Survé urges support for country’s ‘custodians of transformation’
AS PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa delivers his State of the Nation Address (Sona) today, Sekunjalo executive chairman Dr Iqbal Survé has called on him to recognise that the custodians of transformation and empowerment in South Africa need to be supported.
Sona is one of the most important events on the government’s calendar as it sets the tone for the government’s work, which will aim to address the country’s challenges and improve the lives of all South Africans.
In an interview yesterday, Dr Survé said it would not be enough that the president spoke only about his vision for the country and the challenges that he faced.
“It is important that he recognises that those custodians of transformation and empowerment need to be supported. South Africa cannot go back to the days when black people, in particular, were marginalised… in fact, black people should be applauded.
“And it’s important for the president… to ensure that real transformation in the economy occurs, even if it means upsetting some of the very powerful institutions out there today.
“After all, what is liberation without real transformation? I am confident that the president will address these issues.”
Dr Survé said South Africa was at a crossroads and it would be fair to say there was a fight for the soul of the country. “It would be foolish to try to frame this fight in the context of internal battles within the ANC, or battles between political parties and other entities. The fight is much greater than that. The fight is about the kind of South Africa that we want to see, those who are committed to an inclusive participatory economy.”
He said the definition of an inclusive economy could not be simply that poor black people must be consumers, but that they must also be owners, entrepreneurs and leaders of the economy.
“The fight is about the kinds of business models, about actively seeking and creating opportunities that allow people to fulfil their potential no matter where they come from.
“I have spent more than 20 years building the Sekunjalo Group. For 20 years we were clear about our mission.
“Our mission is to use business as a tool to create a better society. Our mission is to genuinely give opportunities to black South Africans particularly in line with Nelson Mandela’s statement on the importance of affirmative action and empowerment in our economy. Our mission is to do this in a non-racial way, which is to use South Africa’s talent to build businesses that are sustainable, profitable and ethical,” said Dr Survé.
He made mention of the fact that the majority of South African corporates failed to create career pathways for black people, black businesspeople, managers and professionals. The most recent statistics spoke for themselves, showing the majority of corporate South Africa remained 70% white and male, which was a far cry from the country’s demographics.
Dr Survé said it was only through being truly independent that Sekunjalo was able to give credence and opportunity for the development of black talent, in particular.
“We cannot be apologetic about a country that is 84% black and where top and middle management represent less than 20% of black people in their structures.”
The Sekunjalo chairman highlighted the importance of a value system that places people before profits.
He spoke of how Sekunjalo builds social contracts with workers and trade unions in all of its businesses, and how it uses its resources to impact positively on society and distributes profits to not just shareholders but an extensive philanthropic initiative.
“The philosophy of people before profits symbolises that it is people who ultimately determine a company’s success or failure, it is people that make up a company. A company is not a legal entity without people, it is people that fundamentally determine the trajectory of a company,” said Dr Survé.
The Sekunjalo chairman sent a barb to all detractors, saying: “The attack on Sekunjalo is an attack on genuine and authentic empowerment in this country. It is an attempt to roll back the gains that progressive people have made post our liberation, it is the fight for a soul of a country, it is a fight between those who want to use exploitative practices in order to derive profits.
“What Sekunjalo is experiencing is not just an attack on one of its businesses but an attack on all its businesses. We have no problems with anyone asking questions, seeking engagements with any of our investments or subsidiaries; on the contrary, we welcome that. We have no problem with anyone reporting on our businesses.”