In this LeaderWalk, guest speaker Faith Mangope spoke about the urgent need for trans-formative leadership in South Africa. Addressing a captivated audience, Mangope high-lighted the deep-rooted inequalities that continue to plague the nation, despite efforts since 1994 to bridge the socio-economic divides created by colonialism and apartheid.
SA… a nation of stark contrasts
South Africa, she said, finds itself in a precarious position. The outcome of the 2024 Na-tional and Provincial elections has revealed a pulsating truth – South Africans are tired of the status quo. But what is this status quo?
“An Oxfam report exploring the dimensions of inequality in health, gender, and livelihoods highlights the following: South Africa, a middle-income country, is one of the most une-qual countries in the world in terms of income distribution. This disparity is largely a lega-cy of colonialism and apartheid, which created an unequal society by favouring the white minority in employment, education, and healthcare. While measures since 1994 have aimed to address these disparities, the country still grapples with high levels of inequali-ty,” she added.
“South Africa stands as a nation of stark contrasts, where the very wealthy live alongside the destitute – Sandton and Alexandra serve as a prime example. High levels of income inequality negatively impact social cohesion. Despite this, the public continues to vote with little to no change resulting from their choices. Voter apathy is evident, with only 58 per-cent of registered voters participating, driven by a belief that their votes do not matter, or their voices are not heard,” stated Mangope.
This apathy, according to Mangope, unfolds against a backdrop of a challenging economic reality. “South Africa’s National Treasury has lowered this year’s growth forecast to just 0.6 percent – essentially zero growth. The country’s current gross loan debt as a percent-age of GDP, around 74%, is the highest since 1947. One out of every five rands earned from tax is now spent on debt payments. With only 7.1 million South Africans contributing to personal income tax and about 16.8 million working South Africans, the economic co-nundrum is stark.”
Much-needed harsh truth
Amid this reality, she mentioned that South Africans expect political parties with contradic-tory policies to work together to form an effective government of National Unity. Can they do it? Well, you are strapped into the passenger seat of this national vehicle for the next five years, hoping no crash occurs.
“This is the country we live in and the challenges we face. It is enough to make any per-son pessimistic about this republic and its prospects. However, I believe this cacophony of lived experiences provides us with a much-needed harsh truth. The Savior is not out there. Let me repeat, the Savior is not out there,” she said.
Mangope’s talk explored the complexities of leadership, with questions focused on how we show up as leaders when the path seems uncertain, and if indeed the Savior is not out there, then who do we pin our hope on for a better future for ourselves, our families, and generations to come? She called for introspection and personal accountability, urging each individual to embrace leadership roles in their own spheres.
What can we do
* Do not wait for a saviour. The saviour is not out there.
* You are the best saviour this country needs.
* Privilege should never isolate you from humanity
A discussion
We thank our table hosts (below) for accepting our challenge to facilitate discussions:
1. Ina Iyer, Director, Norton Rose Fulbright
2. Molebatsi Langa, Head: Retail Strategic Accounts, Old Mutual Insure
3. Tono Pinillos, Chief Financial Officer, Garrun Group
4. Siboniso Ngema, Director, Envirosure
5. Sjanine Tanner, Managing Director, Envirosure
6. Thuso Mafumo, Head of Customer Experience (CX) portfolio, Discovery Insure
Thank you
Thank you to all the delegates who attended this event, we hope that the session inspired you, as leaders, on the importance of collective responsibility and proactive leadership in overcoming the nation’s challenges and forging a brighter future for all.
