From South Africa to South Korea, restaurateur Roddy Bancroft offers the true taste of home at his three successful braai-based eateries in Seoul.



IN THE HILLY SUBURBS OF ITAEWON, SEOUL, dozens of restaurants dot multi-story buildings, bringing flavors from all over the world to one of the trendiest districts of South Korea’s capital. On one particular street drifts a nostalgic yet distinct scent for native South Africans – the smell of a braai, meat grilling on a fire, at Braai Republic.



The restaurant’s co-owner Roddy Bancroft laughs at hearing a familiar accent on the phone when I reach out to him, and I feel an odd sense of comfort being almost 13,000km from home and hearing a fellow South African voice.



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The South African entrepreneur had his start in Seoul in the way that many of his fellows do, filling the burgeoning market of English Foreign Language teachers who can be found across the country’s peninsula.



“We were never permanent staff,” says Bancroft to FORBES AFRICA. “Teaching is a one-year contract, and every year we said it’s our last year – eventually we realized we’d been saying that for almost 20 years,” he laughs.



South Korea is renowned for its culinary culture, particularly with street food,but after so many years there Bancroft was 



craving tastes from home, and over a few drinks with a colleague decided that he would start making droëwors, a dried meat snack South Africa is famed for, at home.



Fellow South African immigrants in Seoul soon were asking for packages, and they were overwhelmed with orders. “I just started offering the packages to friends in the South



African community here&#8230; One day we realized we were posting 30 packages a day,” says Bancroft.



From there, they experimented with a stand at local street food festivals, and the success of those small stands began germinating the idea of a fully-fledged restaurant.



“We had no restaurant experience,” says Bancroft, shaking his head as he remembers the founding of Braai Republic. “We initially just wanted to open a deli, but we found a place that was far too large for what we wanted. So, we decided to open a restaurant instead,” he laughs. “The language barrier a decade ago was more difficult, but we didn’t know how to open a business, or even what paperwork we needed to do.”



<h2 id="h-but-they-did-it">But They Did It.</h2>



“In the beginning, it was the ex-pat community that carried us,” says Bancroft gratefully. “On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, South Africans from all over [the country] would book a cheap hotel nearby just to come here and have a familiar drink.”



But Koreans are adventurous with food, and soon the market expanded to not just immigrants but locals looking for something different.



One such is 21-year- old Lee Hanseok, studying literature at a Seoul university. “I love South African culture,” he says to FORBES AFRICA, demonstrating a surprising level of knowledge about the country’s economic, political and social history.



Indeed, reading Steve Biko and university is what catalyzed his interest in seeking out South African food, and Braai Republic met that need.



“The food is great,” he says, “It’s so different from what we normally eat here at home.”



Hanseok’s lunch consisted of lamb chops grilled over an open fire, which he eats in an environment that could be easily mistaken for a restaurant in any town in South Africa.



Rugby jerseys hang alongside hunting trophies on wooden paneled walls, and a photograph of Nelson Mandela is framed alongside famed South African musicians and sportspeople, while old Afrikaans music hums from behind a bar stocked with Windhoek beers.



Sourcing the foodstuffs that can be made to authentic South African flavors was half of the challenge. While Bancroft and his partners know how to cook the South African manner, bringing those flavors into a restaurant space is its own challenge. Most of the meats are imported, with all of the portioning being performed from purchased whole meats to ensure that the cuts match the style of South African cooking. Bancroft and his partners went so far as to hire a promising young South African chef and send him to culinary school for over a year, before bringing him and his expertise to South Korea to ensure the kitchen is up to standard.



“We really tried to stay true to home,” says Bancroft seriously. “We even have signs on the bathrooms in seven of South Africa’s official languages.”



The family-oriented mindset common in South Africa has also served well in South Korea, with most of the staff having been with the restaurant for over seven years. “They’ve looked after us here,” says Bancroft, “and so we look after them. It’s really comfortable.”



The combination of nostalgia and adventure seems to be working well for Braai Republic, which now has three eateries in Seoul, and is finally expanding into the original idea of a deli as well.



“Being South Africans, we grew up learning how to interact with people from different cultures, and we’ve relied a lot on that here in Seoul,” says Bancroft.



“We’ve given a personal and unique experience here, and we are excited to see it grow.”



While looking forward to visiting his home country and family in September, the innovation does not stop.



Bancroft makes a point of visiting as many different restaurants every time he returns to South Africa, looking for inspiration in different dishes and flavors that he can introduce back into South Korea.



Having overcome numerous obstacles to bring Braai Republic to success, Bancroft’s typical South African humor still stands true on his current struggle. “We’re still trying to convince the locals that lamb chops need to be eaten medium rare,” he smiles, “but we’ll get there.”

Screenshot 2022-08-29 at 13.40.03

Food For The Seoul: A South African Restaurateur’s Sizzling Growth Story In South Korea 

Exxaro’s brand-new CEO Dr Nombasa Tsengwa on influential leadership, greening the mineral resources industry and the fine balance of managing business, natural resources and environmental needs.



DR NOMBASA TSENGWA CUTS A STRONG personality even across a computer screen, with her acute mind and high energy driving clear, well thought-out responses – appropriate given that she is about to take up the mantle of CEO of Exxaro, one of the largest heavy minerals mining companies in South Africa.



While the position seems a natural fit now, having an established reputation both within the company and the mining industry, the journey from botany and agronomy to a female executive in the traditionally male-dominated mineral resources industry was engaging, and not without challenges.



Growing up in rural Transkei, Tsengwa’s father drove home the importance of academic success, which eventually led to her obtaining her PhD, and her mother’s passion and success in gardening led to her field of study in botany and agronomy.



“&#8230; being raised by a father who was a disciplinarian and teacher&#8230; I’ve got to really be successful academically,” Tsengwa recalls with some fondness. It is to his stern focus on success that she credits her determination and drive to succeed. Identifying which direction this success would take was less clear in the beginning.



After graduation, Tsengwa began her career in the civil services working at the Department of Environmental Affairs, where the work she was suited to began to reveal itself; implementing and ensuring compliance with environmental policies, particularly with the imminent threat of climate change.



“It was great to create impacts in the country in terms of environmental stewardship, and making sure that the standards in the country are upheld.”



Her commitment to the role and enjoyment are clear, but the work seems something of a far cry from taking up the helm of Exxaro – the transition from environmental policy enforcement to working for a mineral resources conglomerate doesn’t immediately seem reconcilable.



Tsengwa laughs heartily when you ask how this shift occurred.



“I’d never planned to go to the mining industry,” she says, smiling. “I got to be known by some industry players as one of the leaders in supporting the environmental space&#8230; Kumba Resources wanted to build a good safety, health and environment division – and I became that person for them.”



Transitioning into the mineral resources and mining industry meant that Tsengwa’s leadership qualities and excellence really had to come to the fore. The typically male-dominated industry sees over 90% of actual miners being male (Researchgate, 2018), and C-suite and executives at around 80% male (SPQ Global, 2020). As a woman of color from an environmentally-conscious background, Tsengwa was not blind to the possible challenges she would face, and took a proactive approach to engaging with her teams and subordinates.



“So, here I am coming into a strange environment full of men, mining engineers mainly, and making observations and recommendations,” she laughs with characteristic self-awareness.



“It felt very strange to have heard an external lady, a woman, a black woman on top of it, coming from outside the organization and occupying at that time what was considered the most senior position.”



However, ensuring that her recommendations and proposals were consistently driven, and being willing to learn and listen, earned her critical respect and relationships. “You’ve always got to ask the question, ‘what value will you add?’” she continues. “You’ve got to play, and bring your pound of flesh. You’ve got to deliver value all the time.”



And delivering value she did, leading her to be recognized within the company and moved over into operations, which led to even more interfacing with specialist, mostly male engineers. Typically, GM of operations are from mining engineering backgrounds themselves and hold mine manager certifications.



“You know, there was a definite pushback, even when the announcement was made&#8230; it was never heard of in this industry of a female who is not even a mining engineer,” says Tsengwa. She credits some of the clearing of her path to the outgoing CEO Mxolisi Mgojo.



“He had challenged us to say, we have created this bottleneck for ourselves. There’s nothing that says you cannot lead operations if you don’t have a mine manager certificate, because you’re not managing your mind.”



The transition came over the December holidays, and coincided with a few weeks of accrued leave.



Tsengwa made use of this time effectively to brainstorm her approach to the new role in operations and how she would approach her leadership. She turned to what she terms “influential leadership” vastly increasing her knowledge of the fields her specialists worked in, and taking a collaborative, supportive role in her management.



“I had five weeks to reflect on and feel how vulnerable I was. The only solution for me&#8230; was to acknowledge my strength, and to share with my team that I’ve not come here to do your job, I’m here to support your work, I am here to learn from you so that I can keep you accountable,” she says firmly. “And the more you teach me, the more you open up to what you do”.



This approach paid dividends, and led to a very successful term in operations, and in part that led her to be earmarked for the role of CEO, replacing Mgojo when he leaves in August.



Tsengwa’s background in environmental sciences and compliance will also be crucial in leading Exxaro to transition away from being a fossil fuel-based company moving forward.



“Climate change – it’s a global phenomenon,” says Tsengwa, acknowledging the role that companies in the mineral resources industry play. “It was a call for us to rally the organization to say, what is it that we think we can do, given the fact that we are mining coal? What opportunity does this give us&#8230; once we rotate ourselves into new areas of business, that will contribute to a low carbon economy, we’ve got to make sure that our current operations are beginning to abate these greenhouse gases.”



Tsengwa will be driving a pivot in Exxaro’s business strategy, which began in 2018.



Not only does the company aim to offset its greenhouse gas outputs via new business investments, Exxaro is aiming to take on the green economy by storm in the future, developing and growing investments in mining materials used in the renewable energy sector such as aluminium and germanium, which applies similar core business principles but are critical in lithium batteries and solar panel construction.



The company aims to be completely carbon neutral by 2050.



“Through our renewable energy business, we want to make sure that we transition at speed, so that we make sure that we don’t just kid ourselves but we are also helping clean the world, whilst still ensuring our shareholders are getting their returns through new minerals from an earnings point of view.”



Tsengwa concedes that managing business and environmental needs is a fine balance, but if anyone is able to execute such a transition, it will be her – leading collaboratively, and with a firm awareness of the importance of mitigating environmental impacts.



“Authenticity for me defines who I am&#8230; and that, coupled with my respect to others and my desire to change things, that’s going to take us a long way.”

Screenshot 2022-08-22 at 09.30.33

Natural Fit: South African Mining CEO On Influential Leadership

Taking the helm of a major motor organization during a global health and economic crisis is not for everyone, but Isuzu Motors’ CEO Billy Tom accepted the challenge, and has overcome speed bumps to successfully grow the business. He speaks about the journey that led him on the road he is today.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote has-text-align-center is-style-large">“…what is driving me in Africa is intra-African trade. Africa has to trade with itself.”</blockquote>



Barely three months into South Africa’s national lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic – one of the strictest in the world at the time – Billy Tom took up the helm of CEO and GM of Isuzu Motors. With transit and travel closed to all but those termed ‘essential personnel’, taking on the responsibility to imprint a sense of stability, leadership and grow a vehicle manufacturing business was an arduous task. But Tom achieved just that, through embracing technology, pivoting the business to new opportunities and looking after Isuzu’s employees.



“… some of the things that the company did was to look after their employees during Covid-19” says Tom in an interview with FORBES AFRICA. “We didn’t retrench a single person.”



Isuzu Motors’ approach to engaging with the challenges the pandemic presented reflects the philosophy that informs why Tom was an appropriate choice to lead the business during these times.



Growing up in rural Alexandria in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, Tom learned early on in life that dedication, cooperation and humility are key. Despite having to redo several years of schooling due to ongoing anti-apartheid protests in 1980’s South Africa, Tom earned some extra money driving trucks during university, beginning a journey that led him on the road he is today.



“Every day the farmers would give me a job to drive trucks and get a little money… that instilled a lot in me – it instilled discipline… A lot of time in life when people see you eating your harvest, they eat their seeds. It has taught me to be patient,” continues Tom.



Commenting on his remarkable journey from truck driver to CEO of Isuzu Motors, Tom credits his early life and the desire to constantly create new opportunities, something that can’t be achieved if one doesn’t keep looking forward.



These characteristics are generally useful, but their value increased exponentially when Tom took up his position as CEO of Isuzu Motors at a pivotal and incredibly challenging time – the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdowns. Not only was this a tough time for business – particularly in the motor industry – but it also offered a unique obstacle to asserting his new leadership of the organization.



“It was quite an interesting one for me in that I signed my letter of appointment two days before the country went on lockdown,” Tom laughs. “The difficulty was, I didn’t meet any person… so I had to be very resourceful in how I introduced myself.”



Tom managed to achieve this through key management decisions and embracing technology. Under his guidance, Isuzu Motors moved immediately to work-from-home policies to protect their employees, and supplied them with the needed technological support to remote work. While many



companies did this, albeit half-heartedly, concerned that their employees would be slacking off without constant observation, Tom embraced the change to much success.



“One of the things I believe in is trust – because when you have people working from home, you’ve got to trust that they do the work… and people didn’t disappoint,” says Tom.



And it worked. Management also lowered costs where they could, including reducing salary increases and reducing management salaries to preserve funding. The result was that not a single employee was retrenched during the Covid-19 lockdowns.



This humane approach to management allowed for Tom to gain high levels of trust and productivity during the worst levels of the pandemic, and allowed Isuzu to be on the front foot as vaccination levels increased and daily life slowly returned to normal. That was Tom’s moment to push for growth.



“We are in a fortunate position in that our offering is more commercial orientated,” says Tom, explaining the commercial vehicle market which is a large component of Isuzu’s business. Focusing on market segments that saw growth during and after the lockdowns allowed for Isuzu to move from strength to strength. “The [commercial vehicles] segment grew drastically… but also the section that is more leisure, your double cabs and SUVs… because people couldn’t go into crowded areas, they started to go outside and doing things like camping… Agriculture is another area where we are strong.”



Tom is using this resourcefulness to grow the business into Africa as well, with a focus on inter-African development as well. With primary manufacturing occurring in South Africa, resources are being invested all over the continent to open up both new markets and develop manufacturing capacity in these markets for future growth.



“With the African Free Trade Area agreement, we see Africa as a huge opportunity,” says Tom. “South Africa is one country, and that gives you about 80% [revenue], many other countries give us 20%, but the potential for growth is massive… to me, what is driving me in Africa is intra-African trade. Africa has to trade with itself.”



This vision for the development of Isuzu Motors in South Africa and the continent more broadly is also driven by Tom’s personal philosophies around upliftment. Speaking on the ravaging effects that both the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2021 unrest in South Africa has had, he makes it clear that he believes upliftment is the only long-term solution.



“A child who is not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth,” says Tom, quoting an old African proverb. “As a leader, I’ve always said we need to create opportunities for generations to follow…”

Screenshot 2022-08-09 at 12.20.45

From Truck Driver To CEO, Set On The Right Course

Tragedy struck South Africa in the early hours of Sunday morning as unknown gunmen opened fire on a tavern in Soweto, Johannesburg, leaving at least 14 dead and nine wounded.



At around shortly after midnight in Orlando East, men armed with rifles and pistols entered the bar and began firing randomly at patrons sitting inside.



&#8220;Primary investigations suggest the people were enjoying themselves in the tavern… They just came in and shot at them randomly,&#8221; said Gauteng Police Commissioner Elias Mawela, confirming the incident.



Twelve persons reportedly passed away at the scene, and two others after arriving at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital.



The shooting is the second to occur at a tavern in South Africa in the last day, with another occurring in a tavern in Pietermaritzburg leaving four dead and eight wounded. This is coming two weeks after 21 teenagers died during another tavern incident in East London, a city on the southeast coast of South Africa.



Investigations are ongoing.

Restaurants and bars may sell alcohol on weekends amid lockdown level 2

South Africa Rocked By Mass Shooting In Soweto

Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shot while giving a speech, has reportedly not survived the attack.



Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been shot and is reportedly showing no signs of life, according to local Japanese media.



Abe, who stepped down from his position as PM in 2020 due to health issues, was giving a speech in the city of Nara while campaigning for a national election when a gunman opened fire. Smartphone footage of the incident shows gunfire impacting around Abe as he is speaking, and security personnel appearing to pin a suspect down a few moments later.



Abe was rushed to hospital following the incident, but is reportedly showing no vital signs. However, his passing has yet to be officially declared.



Firearms and other weapons have been de-facto banned for half a century, with exceptions being made for hunting and sport shooting. Local Japanese media are reporting that police suspect the weapon used in the attack might be homemade.



Condolences have begun to pour in from world leaders, with Australia’s Prime Minister, Taiwan’s President and the United States Ambassador to Japan having issued statements.



“Horrified by this terrible news from Japan,” said former Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Twitter. “Abe Shinzo is one of the great leaders of our times. Right now we must hope and pray that he pulls through.”



Shinzo had served two terms as PM to become Japan&#8217;s longest-serving premier.

Japan’s General Election Campaign

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe shot

Increases in rotational power cuts in South Africa are seeing a deep economic impact, as the already struggling economy deals with hours without electricity daily. 



South African businesses are struggling to cope as another wave of power cuts have hit the country, the worst since ‘loadshedding’ or rotating power cuts were introduced in 2007. With some areas sustaining six-hour long outages for several days in the last week, the Rand hit a weekly low against the US dollar, with local business organizations sounding the alarm at the negative economic impact of the cuts.&nbsp;



“[this] is a serious blow to an economy that is already struggling with low growth and a lack of decisive action,” said small business advocacy group Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) in a statement this week.&nbsp;



The increase in power cuts was heralded by an unprotected wage strike by workers at the state-owned power utility Eskom, which has reportedly caused a lack of staffing and obstruction of maintenance and materials to power generating units. The strike, combined with failures to conduct scheduled maintenance operations resulted in the worst escalation of the power cuts since 2019.&nbsp;&nbsp;



The country is still recovering from the devastating economic impacts of heavy flooding in the KwaZulu-Natal province earlier this year, and civil unrest in July of 2021. The recent increase in loadshedding contributed to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) closing 2% weaker on Thursday.&nbsp;&nbsp;



&nbsp; Business management consultancy Nova Economics estimates the increased power cuts to cost the South African economy almost $750 million over the last week, putting the country at an increased risk of a downgrade from ratings agencies.&nbsp;



While efforts are underway to resolve the wage dispute and source increased generation capacity from Independent Power Providers (IPPs), the rewards of these efforts are unlikely to be seen in the short-term.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“Realistically, the energy constraint may only start to ease from late 2024/25,” said economists from the Bureau of Economic Research (BER) in a research note this week. Despite the best efforts of many, the weeks ahead look dark for the South African economy.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Silhouette Skyscrapers Against Orange Sky

South African Economy Stutters Under Increased Power Cuts

South African entrepreneur, author and award-winning businessman Dr Reuel Khoza on the adversities that spurred him and the benefits he sees in collaborative leadership.



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-style-large">“Leadership will only emerge through challenge.”</blockquote>



Distinguished businessman Dr Reuel Khoza strikes an initially unassuming impression; despite a CV and business history that includes a litany of high-profile chairman- and directorships, as well as an extensive academic background and awards, including most recently, the Lifetime Achievement Award at the All Africa Business Leaders Awards, his humble, questioning nature is demonstrative of his unique leadership style.



“There’s an old proverb,” says Khoza in an interview with FORBES AFRICA. “… if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”



The oft-repeated phrase nevertheless sums up Khoza’s approach to business and leadership, a philosophy he gained an awareness of from early childhood, where he and his cousins would alternate the days minding the family cattle so each child could take turns to attend school. Earmarked as a strong intellect by his father from a young age, he attended the University of Limpopo (then the University of the North) where he obtained a degree in psychology and taught introductory courses to junior students.   It was here that his first true brush with adversity occurred, which by chance spurred him into the world of business. As President of the University’s Psychology Society, Khoza had the opportunity to choose the theme of his term. “I decided on ‘decolonizing the African mind,’” says Khoza with a smile. “But it was the 70s… by the end of the year the authorities felt I was more of an agitator and they showed me the door.”



Unemployed for several months, Khoza took the first job he could out of necessity – a small position in the products department with Unilever. Never one to approach any task halfheartedly, he applied himself with vigor and soon obtained a scholarship to study further in the United Kingdom.



“I really landed in commerce by accident,” he says. “But being fired from the University was good for me… leadership will only emerge through challenge.”



Unilever was just the start of an illustrious career. From there he moved to Shell before branching off on his own, integrating the skills he had learned from both his psychological and business background into management consulting, executive training and strategic development. This work has seen him brought on to various major roles, including the chairman of Eskom at a time when it was named the global power company of the year in 2002 by the Financial Times.



Khoza looks back fondly upon these days gone by, and speaks with profundity about how collaborative leadership led to the successes of the state-owned-entity at the time. “I understand a little about how our electricity is generated,” he says, “But I am by no means an expert. It is the same with finance – I know a little, but am not an expert. I think of my job as to serve as a catalytic and coordinating agent,” he continues, laughing, “No pun intended.”



The ability to recognize and effectively manage talent is what Khoza credits with his success. Having been recognized by multiple awards for his contributions to business both locally and abroad, Khoza still renders assistance as the chairman of several boards. He notes with humor that he was Chancellor of the University of Limpopo for a time, the very University that fired him as a young man.



However, these days he spends the majority of his time on his avocado farm in in Hazyview, and writing his seventh book, a treatise on freedom and justice. “I guess there’s a sense that at age 72 I’ve done a little bit… I’ve made my little mark in business and governance,” says Khoza thoughtfully, “But if you can’t feed yourself, you have not really begun to live as a human being.”

Screenshot 2022-06-23 at 09.18.39

Why Being Fired From University Was Good For This Entrepreneur

Water crisis in Cape Town – Khayelitsha

Cry, The Beloved Soil: How Climate Change-Driven Droughts Threaten Food and Water Security in Southern Africa.

Two of the Gupta brothers who have been charged with fraud and money laundering in South Africa have been arrested under an Interpol red notice in Dubai.&nbsp;&nbsp;



In one of the most prominent breakthroughs in South Africa’s attempt to bring perpetrators of state capture to justice, brothers Atul and Rajesh Gupta have been arrested in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).&nbsp;&nbsp;



The two were a prominent part of the Gupta family business empire, having migrated from India to South Africa in 1993. After having started a successful computer business, they soon diversified into multiple industries, including the founding of a media organization. However, the family name has become inseparable from allegations of corruption and theft from South African state-owned entities such as the state power provider Eskom, as well as other interests in mining and rail, as well as allegations of political interference as a result of their reported close relationship with several political actors, including South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma.&nbsp;



The arrest of the two brothers in Dubai was confirmed by the South African Ministry of Justice in a short statement this evening, with talks ongoing between multiple law enforcement agencies on the way forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;



A joint agreement on extradition and legal co-operation was signed between the UAE and South Africa in 2018, and it remains to be seen if this mechanism will be implemented to extradite the two brothers to South Africa.&nbsp;&nbsp;



This is a developing story.

Billionaire businessman Atul Gupta

Fugitive Businessmen Atul And Rajesh Gupta Arrested In Dubai 

From Africa to America, entrepreneur, architect and urban planner Mokena Makeka speaks to his journey from a Maseru childhood to working as a globally recognized scholar in urban planning and advisor trying to bring innovation to climate justice initiatives around the world.



Growing up between the rolling hills of Lesotho and the skyscrapers of New York can be a jarring experience, but also an insightful one. As the son of the Kingdom of Lesotho’s envoy to the United States of America, Mokena Makeka found himself living between two very diverse worlds, and has brought his varied education and experiences to bear to drive a novel sphere; that of sustainable development and impacting communities as a management consultant.



“One challenge is to reconcile your domestic identity versus your international identity,” said Makeka to FORBES AFRICA, “but the other is sheer contrast between somewhere like Lesotho and New York, and I think that produces tensions; why are there these inequalities, are they structural or are they systematic?”



Indeed, understanding both the systematic and the personal reflects in Makeka’s interests. Originally enrolling at the University of Cape Town in engineering, he found himself dissatisfied until he stumbled upon architecture; “I love mathematics, I love physics… but I also love art – this is a place where I was able to use both sides of my mind.”



Merging understandings between the personal and the structural is what gave Makeka the ability to earn much success as an architect and business, becoming a Desmond Tutu Fellow and Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum, but also exposed him to many different kinds of people, experiences and spaces – and how these interact.



“There’s a lot of cognitive dissonance [regarding architecture],” says Makeka, using the spatial and geographical legacy of apartheid South Africa, and the recent extreme flooding in Durban as an example.



“After the floods, there were calls for professionals to come in and assist in reconstruction, quantity surveyors, engineers – which is great – but the one discipline that understands space, architects, was not invited.”



The obstacles in making effective change in spaces that are not necessarily responsive is what led Makeka to his current role as a management consultant. “I don’t think it’s my duty to convert the marketplace… I need to go where I can be effective. That’s just the truth,” he says wryly.



When one thinks management consultancies, one thinks of the big advisory firms, many of which are working with large businesses and institutions in an orthodox and established manner, which doesn’t seem to fit the personality and values that Makeka demonstrates. When questioned on how this fits in with his work at Dalberg Advisors, he smiles; “At Dalberg, I found people thinking the same way about community impact, the importance of cities, job creation and youth development… people who understand the value of designing an environment.”



And indeed, constant change and flexibility is something that he advocates for very strongly, stating that everyone should have several lives within their lifetime. “I’m quite disruptive… but I think productively disruptive,” he contemplates – and has followed through, pushing change in the architecture space by founding Cape Town’s School of Explorative Architecture, which took in its first group of 22 students in March of this year.



“I’ve always been keen on doing a few things,” says Makeka. “One is decolonizing education, which is an important project even if it does get tied up in other narratives.”



The future will keep bringing change, and surely a new life and path for Makeka – which is a hope he has for others as well, particularly African youth. “Don’t settle on who you are too quickly… make mistakes and maintain your curiosity – it’s only a failure if you don’t learn from it,” he says firmly. “But otherwise, pivot. Keep growing.”

Screenshot 2022-05-17 at 15.45.28

The Disruptive Lesotho Architect Pushing Change

Increasing case numbers and higher rates of test positivity indicate that South Africa is entering its fifth wave of COVID-19 infections, in large part driven by two new variants of concern.



South Africa is currently recording its highest surge in COVID-19 cases since January of this year, marking the escalation into a fifth wave of infections, and what some public health scientists will be the largest wave yet.



The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), the state body which tracks and records infection and hospitalizations, reported daily new cases of just over 10 000 across the country yesterday, numbers not seen in two months, with case positivity rates – the percentage of positive cases amongst overall tests – at over 25%, with the country’s busiest and most economically productive province, Gauteng, responsible for the majority of infections.



The surge seems to be driven by two new subvariants of the Omicron variant, categorized as BA.4 and BA.5 respectively, which have been tentatively identified as being even more transmissible than the base Omicron variant. The variants were first detected in South Africa in January and April respectively, and have since become responsible for the vast majority of cases in the country, as well as having been confirmed to have spread worldwide, having been detected in Canada, the United States and Australia amongst other countries.



“We have always been informed that when a new wave comes, it will be driven by a new variant” said Minister of Health Joe Phaahla during a press briefing last week, “but at this stage we have not been alerted to a definite new variant except changes in [the] Omicron.”



The World Health Organisation concurs, with the Director General Adhanom Ghebreyesus stating last week that “The South African scientists who identified Omicron late last year have now reported two more Omicron sub-variants, BA.4 and BA.5, as the reason for a spike in cases in South Africa.”



But there is also a glimmer of hope in the data, with hospital admission rates fairly low in comparison to previous waves, with only 136 new admissions in the last 24 hours. However, the new variants – designated by the WHO as ‘variants of concern’, seem to be more elusive to the protective effects of vaccines, with a peer reviewed publication released on Friday in the JAMA Network Open indicating that booster efficacy shows significant declines against the new variants.



With winter looming in South Africa and people more likely to spend time indoors, there are concerns that this too will contribute to a surge in cases during the fifth wave. During his budget address earlier this week, Health Minister Phaahla made it clear that the government will not be dropping current COVID-19 prevention measures further, and will still be making use of the National Health Act to enact needed restrictions.



However, such restrictions have notably been reduced within the last month, with outdoor mask mandates having been dropped. One other contributing factor to the increase in cases is higher rates of infection amongst children – so far, only children over the age of 12 are cleared to receive vaccine doses. The Ministerial Advisory Committee (MAC), a panel of medical and epidemiological specialists, are currently at work to provide guidance for vaccination on children under 12.



Despite these challenges, increased childhood vaccination and compliance with regulations still seems to be the most protective method available as much of the country returns to some semblance of normalcy. &#8220;The virus is still a constant threat and vaccination remains the most effective weapon to protect ourselves,&#8221; said Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele during a televised address. “Cabinet is pleased that more people continue to choose vaccination as their first line of defence against Covid-19.&#8221;

South Africa’s COVID-19 cases surge as the fifth wave of infections begin

NFTs were the biggest breakthrough in technology last year, its founding inextricable from the art world. Proponents point to a future where art is democratized, funds secure and royalties continuous. Detractors believe NFTs are a scam, and point to fraudulent activity and the exclusivity of highly-priced sales. A look at some of the African players in this space.



CRYPTOAPES, CRYPTOKITTIES, Beeple – according to Collins Dictionary, NFT was the word of the year for 2021. The popularity of non-fungible tokens exploded during the course of last year, with celebrities such as Eminem and Melania Trump having jumped on the bandwagon, the total market cap was estimated to be in excess of $40 billion according to data from blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis Inc.



The founding of NFTs is inextricable from the art world; almost a decade ago, the first NFT was minted. New York- based digital artist Kevin McCoy created Quantum, a pixelated, radiating octagon, was minted on the Namecoin blockchain. The artwork was sold by major arthouse Sotheby’s through their Natively Digital online auction, and fetched just over $1.4 million last year.



Competitor Christie’s sold over $150 million worth of NFT artwork during the last year, Everydays – The First 5000 Days by artist Beeple being sold for a record- breaking $69 million, positioning him amongst the “top three most valuable living artists”, said the auction house. We examine the history, possibilities, and some of the African players in the NFT space.



<h2 id="h-the-good-the-bad-and-the-intangible">THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE INTANGIBLE</h2>



Proponents of the NFT boom in the art world point to its democratic potential; almost anyone can mint an NFT, and since this minting is performed through what is termed the smart contract – which governs transferability and ownership – these tokens have strong implications for authenticity verification and ongoing royalty payments, which has had some in the art world optimistic, even if they are not sure of the technicalities of how it all works.



“I’m clueless but excited,” says Koos Groenewald, one half of Jana + Koos, an art and design duo who participated in online art fair Latitudes’ first NFT offering late last year. “It’s like an internal combustion engine. You don’t need to understand how internal combustion works in order to benefit from it.”



Latitudes, which originally began as a successful, physical art fair aimed at promoting a platform where artists, galleries and independents could come together on an equal playing field, has faced challenges common to many in the art space 



since 2019. With the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic, the physical art world was disrupted. Like many in the industry, Latitudes made the move online.



“We launched [Latitudes] in July 2020 with around 350 artists. Now we are closer to 900 and growing nicely and quickly – we’re basically a third party marketplace with galleries, artists, curators&#8230; as long



as you have good art to sell you can bring it on to the platform,” says Roberta Coci, the co-founder who partnered with South African NFT experts and social marketplace Momint for the implementation of their first NFT-based art offering.



Anna Ogutogullari, founder of the newly-launched QkweQkwe.io, agrees with this optimistic outlook; a virtual marketplace where African artists can sell to a global audience, allowing the purchase of NFT- based art for the first time with the launch of their group show Multiplixation earlier this year. Unlike Latitudes, which was forced to adapt to the shifts in market during the Covid-19 pandemic, QkweQkwe is of the belief that NFTs provide a unique opportunity to decentralize control of the contemporary art world, but both platforms agree on the benefits to artists themselves.



“If you look at the contemporary African art market, you’re looking at about $15 billion,” says Ogutogullari. “It’s very interesting because there’s a lot of interest into the NFTs and digital space, but there’s not at the moment a lot of African players&#8230; If you look at what’s happened in Sotheby’s, in the last auction where the majority of the work was actually African, and that is the type of change that we want to see in the future African art market, where Africans are supporting Africans.”



Artists from QkweQkwe’s stable are similarly excited about the possibilities of both African representation, and continued royalties, but acknowledge the risks with entering such a new field with their work.



“I don’t have too many high expectations,” says Zamani Ngubane, a participating artist whose work focuses on local portraiture. “That’s how I always approach new ventures – but I’m here to learn and open my mind to the world of NFTs.”



However, it’s worth noting that there are many proponent skeptics of the value of NFTs to the art world, and this criticism rests on concerns regarding historical and current issues of money laundering through art, as well as the abundance of scams already being run through the NFT space.



Indeed, the NFT art world is evidently susceptible to many of the same perils that proponents claim it should mitigate; on many of the most popular NFT marketplaces, hundreds of artists have suffered from identity fraud, as well as simply having NFTs sold linking to their work without permission, with Twitter user @NFTtheft cataloguing many such incidents.



“What the hell is this? So, founder of this site is offering me on some sort of NFT deal. He sent me this SS. He already made an account and posted my artworks there. WT*? I didn’t give any permission at all. He made an account with my name without even me knowing it,” tweeted Indonesian artist Yuditya Afandi. A user had created an account on the marketplace NFT Restake under their name, and listed Afandi’s artwork for sale.



Part of the prevalence of fraudulent activity can be ascribed to the emergence of a new medium on relatively nascent technology – with many not understanding how NFT-linked artwork functions, there will be more exploitation until people become more familiar with the platform. This only accounts for part of the problem though – the other two challenges are inherent to both the art world and aspects of the technology that NFTs are based on.



<h2>TO THE ARTIST, THE ART</h2>



Describing the art world as an “ideal playground for money laundering”, a 2020 report commissioned by the US Senate identified the art market as “the largest legal, unregulated market in the United States”, and are not required (in the US) to maintain anti-money- laundering financing controls.



High-ticket fine art items are often handled with extreme privacy, with pricing often being subjective or easily manipulated. Drug cartels and terrorist organizations count themselves amongst the simply wealthy that have had money laundering transactions through art purchases extensively documented in the media.



In some senses, NFT-tied artworks are able to offer the same advantages to fraudsters and money launderers, with added benefits; transactions occur primarily via cryptocurrency rather than fiat, which offers several novel ways to remain anonymous and obfuscate fund origins and destinations, as well as a lack of common understanding, allowing for grifters to run rampant.



When Christie’s announced their landmark auction of the NFT for Beeple’s Everydays – The First 5000 Days, Google Trends data indicated that searches for the term “NFT” multiplied 28 times in the three weeks leading up to the auction itself.



The media too was in a frenzy, fascinated by the new platform of digital art and the possibilities it offered.



The buyer of Everydays – The First 5000 Days, an initially anonymous bidder termed ‘MetaKovan’, later unmasked as cryptocurrency enthusiast Vignesh Sundaresan, paints himself as a patron of new technologies, an angel investor and proponent of free information. Sundaresan manages the Metapurse fund, which had previously purchased works of Beeple’s, bundled them together, and then sold fractional ownership of these works in the form of a proprietary crypto token – the B20 token, of which they retained a majority stake.



Interestingly, 2% of the tokens were given to Beeple himself.



Speculative interest on the token due to hype around the Christie’s sale drove the value of the B20 token up to 13x its price over a period of less than a month into the run-up of the Everydays – The First 5000 Days. Journalist Amy Castor provided an excellent analysis of the behavior behind this particular sale.



However, this is not a view held by all within the NFT-based art world. Many in the art-related NFT space acknowledge the challenges present both in the art industry historically, and in the early-adopter space that is NFT- based art.



QkweQkwe is combating this possibility through both strict legal agreements with their artists, as well as a strongly progressive approach to technology; namely, that unlike many platforms where an NFT simply serves as a record of ownership of the work, the platform ensures that the NFT is the artwork in question, what is termed an on-chain NFT artwork, a rarity in the space.



<h2>IF NFTS ARE LIKE AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE, SPECULATION WITHOUT UNDERSTANDING IS LIKE DRIVING WITHOUT BRAKES</h2>



In the simplest terms, an NFT is a representation of something unique – and in the case of NFT- linked digital artworks, the NFT is a way to indicate ownership, sale, proof of transaction history, all of which can be independently verified, but it isn’t the artwork itself.



Whether the artwork is the animated cartoon cat flying through space leaving a rainbow trail, or an ape in pastel colors with a gold chain and a peak cap – most NFT art exists off the blockchain, simply termed “off chain”.



For example, if you purchase an NFT, the proof of your ownership is largely secure from corruption and permanent, unless you decide to sell the NFT.



Here’s a metaphor.



You buy a painting which is kept in an art gallery, and the gallery updates its unchangeable ownership book listing your name as the owner – that’s the smart contract part of the NFT. Anyone can walk into the gallery and take a photograph of the painting, but it’s ownership is irrefutably yours, and anyone can check the gallery’s ledger to prove this.



What happens when the gallery burns down?



Off-chain NFT artworks are not stored on the blockchain, but usually on centralized servers with the company listing them for sale (such as the servers of the NFT marketplace OpenSea), or a slightly more secure decentralized protocol called InterPlanetary File System (IPFS), which functions similarly to torrent files. The NFT points to an address on either the company servers or IPFS which contains the artwork itself, the actual file, and if the company goes out of business you may find that your NFT points you to owning nothing at all.



“So @CheckMyNFT has been tracking NFTs created on Nifty, and apparently most of them are already broken,” tweeted @JontyWareing, referencing the fact that many artworks hosted on the Nifty marketplace have disappeared due to failures in their hosting.



There are attempts to neutralize these risks in NFT artworks, with on-chain solutions in the works. Innovative developers have also provided opensource checks which allow you to view how your digital assets are stored. However, it doesn’t seem that most artists or marketplaces are concerned with the permanence of the works purchased, or how they are stored.



<h2>DEMOCRATIZATION? NOT NECESSARILY</h2>



Proponents of NFTs point to the technology democratizing the production and ownership of art, with the promise of continuous royalties and the ability to bypass the gallery ecosystem being major selling points to many digital artists moving into the space. There is also the implicit promise of securing lucrative sales, and the popular coverage of high-profile and highly-priced works has encouraged this.



However, the data bears a different picture – recent research published in Nature indicates that the NFT space mirrors the traditional art world, with a mere 10% of buyers and sellers of NFTs accounting for 90% of transactions and value, indicating that large marketplaces and brokers such as OpenSea are playing a role similar to gallerists in the non-crypto world.



“[We] made a breakthrough in new sales formats and categories, NFTs in particular,” said Christie’s CEO Guillaume Cerutti in a press statement, of the auction house’s most lucrative year in the last half- decade.



Sotheby’s too recorded similar successes – it’s notable that these major houses were both early adopters of NFTs and hybrid art, and that they recorded such high sales, which seem to contradict the narrative that NFTs are opening the art world up to more everyday artists.



<h2>NFTs AS A HOT TOPIC: GOOD FOR THE PLANET?</h2>



Some digital artists have voiced detraction for NFTs or boycotted the medium entirely due to concerns about the effect on the earth’s climate. While NFTs are still in their infancy, and not responsible for the majority of transactions on the Ethereum network – where most transactions take place – the cryptocurrency itself relies on what is termed ‘proof of work’, similar to Bitcoin, where millions of computers solve complex mathematical problems in order to keep transactions secure.



Researchers and developers of Ethereum itself estimate the annual electricity consumption of the platform to be anywhere between 45TWh and 75TWh per year, comparable to the usage of the entire country of New Zealand.



Some galleries and artists participating in NFT sales have promised to spend a percentage of their profits investing in green technologies, attempting to offset the impact of their energy usage.



QkweQkwe are in support of Ethereum moving to a ‘proof of stake’ model, which would be less energy-intensive, as well as setting aside profits to CSR initiatives to counter the climate effects caused by their NFTs.



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However, not all consumers have supported the offset model, with some believing that this is but a panacea to a broader problem inherent to crypto-based platforms.



“ArtStation going into NFT and saying ‘but don’t worry! We’ll pay for carbon offsets’ is the equivalent of setting a house on fire. then placing a single potted plant on the burned property as “compensation”,” tweeted user BleachedRainbows, of an NFT sale event that was ultimately shut down due to concerns around its environmental impact.



The Ethereum network – and by extensions NFTs – have been planning to move to a ‘proof of stake’ model, whereby users would put up their coins as collateral instead of having to perform the electricity intensive ‘proof of work’, which would massively reduce the energy usage of the network.



However, this has been in the pipeline for some years without change, and many remain doubtful that it will be implemented. As the world becomes more aware of the peril of climate change, more and 



more digital artists are hesitant to work within a medium that might contribute to the damage of the planet.



Attitudes in the South African market are broadly positive – other than Latitudes and QkweQkwe.



Cape Town-based art gallery World Art also presented an NFT sale last year.



“This is a ground-breaking development in the art world. I am particularly thrilled that this mechanism guarantees artists royalties when their artworks are resold,” said gallery owner Charl Bezuidenhout. Museums, and even rhino-conservation efforts are moving into the space, with a tokenized pen-gun owned by South African anti-apartheid activist OR Tambo and a digital rhino horn going on sale.



<h2>METAVERSE – COLLINS DICTIONARY WORD OF 2022?</h2>



Facebook’s media rebrand to Meta late last year was no accident. The tech giant sees the metaverse as the future of the internet, and is aiming to lead the way in planting a flag in what Mark Zuckerberg believes will be greater immersion into a fully virtual world.



Meta is pumping millions of dollars into infrastructure and applications for a time where many people will be spending time fully immersed in a virtual world.



“The ‘metaverse’ is a set of virtual spaces where you can create and explore with other people who aren’t in the same physical space as you,” is how Facebook defines this space.



While there is no exact consensus or definition as to what the metaverse will be, multitudes of tech conglomerates are exploring what this vision will look like, and the question arises – how will you own digital assets within the metaverse?



With none other than JP Morgan estimating that the metaverse represents a $1 trillion market, and participating in the launch of its own virtual Onyx Lounge in virtual reality 3D world Decentraland, alongside other major companies such as Nike, Samsung and Walmart.



Much of the reason why the public connection to the idea of the metaverse is so tenuous is just how early the adoption still is – normative, mainstream experience and acceptance is likely still years away, but pioneers are already staking their ground, with over $100 million being spent in a single week on digital real estate late last year.



And how is it that you own this digital land in the metaverse? Why, through NFTs.



At this early stage however, the possibilities are still quite limitless, with artwork, real-estate and digital products for one’s online avatars being first in line for application.



However, the possibilities at this stage are relatively endless; from location-based NFTs allowing access to real world spaces or dining experiences, DNA testing, real-world clothing and more.



Whatever the future of NFTs holds, it’s certain that the use cases are still at an early stage, and the art-world is trailblazing the adoption of a technology sure to change the face of digital interaction for decades to come.

Screenshot 2022-05-12 at 23.33.18

How The African Continent Is Taking A Deep Dive Into The Art World With NFTs

Renowned women’s and environmental activist Cécile Ndjebet sits down for an exclusive interview with FORBES AFRICA as she is announced the winner of the prestigious Wangari Maathai Forest Champions award for 2022.



“Determined, considerate and principled,” is how renowned activist, conservationist and feminist Cécile Ndjebet was described, honored this week as the winner of the 2022 Wangari Maathai Award in Seoul, South Korea.



Decked in beautiful color, Ndjebet accepted the award with emotion and characteristic humility. The African activist sat down for an interview with FORBES AFRICA to discuss her history and her hopes for the future.



Growing up in rural Cameroon, Ndjebet’s upbringing was typical of life at the time, involving farming, with much of the hardship and labor being performed by women.



“I grew up with my mother and elder sister – they were rural women. I could see the challenges that they were facing to raise themselves up, to raise us up. The other women in the village were sharing the same challenges,” says Ndjebet. “We were quite a poor family. That’s how I started.”



With over half of Cameroon’s population involved in agriculture, much of which was subsistence-based (CIA, 2020) Ndjebet had a clear, early picture of the poverty in her surroundings, as well as the impact that farming for survival was having on the local environment. Commercial logging interests by primarily foreign-owned companies also contribute heavily to deforestation and environmental destruction.



With limited opportunities available and a clear image of challenges to those around her, Ndjebet decided to take the initiative to solve problems. “I only had two things I could do; either go into rural development or being a medical doctor… I knew that I had to pay great importance and attention to rural women,” says Ndjebet.



It is these efforts that led to her being nominated and winning the renowned Wangari Maathai Forest Champions award, presented by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), announced this week. The award recognizes the extraordinary efforts of an individual to improve and sustain forests, as well as those who depend on them, and is a highly recognized award for climate change activists.



The award is named for Nobel Prize winning environmental activist Wangari Maathai of Kenya, who was critical in engaging with environmental concerns of rural Kenyan women, founding the Green Belt Movement and helping stimulate dozens of social and environmental initiatives.



Ndjebet’s honoring is appropriate, coming full circle from meeting Wangari Maathai and being inspired to do more.



A tearful Ndjebet accepted the award on stage during an award ceremony in South Korea’s capital of Seoul Thursday afternoon. “This is a hard moment for me, but a beautiful moment for me, and for rural women,” and acknowledging the direct inspiration that Maathai had on her in a brief meeting which served to inspire Ndjebet; “she explained to me her love for nature, for forests… the dangers of climate change and human responsibility.”



“It is sad for me that Wangari Maathai is unable to witness this moment since she passed away so early,” said Ndjebet in closing. She will continue to fight for women’s rights and environmental conservation by using the $20,000 in prize money to help found a women’s college in Cameroon. “… but this recognition gives me the courage to continue this work.”

Screenshot 2022-05-08 at 10.12.43

Cameroonian Environmentalist Wins Award And Honors Rural Women

In a surprising move, the Central African Republic has become the first African nation and second country worldwide to adopt Bitcoin as recognized currency.



The landlocked nation of the Central African Republic (CAR) has become one of only two countries to adopt the cryptocurrency Bitcoin as legal tender, joining El Salvador in pioneering recognized use. While not criminalized in most nations, few countries have introduced and published regulation to govern Bitcoin\s use and normalize it alongside fiat currency.



“[this is] a decisive step toward opening up new opportunities for our country,&#8221; said a statement signed by Obed Namsio, Chief of Staff to CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera.



The former French colony of the CAR only gained its independence late in the 1960s and has been wracked by an ongoing civil war since 2012. While rich in natural resources such as gold and diamonds, the country ranks amongst some of the worst in the world in terms of its GDP and internationally recognized development indices, which makes the supposed adoption of Bitcoin an interesting proposal.



Early reports indicated that the proposed bill to legalize and regulate bitcoin as legal tender has passed unanimously in a vote by lawmakers and confirmed by the Presidency yesterday, bringing Bitcoin alongside the West African Franc as recognized tender. The West African Franc is a regional currency governed by the Bank of Central African States (BEAC) and backed by France, neither of whom were reported to be informed of the bill to adopt Bitcoin.



The BEAC has not yet responded to queries from FORBES AFRICA.



Reports are that the utility of such an adoption is likely to be limited. Just over 4% of CAR nationals have access to the internet (World Bank, 2019), a prerequisite for cryptocurrency exchange. The combination of lack of accessibility and discussion with BEAC before the adoption do not bring high hopes for widespread use of Bitcoin within the country.



Since the election of President Touadera, CAR has reportedly become increasingly close to Russia, its preferred ally in fighting the ongoing insurgency since 2017. The adoption of Bitcoin could represent a more symbolic move away from French interests within the country, as it equates as tender the French-backed West African Franc and Bitcoin.



African governments have taken differing approaches to the adoption and regulation of cryptocurrencies, with South African regulators currently exploring blockchain technologies and already taxing earnings through cryptocurrencies, while Nigeria has launched its own digital currency, the eNaira.

Hand holding bitcoin

The First African Country To Accept Bitcoin As Legal Tender

The former head of state Mwai Kibaki of Kenya has died this morning at the age 0f 90.



The Republic of Kenya’s third president, Mwai Kibaki, has passed away at the age of 90 as announced this morning. He had served during a critical time for the country as it transitioned from a one-party state to a democracy, overseeing an economic boom and educational reform, but was also reportedly seen as controversial due to a lack of effective control against corruption.



Kibaki’s passing was announced this morning by Kenya’s current head of state President Uhuru Kenyatta during a briefing at the State House in the country’s capital, Nairobi.



“… A deeply devoted family man… and an earnest friend to many,” said President Kenyatta of the late Kibaki. “While Emilio Mwai Kibaki is no longer with us in body, his spirit, legacy, values and ideals live on in each one of us and in the limitless ways that he made Kenya immeasurably better.”



President Kenyatta has ordered that the country mourn the loss of former President Kibaki, with flags being flown at half-mast and Kibaki being provided a state funeral with full military honors.



His early life saw him educated at both Makerere University and the London School of Economics, before beginning his political career as an elected official in Parliament, serving on various portfolios through almost three decades. He was elected president in 2002, shortly after the end of one-party rule in Kenya.



Kibaki’s efforts were noted in both education and economic development, where he oversaw a program allowing free public education for primary school children, allowing an estimated additional 1 million children to receive this opportunity.



He also oversaw major infrastructure growth across the country in the form of roads and transit, and resurrection of the Kenyan economy, with the country’s GDP rising to 7% per annum from just 0.6% over the first term of his presidency (Business Daily, 2013).



However, Kibaki’s detractors have criticized him for his lack of efforts on combating corruption, despite having campaigned in part on an anti-corruption campaign.



Despite this, he will be remembered as a fundamental actor in Kenya’s history, particularly during its transition into a multi-party democracy and African power.



“Mwai Kibaki lives on in the hearts of millions of Kenyans… who benefited from his leadership, admired his character and were inspired by his example,” continued President Kenyatta.

Author: Yeshiel Panchia

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA