Tag: altruism

The electricity crisis in South Africa is self-inflicted. This has become clear from the many costly disruptions in electricity supply over too long a period. There is something fundamentally amiss with government policy in this area. At the centre of the problem is Eskom, the leviathan which enjoys monopolistic protection shielded from potential competition.

Yachting has been one of the great pleasures of my life. It is mostly a contest between yourself and the elements. Yacht racing pits you against these same elements, and against often unseen and distant competitors.

Make no mistake: it is a wonderful thing to do a good deed purely for the sake of helping someone else – this is altruism at its best. But, if that same good deed that helps another inadvertently benefits you in some way, then surely that’s even better?

The global COVID-19 pandemic has provided critical leadership lessons for governments and organisations around the world. The crisis affirmed the importance of bold, decisive decision-making in the face of unprecedented challenges, while also highlighting the importance of agile thinking and adaptability.

Poverty isn’t always a jumble of appalling statistics. Sometimes there are names, faces and stories to the numbers. It’s a cousin who’s finished high school but doesn’t have enough money to job hunt. It’s a colleague whose hand to mouth living still only gets her through half the month because her salary is just not enough.