Spotlight on ‘doers of good’ at launch

“DISRUPTORS” is a buzz word this year, and a significant South African book which profiles these social entrepreneurs re-inventing business and society. The Gordon Institute of Business Science and Fogarty’s bookstore are hosting the launch of The Disruptors on Friday at the GFI Art Gallery in Park Drive.

The authors are Kerryn Krige, head of the Gibs Network for Social Entrepreneurship, and award-winning journalist Gus Silber.

Silber will not be in town on Friday but Krige, who is from Port Elizabeth, will join Nelson Mandela Bay businessman Neil Campher – profiled in the book – at the launch. They will speak on “disruptors” and explore the tricky questions of whether you can profit from charity, and their thoughts on why social enterprises are considered to be the business model of the future.

“Social entrepreneurship makes sense,” Krige said. “We know that business cannot focus on generating profit alone if it wants to thrive, and our social entrepreneurs show the value of setting up hybrid businesses that generate both social and economic value.”

As the authors believe, never has there been a time when South Africa, Africa and the rest of the world needed to integrate the savvy of business with the urgency of social justice, like now.

There has been a lot of interest in The Disruptors since it was released in March, and it has already been reprinted in SA and the US after exceeding sales. Now Gibs has announced a follow-up, The Disruptors: The Extended Edition.

The books tell the stories of South Africa’s social entrepreneurs, such as Vuyani Dance Theatre’s revolution of township dance and Stacey Brewer and Ryan Harrison’s Spark Schools which are transforming the landscape of affordable, quality education. From healthcare to mobile gaming, from education to recycling, Krige and Silber have zoomed in to highlight the doers of good.

ý RSVP to Kovashni Gordhan, kgordhan@live.co.za, 083-222-5781.