posted 13 Nov 2007 in Volume 10 Issue 6

South Africa: built on firm foundations and built to last

By Saki Macozoma, Stanlib, and President of Business Leadership South Africa (association of the top 50 Corporations in South Africa)

SOUTH AFRICA is the crossroads of humanity. It is the cradle of humankind. From here people spread throughout the world and eventually prospered. Some from the new world returned in the 17th Century to interact with the native people; to conquer them; to convert them to their religions; to intermarry; and through all these activities to lay the foundation of modern South Africa. I see a play of this history in this publication. Let me explain.
I was asked by the iconic Afrikaner cleric, Dr Beyers Naude, then Secretary-General of the South African Council of Churches, to facilitate the visit of a prominent British Anti-Apartheid activist to South Africa. It turned out to be The Rt. Hon. Paul Boateng, now British High Commissioner to South Africa.
And so the circle is complete. South Africa is free. But we are still at the front line of a new struggle. The struggle for the growth and development of South Africa. Here we are sharing a new platform in which we communicate our hope for South Africa. Here we are telling the world that not only have we have overcome Apartheid, one of the worst manifestations of man’s inhumanity to man, we have conquered bitterness. We have banished revenge in our midst.
We have done all these things without putting our heads in the sand and pretending that the “destructive consequences of Apartheid”, as the UN once declared, are not with us. We confront our past today so that it does come back to haunt our children a generation from now. We acknowledge our painful past. We laugh at its banalities and absurdities. But, above all, we know that our future lies in working together as South Africans to build a society that is just, accommodating and celebrates diversity.
We celebrate the fact that this is a place that God, in his wisdom, has designated to be an example of a rainbow nation, in its people, its fauna and in its flora. A world in one country. As the Australians have dared to ask, as only they can, “Where the hell are you?” Why are you not here to share and participate in this miracle nation in the making? By the way, you can make a decent buck while you are at it.
As this publication is about South Africa and the road ahead, let me touch on the topic that tops the list of the Frequently Asked Questions. Who will be the next president of South Africa or, to the more circumspect, what will the outcome of the succession debate in the ANC be?
I have a simple answer to this question. I do not know. Those who ask the question are always surprised. They should not be. If I knew the answer to this question it would mean that the democratic ethic in the ANC, which provides oxygen to the South African democratic political system, is compromised. So I do not know. It is one instance in which ignorance is bliss!
What I do know is that whoever gets elected ANC President in December the people of South Africa will be the same. They will cherish their freedom as they do today. They will not countenance any political clique that may seek to take these rights away. When all is said and done I would rather rely on this insurance policy for our democracy and progressive society than anything else.
I also do not believe there is any political clique in the ANC that seeks to use power for narrow self or class interests. Yes, there are individuals who make noises to this effect. But this is the land of Nelson Mandela; of O. R. Tambo; of Beyers Naude; of Helen Joseph; of Yusuf Dadoo; of Trevor Huddleston and of Desmond Tutu. The foundation that was laid by these men and women as they built this rainbow nation are too firm to be shaken by political succession storms.
I have, therefore, no hesitation in stating that the road ahead for South Africa will be characterised by the same political stability that the country has enjoyed for the past 15 years. The country will continue to consolidate its democracy and support similar efforts in the continent. It will continue to create the business infrastructure that will make it a great springboard to the African continent. I put it you, then, that it makes sense for you and your company to establish a foothold in South Africa before the next gold rush starts.