It is these words that resonate with the partnership which Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) and Daily Maverick have commenced. While the latter continues its trajectory of quality journalism that focuses on business and economic stories, BLSA views Business Maverick as a platform to combat corruption, fraud and State Capture in both the public and…
Dear Mr Cyril Ramaphosa Congratulations on your election as the 14th President of the African National Congress. You have been elected at a vital time for both the future of the ANC and South Africa. Your election presents an opportunity to renew confidence in South Africa, both internally and externally. The Nedbank team looks forward…
The past few weeks have been an uncomfortable period for the South African business community. But whatever these instances show, they are not representative of broader business conduct, nor do they collapse the differences between the overwhelmingly honest behaviour of the business community and the industrial level corruption going on at all levels of government.…
Dear Delegates, There is no doubt that the 54th national conference of the African National Congress (ANC) will be a watershed moment for the party and for our country’s future. I urge you to look to your organisation’s past in order to guide the future. South Africa made the choice by voting the ANC into…
As the year comes to a close, millions of South Africans will be reflecting on both the self-inflicted hardship of the passing year and the future. They will be mulling over the kind of leadership they want and deserve – the leadership that can help steer us towards economic prosperity and sustainable economic development. In…
The column headlined “Corporate SA cannot remain aloof from country’s challenges” (December 3 2017), by Business Times editor Ron Derby raises important issues about the role of business in our country. One of the most pertinent issues he raises is whether business will stay engaged with efforts to resolve South Africa’s issues, which cannot be addressed by the state…
The formal business sector in South Africa has been subjected to a propaganda onslaught that has damaged it. It has painted business as universally corrupt, led by unrepentant beneficiaries of apartheid, in conflict with the aspirations of most South Africans. In the process we have lost a clear view of what business really does in…
On the evening of November 24, Moody’s and S&P will release their ratings review, providing us with the last economic sense check before the highly anticipated December ANC Congress. Like many South Africans, I will be staying up late to find out whether our economy will get a downgrade or a stay of execution. As…
Although state capture and the impact it is having on government has been front of mind for some time, the KPMG matter has recently turned the light on the need to fight corruption and maladministration in the private sector too. Webber Wentzel (together with their alliance partner Linklaters) recently hosted a seminar entitled ‘Anti-corruption and…
Balance sheets not abnormal: Business create six times more jobs than govt This is BLSA’s right of reply to an article published in CitiBusiness on October 25 entitled: ‘Private sector also to blame.’ Recently mining and labour analyst Mamokgethi Molopyane painted a very misleading picture of business, which requires a response. Her central claims involved…
At last, a positive development has sprung from the negativism that has engulfed the country since white monopoly capital became a whipping boy for the mess SA is in, fuelled by a dangerous alliance of populists bent on stirring up racial animosity and chaos. Business Leadership SA (BLSA), which represents 80 of the largest companies…
Government and big business must play their part to support small businesses, says Simon Susman, chairperson of Woolworths. He shares how the retailer started as a small business and its contribution to the South African economy. THE FIRST Woolworths store was opened by founder Max Sonnenberg in Cape Town in 1931. The economic environment at…