what could or should happen to take our country forward.
With our newfound democracy in 1994 came the promise of equality, justice, economic development and prosperity for all. Sadly, after 30 years, we still have a very long walk to realise much of that promise.
We are now the most unequal society on Earth, with the highest Gini coefficient (a statistical measure of economic inequality) in the world. Justice has become a farfetched fantasy as rampant corruption among the political elite has resulted in our judiciary being battered by attacks orchestrated by political leaders intent on escaping accountability for their nefarious acts.
In this context, as South Africa continues to grapple with the highest unemployment rate in the world, prosperity for all remains a distant dream.
South Africa desperately needs a government with a sense of crisis and urgency – leaders committed to the greater good rather than their own selfish interests, who are able to inspire confidence, attract investors and leverage the full potential of the private sector.
Business has rallied around the Cyril Ramaphosa administration after the Jacob Zuma government, which was particularly anti-business with its “white monopoly capital” narrative. The results, however, have been underwhelming.
The current administration has done brilliantly well at selling the story of working hand-in-hand with big business to get South Africa back on track – commissions, committees and work groups were formed, all overlaid with considerable public relations.
However, looking back over the past six years of this presidency, it seems increasingly as if it was all done simply to appease investors and big business, without any real intention to meaningfully address the malfeasance that defines our public sector.
Now, at this critical point ahead of the elections, business needs to re-evaluate how it will discharge the responsibility to contribute to accelerated social upliftment.
Of course, it starts with us. Business leaders should lead by example, demonstrating ethical leadership, transparency and accountability. Corporate business, as the anchor tenants of our national economy, should prioritise collaboration over competition to address our common challenges.
Stop kowtowing
Organised business should stop kowtowing to any particular political faction and instead get back to speaking truth to power. Business leaders should be wary of repeatedly signing public pledges of support while neglecting to call out the obvious corruption and incompetence destroying our country.
Far greater impact can be achieved if corporate social responsibility and nationbuilding initiatives are better aligned and collaboratively supported.
Corporate business, perhaps more so than government, has a critical role to play in building investor confidence.
One thing that is certain over the coming months is far greater uncertainty – in everything from our own political sphere, geopolitical tensions and the US election to climate change, basic service delivery and social stability in South Africa.
By sharing insights among a unified business community, we are able to better navigate this uncertainty, collectively mitigate risks and seize opportunities for growth.
Thirty years into our democracy, we can no longer wait for our national government to save us from itself.
Ryan Ravens is CEO of Accelerate Cape Town, a business leadership organisation representing top-tier corporate business in the Cape Town area.