The CEO Chirp: Common purpose builds social cohesion

In these troubled times, with the fate of the world resting in a few powerful hands which are largely unseen, it is reassuring when our leaders remind us they are indeed part of the communities they serve.

Seeing leaders participate in large sporting events like the Cape Town Cycle Tour and the Comrades Marathon is a case in point.  

We are reminded of their humanity, for they are not in it to win the race; they are there to tough it out along with everybody else. A Mayor or a Minister requires the same grit and determination to pedal or jog uphill into a south east gale as does a fruit vendor from Epping or an accountant from Plumstead. Sporting events are great levellers. Everybody is swept along in the same wave of human camaraderie and sense of common purpose.

In this way, big sporting events like the Cycle Tour and the Two Oceans Marathon not only boost our economy; they promote social cohesion that is difficult to quantify but just as valuable than the rands and cents injected into local coffers.

Role models of this kind help us see beyond our fractured past.

Fortunately, South Africa has a proud tradition of leaders literally going the extra mile to inspire their communities. Former Cabinet Minister Buti Manamela famously completed the 2018 Comrades Marathon ‘Down Run’, which he described as a ‘good feeling’; Tourism Minister Patricia de Lille Patricia de Lille used to host "walk-and-talk" segments of the Cape Town Marathon to engage with residents about urban development; and Western Cape Premier Alan Winde’s cycling exploits have earned him the nickname ‘the lycra leader’.

And let’s not forget the early morning perambulations of Nelson Mandela, who liked to walk the quiet streets of Houghton, waving to startled morning joggers and dog-walkers as he shuffled past in his trainers with a couple of puffing bodyguards in tow.

Our country needs leaders who elevate our humanity, and remind us that what we share will always outweigh what sets us apart.

John Lawson
CEO of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry