It seems only fitting that a photograph of Elon Musk with Cyril Ramaphosa should surface on Heritage Day
It seems only fitting that a photograph of Elon Musk with Cyril Ramaphosa should surface on Heritage Day.
They are smiling and shaking hands, two South Africans with vastly different life experience, both influential in word and deed. The one grew up in Pretoria and now dreams of exploring Mars; the other grew up in Soweto and now heads up the Government of National Unity.
Their meeting this week on the side of the 79th United Nations General Assembly is both a reminder of South Africa’s diversity, and an advertisement of our ambitions on the global stage. In our diversity is an unseen symmetry that produces world class individuals and companies able to compete with – and sometimes surpass – the best the planet has to offer, despite the many challenges they have overcome along the way.
Or is their success the result of overcoming challenges along the way?
Does South Africa’s cultural diversity, the meeting and contestation of ideas, produce leadership qualities needed to excel in the business environment?
Certainly, South Africa already has an impressive track record of competing on the world stage. Our banks and retailers have an international footprint, and our manufacturers already export a broad range of product ranging from micro-satellites to luxury cars and catamarans. Trailblazing companies like MTN, Standard Bank and Robertson and Caine – to name but a few examples – have paved the way for others to make inroads into international markets.
During the kleptoracy of the Gupta years it was easy to forget that, from its earliest years, South Africa has a proud history of competing in international markets. The Government of National Unity now offers us a new opportunity to break new ground in an era that will hopefully be defined by investment and growth. If good people can unite, and crowd out those who cheat and disrupt, then as a country we can reduce impediments to growth that currently prevent other potential Elon Musks to succeed in business.
The handshake in New York is hopefully a sign that we have truly exited the era of squandered economic opportunity and now stand on the threshold of genuine opportunity. Successful people raise and inspire others to increase competiveness, and this will lead us to growth
In Heritage week it is worth remembering that trade, the genesis of modern-day South Africa, is an unfolding story involving many twists and turns. Pioneering business leaders remind us that, as much as we must learn from the trade injustices of the past, we also need to look forward to chart our way into the future.
John Lawson
CEO of the Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry