Tag: ubuntu

“I am from a poor family, somewhere in Africa”. Many Africans recognise themselves in this story. Success rarely belongs to one individual. It often emerges as a collective achievement. Someone sacrificed school fees, someone shared food and someone walked beside you through hardship. Grandparents became parents. Aunts became mothers. Older siblings became providers. Communities invested in one child because they hoped everyone would eventually rise. Consequently, success carries expectations.

South Africa’s justice system is undergoing a necessary and exciting transformation. After years of relying heavily on traditional courtroom litigation, there is increasing conversation around making dispute resolution more accessible, affordable and culturally relevant.

South Africa has been crowned the friendliest country in the world in a recent global study by international money transfer service Remitly. Now isn’t that some incredibly positive news that we can all do with! While this news has been met with both celebration and scepticism, it raises a powerful question: What does this kind of international recognition mean for South Africa’s reputation?

In 2023, Reuel Khoza unsealed a letter to the future, which he had written in 1999 when he was chair of Eskom, at the time recognised as the best power utility in the world. It was an optimistic letter, expressing hopes that have since been dashed by corruption and maladministration – by a failure of ethical leadership.

Welcome to a guidebook for managers and leaders navigating the challenges of our evolving world. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the global, unpredictable, and intense nature of our surroundings, necessitating both resilience and sensitivity.

As African liberal minds assemble in the ‘Mother City’ to trade ideas on a variety of strategies for effective liberal governance on our continent, the old English adage says, when big minds assemble in one room, it is unlikely they will agree on anything, is appropriate.

There is one serious missing link at the centre of today’s capitalism. It is a disequilibrium between increased economic interconnectedness and increased isolation/exclusion. This unique challenge in the 21st century calls for a unique solution: Ubuntu.

Culture and religion are interwoven into the fabric of society and play a critical role in sharing important values in homes and communities. For many, culture and religion define how they see and understand the world and provide the guidelines and norms underpinning their behaviour.  

There will be no sudden arrival of the cavalry to rescue us and that will affect the socio-economic change South Africa needs anytime soon. The only solution going forward is private/public co-operation and, as harsh as the statement might seem, it’s necessary.

Is it time to broaden the traditional concept that directors owe a duty to the company only? There is an interdependency between companies and South African society, which mirrors the African concept of Botho, otherwise known as Ubuntu, which translates to ‘I am because you are; you are because we are’.