TALK ABOUT “BEHIND YOUR BACK IN FRONT OF YOUR EYES!” How IDC is trying to create black industrialists While the IDC is doing a lot to help new entrepreneurs, it still needs to do a lot more to fund businesses in new industries By Hanna Ziady Thembinkosi Mthembu is a black industrialist. The founder of...Read More

Fighting Back: SA can be global inspiration again by Steuart Pennington The 8th “No Confidence” debate has come and gone. It was an emetic event, rather like a car crash, or an earthquake, or a tsunami. All over the ‘head-lines’ with much interest, international focus, currency casualty, crowing opponents and then………… to-morrow the ‘headlines’ will...Read More

Young South Africans honouring Madiba’s legacy by Sally Currin Ever heard of the South Africa-Washington International Program (SAWIP)? It is a seven month personal development and transformational leadership programme – with a six week global experience – offering talented young South Africans, mainly from less privileged backgrounds, the opportunity to prepare themselves to make a...Read More

Mandela Day – Making Stumbling Blocks into Stepping Stones! by Steuart Pennington I live in Nottingham Road, a small farming hamlet 50kms North- West of Pietermaritzburg Last week I was asked to be a “Dragon” at a local fund-raiser to celebrate Mandela Day and kick-off Mandela Month. Like ‘what’s that?’ Below is the story, another...Read More

  MADIBA – A six part review. July 18th is a global celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life and the legacy he left for mankind. We are urged to take 67 minutes ‘time-out’ to do something to commemorate his life and make a small difference. Some argue we have ‘lost the plot’ – that Mandela’s life...Read More

2017 # 3: SA’s Global Rankings – People, Crime, Environment, War and Peace – compared to the rest of the World: Nathanael West “Numbers constitute the only universal language.” Every year the Economist ‘Pocket World in Figures’ brings out a varied set of global rankings covering 190 countries. These range from fastest-growing economies to highest...Read More

2017 # 2: SA in numbers – Infrastructure, Health and Technology – compared to the rest of the World: Nathanael West “Numbers constitute the only universal language.” Every year the Economist ‘Pocket World in Figures’ brings out a varied set of global rankings covering 190 countries. These range from fastest-growing economies to highest per capita...Read More

2017 # 1: SA in numbers – Geography, Population, & Economy – compared to the rest of the World: Nathanael West “Numbers constitute the only universal language.” Every year the Economist ‘Pocket World in Figures’ brings out a varied set of global rankings covering 190 countries. These range from fastest-growing economies to highest per capita...Read More

Volunteering made convenient: a Fantastic SA initiative When I was still living in JHB I organised a few ‘volunteering’ trips for my staff, we helped build a house with Habitat for Humanity, we adopted a creche in Doornkop and we organised outings for kids. I even ended up, with FNB support, publishing a “Corporate Volunteering...Read More

Scenario # 2: Zuma bounces back, again He’s just much more strategic, much more motivated and much more ruthless than his rivals By Peter Bruce Oh dear. Another attempt to dislodge Jacob Zuma; another failure. Someone once gave me a blow-up sort of doll of Saddam Hussein. It had sand as ballast at the bottom...Read More