Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are set to clock up the fastest pace of growth since the global financial crisis struck five years ago, despite the weak global environment. But it has not prevented the finances in many of their economies from deteriorating. The question is, should we be worried?
Budget deficits in the region have swelled in the past decade, as governments have ratcheted up their spending. According to research from UK-based Capital Economics, the combined shortfall for the region in 2012 amounted to 2.5% of gross dom-estic product (GDP) – a key financial health ratio – compared with just 0.5% in 2000. Ironically, the trend has nothing to do with excessive borrowing. Over the same period, government debt as a share of GDP plunged to 33% from 70% – a respectable level.
However, the improvement in debt ratios has been driven largely by debt relief from Western donors. As these countries grapple with their own fiscal constraints, this is likely to dwindle. At the same time, prices for exported commodities, the mainstay of the region’s economies, are starting to subside after reaching historic peaks in the past decade. This means that governments will have less to spend on financing their own development, and may have to borrow more to do so.
The marked acceleration in spending that has taken place across the region is generally viewed as positive. Most of the money is invested in capital projects, which will ultimately boost growth potential. Sub-Saharan Africa needs an estimated $93 billion a year for infrastructure development. But some governments are pumping increased amounts of money into what is known as current spending. This includes the salaries of civil servants and subsidies on necessities like fuel, electricity and food. These eventually become unaffordable.
The biggest spenders on subsidies in the region are Angola, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique and Zambia. Ample oil revenues mean that Angola and Nigeria can cope with the financial burden, but the finances of the other three countries are not as healthy. In Ghana, fuel and electricity subsidies swallow nearly a quarter of official revenues. Power subsidies alone account for 17% of revenue in Mozambique and 20% in Zambia.
Yvette Babb, Standard Bank’s Africa strategist, believes that countries in sub-Saharan Africa are trying to address the burden of fiscal subsidies. She says that there has been a strong improvement in the way that fiscal budgets have been managed. She also says that the debt burdens of countries in the region are generally still “enviable” when compared with the US and Europe.
However, there are significant exceptions. The region’s two main offenders are Ghana, its biggest cocoa producer, and Zambia, its top copper producer. Both countries’ economies are growing at a heady pace of more than 7%, so there is little justification for fiscal slippage.
In what was seen as a bid to garner support ahead of the 2012 elections, Ghana overhauled its government salary structure in 2010. The public wage bill was pushed up to nearly half of overall spending. This had disastrous effects on the country’s financial credentials. Ghana’s budget deficit ballooned to about 12% of GDP in 2012, nearly double its official target, from just 4% in 2011. Its debt had reached 50% of GDP at the end of 2012, up from 41% a year earlier.
Ghana’s government has pledged to narrow its budget deficit to 9% in 2013 and 6% by 2015, but there is widespread skepticism that these targets can be achieved. In what was seen as a step in the right direction, the country scrapped fuel subsidies worth $500 million in May.
Despite partial cuts in fuel and maize subsidies in 2013, Zambia’s budget deficit is also expected to widen, reaching 8.5% of GDP in 2013 from 2.8% in 2012. After a broad-based increase in civil servants’ salaries, the country’s budgeted wage bill will climb to more than half of official revenues in 2014, from 40% previously.
One of the strategies that Ghana, Zambia, and several other sub-Saharan African countries have deployed to deal with their fiscal challenges is tapping international capital markets. In 2013, governments from the region raised more than $5 billion in global sovereign bonds – including several debuts. That compares to issuance of just $1 billion a decade ago.
More bonds are in the pipeline, with Zambia, Kenya, Tanzania and Senegal all likely to enter the market. And there is ample appetite from investors. In 2012, Zambia’s debut $750 million Eurobond was 15 times oversubscribed. Provided the money is allocated wisely, the trend is set to continue.

Healthy finances Africa’s spending PATTERNS

Without deliberate design, Maria McCloy has been a pioneer throughout much of her career. “People reading your magazine would probably cringe, but there are no spreadsheets and I don’t have a business plan. I just do it.”
Fresh out of university in the heady creative energy of South Africa’s early democracy, McCloy and two partners founded multimedia company Black Rage Productions. It was the starting point of an exciting, ever-evolving career, and McCloy credits the network of contacts that she built up at Rage for the success of her mini empire.
Rage grew quickly into a television production company that produced several art and culture magazine prog-rams, a record label that rode the mus-ical wave of Kwaito, and a website that became the go-to guide for urban culture.
Although she rejects formalized business structures, McCloy is always on the lookout for a new opportunity, and her instincts tend to be spot on.
“One holiday I was home in Lesotho and I met a guy selling wire earrings – lots of people there sell lots of wire earrings – and I thought, wow! These are amazing,” she says.
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McCloy managed to convince David Magwai, a vendor selling jewelry outside a cathedral in Maseru, to customize his wares for her.
“I said to him: ‘Please make these bigger for me’. And he said: ‘Your ear is going to break off, but okay’.”
Back in Johannesburg, some of the artistes McCloy had met through Rage noticed the earrings and soon she had a customer base of musicians, writers and actors.
Then Stoned Cherrie designer Nkhensani Nkosi featured them in her collection. Mantsho founder Palesa Mokubung and industry doyenne Marianne Fassler followed suit. Of course, having the likes of award-winning singer Lira wear the earrings did not hurt their popularity.
“People in the office were keen on (the earrings), so I started giving them as gifts and then those people bought them as gifts, and the process grew organically,” McCloy explains.
It prompted McCloy to turn her love for accessories into a small business. She formalized her trade, selling earrings, clay necklaces, and vintage bags and sunglasses at a craft market once a month.
It was during Rage’s promotion of the Congolese gangster film, Viva Riva!, that McCloy’s dual passions united. As part of the publicity for the movie, she was asked to put together a media gift bag. McCloy took the standard press kit one step further and came up with a clutch bag sporting the film’s logo – and added a new range to her business.
She started selling clutch bags in unique African prints. Even when demand increased, she says, each bag remained unique, as the geometric prints and bright colors of the fabric gave shape to a different accessory each time.
“Cloth had always been a big part of me; I wore it as a headwrap. At home my mother had a big pile so I think it really resonated with people to see it on a clutch,” she says.
McCloy happened on her next big idea while shopping in Johannesburg’s inner city. It was the push she needed to establish Maria McCloy Accessories.
“I saw a pair of shoes, very bridal, in a traditional wedding shop, a pair of seShoeShoe shoes… Clutches may be a bit more specific but everyone needs shoes.
“The whole thing with the shoes and the cloth is that it shouldn’t just be saved for a special occasion, it should be worn every day. We think Western clothes are normal and African clothes are for traditional occasions, but actually no, use it everywhere. It’s beautiful! Don’t wait for the West, because that’s what happened. The West decided African print was in and we jumped on it when we’ve always had this stuff,” she points out, clearly exasperated.
The fashion world’s current fascination with traditional African prints has certainly helped Maria McCloy Accessories. “I want it to be forever because this is in our history,” says McCloy, who is looking forward to working with historically significant textiles, such as Asa-oke, the hand-woven fabric from Nigeria, and Kente cloth, the silk and cotton material native to Ghana.
One Sunday I stop by McCloy’s stall in Maboneng, Johannesburg’s gentrified inner-city precinct. Her customers come from all walks of life – locals and tourists. I watch as a teenager swaps his trainers for ankle boots covered in a tan-and-brown print originally from Mozambique. Next to him, a woman tries to work out if her iPad will fit into one of McCloy’s custom-made journal holders.
As the popularity of her collection continues to grow, McCloy has started receiving queries about bulk orders, and is even considering starting her own manufacturing line. She already employs three people and is on the lookout for an investor to take her business to the next level.
McCloy readily admits that her success cannot be attributed solely to chance. Since she was a child, she has had a keen eye for accessories and prints, as well as an interest in fashion and art trends. And after a long career in the media industry, her extensive social network has been instrumental to the growth and popularity of Maria McCloy Accessories.
“My customers have been extremely supportive… They’re also my muses because sometimes they’ll ask for a certain shoe or a certain bag,” she says, explaining how the range expands as she tailors to the trends set by her customers.
McCloy credits Buti Mabote as one of her most important support structures in running the business. Their relationship is so multifaceted that it defies a formal definition. Mabote started out as a customer, but today he manages the logistics of Maria McCloy Accessories. He
liaises with clients and mans the stall when McCloy is away at her day job, which is in public relations for mass media company Viacom International.
“I realized there’s potential and I’m happy for Maria because she has invested a lot in this – time, her own money, ideas… I’m just there as support to make it happen for her. I’m quite happy to see (the business) growing, because as she grows I believe I’m growing,” Mabote says.
“My wife and I are normally here every Sunday, even if we’re not selling for Maria. It’s part of us. If you look in my car, in the boot, there’s something of Maria’s in there, whether it’s a shoe or cloth or a bag.
“Every day I have to do something for Maria, every day,” he says proudly.
“When she grows, I grow also. And I can say we’re friends now.”
Mabote’s attention shifts to a customer who has picked out a large pile of clutch bags and pumps. Alison Vieira explains that she is Canadian, and travelling the world in search of indigenous designs, crafts and products to sell in cosmopolitan Toronto.
Amazed by the success of a small, independent retailer, Vieira says she hopes to do more business with McCloy if the samples go down well in Toronto.
McCloy is pleasantly surprised; it seems her business has grown yet again.
Maria McCloy Accessories does not rely on the business school-sanctioned models of calculating risk and predicting margins. Instead, its evolution is a result of McCloy’s entrepreneurial spirit and instinct, combined with the power of human connection and a personal touch.

Maria McCloy: An eye for print and an instinct for business

There is a new buzzword in town. Everywhere you go, businesswomen and top exe-cutives are complaining about their inability to maintain a quality work-life balance.
With the world economy still struggling, many executives, and indeed employees at all rungs, have felt the need to demonstrate their commitment to the company. They often do so at the expense of other priorities in their lives, such as family time and the things they do for fun.
Reports show that women, especially mothers and wives, feel part-icularly hard done by. They feel that their office hours demand a lot from them, and because of this, they are unable to meet the demands of their husbands and children.
It does not help that men – so goes the narrative – are reluctant to do their bit at home. They just sit on the couch and watch sport on television, forgetting that their partners have had a hectic day of their own running businesses.
While I have some sympathy for women who have to navigate this struggle, it really feels to me like the novelty of this problem is a tad exaggerated.
Everyone who works or runs a business necessarily needs to sacrifice something if they are to be successful. If it is a career or a business, then hobbies or time with family might have to suffer.
That is life. It is has been like that for a long time.
If in doubt, maybe these women should ask their domestic workers how they do it. In fact, they could ask their grandmothers, or even their own mothers. They could ask rural women or others on the factory floor how they get it right.
Just because business schools have not dedicated time and scholarships to how the night shift office cleaners, the domestic workers and the farmhands are able to manage working long hours and raising children – often for less money than their bosses spend on a pair of Jimmy Choos – does not mean they do not struggle with balancing work and life.
What some of these women forget while they are networking at business conferences is that there is another woman in their homes. And that this other woman is ensuring that the house is clean and that the children are bathed and fed.
If they were really serious about this work-life balance, they would be paying their domestic worker more because she obviously cannot be helping her own children with their homework when she is busy with the boss’s brats.
If someone is walking your dog, running your household and supervising your children’s feeding habits, chances are that their own children and household are being neglected.
Like the CEO, the poor domestic worker must also go home and be a mother to her children and a partner to her significant other. They too struggle, because invariably they have less of a support system than their bosses.
To use the catchphrase: their work-life balance is out of balance. Yet they carry on instead of making a big song and dance about it. They do not throw tantrums, because despite their low station in life, they understand implicitly that a working life requires certain sacrifices.
It is not because their own husbands and children deserve less love than those of their bosses.
I am sure that the idea of carrying a child on one’s back while getting on with the business of living did not come from a seminar on how to handle the work-life balance. Someone just threw a baby on her back, found something to keep the child from falling off, picked up a hoe and went to work tilling the fields. The trend caught on and has shown itself to be highly effective, even though it has yet to feature in business schools’ research.
Corporate and businesswomen who complain about a poor work-life balance must just snap out of it. Life is tough and it does not get any better as you climb the ladder.
It has nothing to do with being a woman. Instead of looking for symp-athy, they should try to be creative about using their time effectively.
We all have 24 hours in a day and unless you plan better, it does not matter whether you are a man or a woman, the CEO or the tea lady, you will keep ending up at the wrong end of the work-life balance.
So here is a tip for all those women stressing about how to find the right work-life balance. Pretend that you are an avant-garde employer. Take the employee you have forgotten is just as much a woman as you are out for a drink and ask her how she manages.
Who knows, the outing may just make you avant-garde instead of you faking it.

Balancing business and pleasure

Africa offers a great payoff for Coca-Cola. The brand known for its sometimes cheesy, sometimes inspirational tag lines, taps into the past and the present pulse of the continent. Its ‘we are one Kumbaya’ images resonate with the African ethos of Ubuntu.
So too does the narrative that anything is possible, which is captured by the Coke Side of Life advertisement campaign. Both messages are consistent with the image makeover Africa is enjoying, off the back of its status as the world’s second-fastest growing region.
For a company that probably receives more bad press than Walmart, especially for its less-than-savory business practices, it is important for Coca-Cola to be seen getting it right on the continent.
Dr. Susan Mboya Kidero, recently appointed to head up the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, which is part of the company’s philanthropic arm, is a perfect fit for Coke.
Not only is she a cheerleader for the multinational, she is an ardent believer in uplifting communities. Careful to avoid the negative reputation that often accompanies corporates operating in developing countries, Kidero neatly sidesteps the limitations of charity in a world where philanthropy is under pressure to be more than just a handout.
“I live and breathe sustainability. Whatever I do, it needs to live. I don’t like the word charity,” she explains.
Kidero joined Coca-Cola in 2008, after 14 years at consumer goods giant Procter &amp; Gamble in the United States. Initially she was appointed as the general manager of Coca-Cola South Africa, a top-10 market for the company, which brings in more than $800 million in annual revenue. During her tenure, Kidero managed to increase growth, which had been in decline, and saw Coke participate successfully as a corporate partner in the FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
If her childhood nostalgia about carefully crafted Coke branding is anything to go by, it makes sense that Kidero ended up working for the world’s most recognizable brand. It also helps that, unlike many parents, Kidero’s mother did not tell her that the fizzy drink would make her fat or cause her teeth to fall out.
“I didn’t have a negative perception. I actually grew up associating it with fun. We didn’t have (Coke) every day, and so when we did, it was generally because company was coming over and we were all going to have a lot of fun,” says Kidero, smiling.
“We once asked (at a workshop): what is your favorite memory of Coke, or any of our products? And I said: for me, it is when we were growing up, Coke came in glass and it would clink. And whenever we would hear that we would think, oh we are going to have a fun day today! That sound is still a very positive sound.”
As an executive of the multinational, Kidero takes her role as brand ambassador to heart. She says heading up the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation is a logical extension of being involved in women’s empowerment, as both are about improving lives. Kidero’s phil-anthropy is also not small change. She, like her company, operates in the big league.
Besides leading the foundation’s philanthropic activities in Africa, Kidero also spearheads the company’s initiative to economically empower five million women worldwide by 2020. Known as the 5BY20 program, it provides finance to women who want to start a business linked to Coke, such as retailing or recycling. So far Kidero has raised more than $116 million in funding for the initiative.
She also guided Coca-Cola in forging a $100 million partnership with the International Finance Corporation, a member of the World Bank Group, to provide women entrepreneurs in Eurasia and Africa with easier access to finance.
At the foundation, Kidero’s port-folio is not limited to entrepreneurship; she also focuses on water, health and education, the most pressing needs of African communities.
Back in the day, Coke stuck to conventional charity-based philanthropy. But as non-governmental organiz-ations began pushing for more sustainable ways of assisting the poor, big companies like Coke could not afford to be caught napping. The multi-national caught on quickly, and so did its corporate responsibility programs.
“We said: we need a more focused way of doing this. Our best way of doing this is by empowering the community. How do we do this? Whatever we do, the initiative becomes the res-ponsibility of the community.
“So the foundation came about bec-ause we were trying to consolidate all the different parties that were doing charity work. We said: if we bring all of that together, we will be even more powerful. The biggest thing was putting a strategy in place that was going to be sustainable,” she explains.
Kidero believes philanthropy is vital for Coca-Cola because the company cannot thrive if the communities in which it operates do not thrive. She says Coke chooses projects to invest in based on their relevance for both its overall business and for the community concerned.
In 2013, the foundation spent just under $11 million on projects – 63% went to water, 33% to health and 4% to youth development. Kidero says it is planning to spend a similar amount in 2014.
Providing water access and preserving reservoirs consume the bulk of funding for Coke’s projects. Its goal is to replenish every drop of water it uses during the manufacturing process. This of course is because the company has been at the center of several disputes with environmental groups over conserving scarce resources.
The company is often criticized for its high water consumption in regions where water is scarce. In 2006, campaign group War on Want accused Coca-Cola of drinking India dry. Farmers in Ragasthan were unable to irrigate their fields after the company built a bottling plant in the area. Also in India, a Coke plant in Kerala was forced to close down after it allegedly contaminated local water supplies.
In 2008, the multinational set targets to improve its water efficiency by 20%. In 2011, it used 293.3 billion lit-ers of water to make 135 billion liters of product, giving it a water-use ratio of 2.16 liters per liter of product.
In Africa, where the lack of clean drinking water is a real concern, the company has been involved in 42 projects in 27 countries to reduce, rec-
ycle and replenish water supplies.
The Replenish Africa Initiative (Rain) is backed by a $30 million commitment from the Coca-Cola Company and other donors. It aims to provide more than two million people in Africa with access to drinking water by 2015. Kidero is planning to bring additional partners on board so that Rain becomes a $60 million initiative.
On the health front, malaria and HIV are a big focus for the foundation.
“In (South Africa’s) Eastern Cape, we are working with (NGO) Africare on a soup-to-nuts complete HIV prevention and treatment program. What we are trying to do there is create a model where we can actually show that over time we (reduce HIV)… We can then take it to government found-ations and say, ‘this model works, it has been validated’,” Kidero says.
The foundation also pumps money into education on the continent through initiatives that improve teachers’ skills.
Over and above her professional responsibilities, Kidero has her own fund. The Zawadi Africa Educational Fund provides young African women from disadvantaged backgrounds with scholarships to Ivy League universities. To date it has awarded 230 scholarships, valued at more than $45 million.
“I believe Africa is special, even with all our challenges. Africa has given me my identity. Africa has given me my confidence. I have a huge extended family; that is how we are in Africa… Africa is in full Technicolor. If you go elsewhere, it is muted.”

Share the feeling

Not everyone gets a second chance to do things over, least of all presidents. But two rem-arkable former leaders are doing it again, out of office.
The first is former US president Jimmy Carter, who managed to reinvent himself through his philanthropic work with Habitat for Humanity.  A renowned peace-broker, Carter recalibrated his image, which had been severely dented during the Iran host-age crisis, through his dedication to providing affordable, low-cost housing to poor Americans.
Carter has also played a pivotal role as a member of the Group of Elders, former heads of state who speak out on issues of global leadership.
The second is former South African president Nelson Mandela. While in office, Mandela was hemmed in by numerous global factors that inhibited his new government from undertaking fundamental change.
When he retired from active politics and executive office, Mandela dared to tread where he had been unable to as the country’s first democratically elected president. Through his altruism, Mandela has managed to re-engineer his legacy and is today recognized as one of the world’s greatest philanthropists.
Known affectionately by his clan name, Madiba believes in fundamental change rather than charity. It is an outlook which is embraced by the Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF), which was formed in 1999 to support the causes that were close to the statesman’s heart, especially those he could not focus on while he was in office.
However, attaching the Mandela brand to projects is a risky undertaking, especially as many are keen to profit from the icon’s name, including those who would use the brand for selfish ends.
Sello Hatang, who is the CEO of the NMF, says the foundation, has to be mindful of what is considered peer-based philanthropy. This occurs when projects are undertaken for financial benefits, such as tax breaks, instead for bringing about long-term change.
The NMF also guards against encouraging consumerism and instead focuses on building skills and knowledge within communities.
“Communities must be empowered… and assisted to see what they can do for themselves. Of course it is done with help of others from the outside,” says Hatang.
“It is important that whenever you do a philanthropic program you don’t throw money at the problem, but you find out from these communities what they need the most.”
He cites an example in which the NMF visited a community in Limpopo that wanted a library. While his colleagues were on-site, they realized that while there was no library in the area, there was a greater need for ablution facilities at a local school.
“What my colleagues found was children washing their hands in buckets and then because there is no fresh water, they also drink from that. So it is important that you don’t come in and impose what you think is best for communities, but rather find out from them what they need. We are now going back to the drawing board and we are now addressing the issue of water and a library.”
The foundation believes that for its philanthropic work to have value, community members must have a sense of ownership over the projects. The NMF encourages locals to be part of its initiatives by chipping in, financially or otherwise.
“So we would say for example (to a school): ‘You have to pay something towards the library.’ So for example they would raise R20,000 ($1,900), and the library is R220,000 ($21,000). They give it to us, we don’t collect that money. We give it back to them and say: ‘Now you use this money for a sports field or to improve something in the school.’ But there is a sense that they paid for it,” he explains.
Sustainability has to be at heart of philanthropy if it is to transcend charity, something Hatang is keenly aware of, and which saw the work of the foundation undergoing a shift from its initial remit.
As the Mandela brand continues to grow, it has massive clout, especially with corporations and businesses keen to be associated with it. The foundation is no longer a philanthropic organization that gives money to projects, but is itself is a donor-funded organization.
“Whenever we find a new partner who comes in who wants to work with us… we do ask that they submit their founding records, check they are registered and that they do things above board,” says Hatang.
Because the NMF does not deal with money directly there is little chance of it being swindled of cash. However, there still are chancers who want to make a profit off the Madiba brand.
Hatang cites an example from early in 2013, when a pizza company was bust for lying. It claimed that for every pizza sold, R1 ($0.10) was don-ated to the foundation.
Something else Hatang says the NMF has to be acutely aware of is building the brand of Mandela instead of denuding it.
“We always have to strike a balance between managing the brand, protecting the brand, and making sure that people can use it for good. That balance is what we always struggle with. We try to have people concentrate on giving for Mandela day and doing it genuinely and in a sustained way. Not necessarily for their grand enhancement.”
Nelson Mandela International Day, which falls on Madiba’s birthday on July 18 and which is recognized by the United Nations (UN), is where the foundation focuses most of its philanthropy.
“The rallying call is: Take action, inspire change. Make every day a Mandela day. Because we believe you have to bring about structural changes (to make a real difference),” says Hatang.
Mandela day is theme-driven, and education has been the main focus over the past three years. Events are decided on in consultation with the UN and the South African government.
This year the foundation prioritized literacy, school feeding programs and housing. The latter included bringing in corporates, with the help of local aid organization Gift of the Givers, to build homes in Johannesburg’s impoverished Alexandra township. The year before, Habitat for Humanity helped the foundation provide homes for residents of Orange Farm informal settlement in Gauteng.
With its literacy initiatives, the NMF has received a lot of help from international charity group Breadline Africa. The organization has helped build libraries across South Africa and fill them with books.
“We believe a learned community is an empowered community. We have young people who are still struggling. And with the kind of education we have at the moment, we want to build on it. Instead of pointing fingers, do something about it. And sometimes it’s minimal where you just build a library,” Hatang explains.
South African packaged goods company Tiger Brands and mobile communications giant Vodacom have been brought on board to help supplement the school feeding scheme.
“Tiger Brands, with the Department of Education, have a program where they feed the kids. I think it is breakfast and a lunch. This one that we have introduced is different. We launched it in July where kids are given food parcels when there is a long break. They get fed at school, but because of the levels of poverty, for some of the kids that is the only meal they have the whole day. Now what happens when they are on school holiday? They get the food parcels to take home on the last day of school,” says Hatang.
The program was launched in
Alexandra and is being rolled out to the rest of Gauteng, Limpopo and KwaZulu-Natal.
When the NMF was launched, the philanthropic projects it undertook were infrastructure-heavy, as most of the communities that Mandela visited asked for clinics and schools. In 2004, the foundation realigned itself, focusing on  philanthropy, dialogue and preserving the memory of Mandela.
Hatang says these elements are vital to build South Africa, as they help to create social cohesion.
He is particularly proud of a new project that sees South Africans and international players assessing how communities have moved on from repressive pasts and how they deal with that oppression.
“This is us venturing into the international community. This is the first project where we are spreading our wings. It is important that South Africa learns from others. We tend to think that we know it all and that we have done it all. There are communities that have gone through what we went through, maybe for not as long as we have, and they are still learning. There is room for us to learn,” he says firmly.
The foundation is also spreading its wings on the continent and has started to look at projects in other African countries that complement its values and objectives. Cooperation in trade and industry and greater intra-African trade between South Africa and her neighbors create the ideal context for branching out. One of the initiatives the foundation is currently considering addresses how African countries are moving away from alienation toward more cooperation.
In a similar effort to encourage social cohesion, cooperation and tolerance, after the drastic rise in xenophobic attacks in 2008, the NMF used its Dialogue for Change program to get people talking. South Africans often blame foreigners for taking ‘their’ jobs, as many migrants are willing to work for less money and under unfavorable conditions.
“We shouldn’t always just be pointing fingers to make excuses sometimes for our own failures,” Hatang points out.
He says the next dialogue series will focus on young people. The highest unemployment rate in South Africa is among the youth, and as a result, many of them turn to crime and other social ills.
“It is really needed. It is clear that young people feel alienated because of the level of unemployment hitting them very hard. You have alienation because of political processes where young people don’t feel included enough; also because of the fact that they didn’t live through what the older generation lived through. Young people also need to feel included in terms of decision-making processes.”
A resource that will prove invaluable to future generations is the NMF’s memory archives, a collection of Mandela’s papers that capture a sense of his life and the times he lived through. Hatang says the archives include various books and publications, including a graphic novel to teach pupils about Madiba’s life.

The Spirit of Giving

For many years, property has been a safe haven. It is an asset that guarantees appreciation over time. However, due to the investment amount required, many middle-class buyers are able to own only one property at a time – at most. More affluent people have the privilege of investing in more than one property, sometimes in several cities.
But thanks to the stock market, individuals are licensed to buy real estate shares, which are far more reasonable. However, there is a certain amount of risk attached, depending on the cycle of the property market.
Before I go into the real estate sector of the stock market, I want to look at property in Africa in general. Property can range from a house to an office, from retail to commercial space.
As African countries develop at a phenomenal rate, due to resource exploration, the need for property infrastructure has escalated. Africa, which was once a continent that investors shied away from, has become a rough diamond. More and more investors are attracted to the sub-Saharan reg-ion’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of more than 5%.
According to real estate agency RE/MAX: “There has been a massive shift towards encouraging foreign investment in Africa and the continent is on the move. Large businesses are seeing the potential that the continent is currently yielding and are eager to expand into the region and take full advantage of the opportunities.”
Furthermore, a McKinsey report states that the continent’s consumer-facing industries are expected to grow to $400 billion by 2020‚ representing Africa’s largest business opportunity. The rapid urbanization and the blossoming middle class in Africa are contributing to the success factors for retail. Modern shopping malls and office complexes are being built across sub-Saharan Africa.
Property investment is growing rapidly, particularly in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia. It is attracting a lot of property developers, private equity funds and high-profile global investors. As a result, shopping malls are mushrooming in Nigeria, Kenya and Zambia.
South African retailers are also exploring the potential in the rest of Africa, with MTN, Shoprite, Woolworths, Game, Standard Bank and Pick n Pay moving north to expand their businesses.
Shoprite, which aims to have bet-ween 600 and 800 stores in Nigeria, partnered with the Resilient Property Income Fund to build 10 shopping malls in the West African nation in 2010. The deal was worth more than R1 billion ($100 million) and also involved Standard Bank and construction giant Group Five Holdings. Shoprite has also opened stores in Maputo, Matola, Chimoio and Beira in Mozambique.
Other retailers like Walmart-backed Massmart‚ Pick n Pay‚ Woolworths‚ Mr. Price‚ Foschini Group and Famous Brands are also expanding into Africa. Pick n Pay set the ball rolling after opening stores in Mozambique in 2011, and another five in Zambia.
Woolworths has a mixture of franchise, joint-venture and wholly owned stores in Africa. The company is negotiating to buy its franchise business in Botswana, which comprises 22 stores. Currently, Woolworths has a presence in 12 African countries, including South Africa.
As the hospitality sector reaches maturity in South Africa, many hotel groups are eyeing the rest of the continent, which seems to have a lack of quality hotels. Protea Hotels recently signed a deal that will see it moving into Rwanda. It is also building new hotels in Zambia, Ghana, Nigeria and Uganda at a total cost of more than $100 million. Protea is planning to expand into at least three more countries within the next couple of years.
Research conducted in 2013 by the W Hospitality Group consultancy has reported that the companies leading the way are Hilton Worldwide, with 6,230 rooms in its African pipeline; Carlson Rezidor with 5,947 rooms; Accor with 5,165, and Marriott with 3,900.
Housing in Africa is a necessity, but nowadays the type of house takes precedence. Property owners are becoming more lavish and certain areas in the continent’s cities are appreciating exponentially.
Some of the properties in Lagos, Nig-
eria, which has a population of about 20 million people, are among the most expensive in the world. Two-bedroom flats cost more than $1 million in upmarket areas.
The most popular units fall within a price bracket of N20 million – N35 million ($124,000 – $218,000). Nigeria’s middle class, which makes up about 23% of the population, earns about N80,000 – N100,000 ($500 –$620) a month, according to a report by investment bank Renaissance Capital.
In addition, Nigeria’s construction and real estate sectors are growing at more than 10% and 12%, respectively, which is a big winner for local companies.
In Kenya, the economic recovery that started in 2003 influenced a
revival of real estate prices. At first, only the luxury market capital values were rising, but recent indicators show a resurgence in the lower middle-income segment.
After five years of stability, house prices are increasing significantly. According to real estate company Knight Frank, the Nairobi sales market can be divided into two. The first consists of the owner-occupier buyers, which dominate the KSh10 million – KSh20 million ($115,000 – $230,000) market, which is where most of the transactions occur. The second is the investors and speculators that operate above KSh20 million ($230,000), and are mostly wealthy individuals and institutions. Foreigners in Kenya can freely buy ‘commercial class’ land, which is land for income or revenue-making purposes.
JHI Real Estate has had to open several branches in Mozambique as the country experienced a strong demand for retail that reached the masses. It has other projects on the cards, including plans to transform downtown Maputo. The 380,000m² FACIM (Maputo International Trade Fair) development is located on prime land and will include retail stores, hotels, offices and a residential component.
With its picturesque islands, private investors are looking at buying residential properties in Mozambique as second homes. Prices range from $275,000 to $1 million, depending on the ocean view.
Now that I have given a brief outline on how development in Africa is becoming opulent, let us look at the property real estate shares on the stock market. Not forgetting the construction companies, for without them, there would be no property development.
When applying my technical analysis expertise and looking at property in the longer term, the construction sector, as I said recently on CNBC Africa, is my “new black”.
The Construction Index lost almost 60% of its value in the 2008 crash and has been struggling to replicate the same bullish momentum it had before. Instead, it has traded sideways over a five-year period. How-ever, recently, the index has breached the major resistance trend line that has kept the bear trend at bay for the past five years.
This is a significant move, which seems to have warmed the hearts of many investors who were reluctant at first to dabble in an industry marred by negativity and recurring bad earnings.
With the construction sector showing some green shoots, we expect the index to recover its previous losses and possibly repeat the bullish years of 2003 to 2008. In other words, current levels are very attractive, and this bullish call is a one- to five-year forecast – a buy-and-hold investment.
This call applies to the Real Estate Index as well. I have analyzed a few construction shares listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) below, which I find to be good long-term investments.
Group Five Holdings broke out of a five-year bear trend. I expect upside above 4,650cps to add further gains to the 6,200cps highs of 2008. However, a short-term retracement may be on the cards, thus presenting another buying/reloading opportunity.
Murray &amp; Roberts Holdings has recently broken out of a four-year bearish base, with potential upside to the prior high of 6,000cps.
Basil Read is gradually clawing back its previous losses. A move above 1,035cps looks attractive, with potential gains to 1,370cps. Upside beyond that level would end the five-year bear channel, with the target set at 1,830cps.
Besides the property and construction shares listed on the JSE, this industry is rebounding in Africa in general, driven by demand locally and internationally.
Property prices all over the world are bouncing back from lows and are likely to retest previous 2008 highs. It seems as if the burst of the real estate and construction bubble in 2008 is patching up and reflating, but hopefully in a more gradual and practical manner. Investors have hopefully learned from their previous mistakes.

Property industry shows some green shoots

Growing up in Apartheid South Africa, examples of bravery, heroism and inspirational humanity were all around me. Some of my heroes were personal; ordinary people working quietly to overcome injustice and keep their dignity, while trying to escape poverty.
Other heroes I share with the world: Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, JB Marks, Walter and Albertina Sisulu.
But my greatest hero of all was my mother – widowed with three children, living in a poor Cape Flats community. She showed me every day that our circumstances need not define us, and how important it is to balance strength and determination with love, kindness and humanity. My mother showed me how to be brave.
My heroes shaped the value system that defines who I am today – values such as equality and equity, diversity and inclusivity, freedom and responsibility, hope and faith for the future.
I believe that social and economic justice must prevail. I believe in the importance of remaining grounded and humble. And I believe in my ability to achieve anything I set my mind to.
My first chance to test these values came when I was thrust into the minefield of labor negotiations at the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM).
As a union, we had to succeed, because the work we were doing impacted on the lives of hundreds of thousands of black mineworkers. And they were depending on us to safeguard their livelihoods and improve their lives.
Working at the NUM taught me a great deal and laid the foundation for my future in the corporate world. In order to do my job – negotiating increased wages and improved conditions of employment – I had to master all of the issues, irrespective of their complexity.
I learnt that success lies in finding the balance between legitimate business imperatives and our broader, human responsibility to make a positive, sustainable contribution to society.
Naturally, the issues we dealt with were emotionally charged. We had to negotiate professionally and responsibly, navigating the inevitable trade-offs, to ensure that mineworkers’ lives improved while the company made money. Afterwards, we needed to explain the issues and solutions to our members in an accessible way.
The nature of the challenge led to three important lessons.
First, learn fearlessly. Follow that old piece of advice: when others sleep, you read. Secondly, never think that you know everything; have the humility and courage to keep asking until you understand. Do not be afraid to make mistakes.
And thirdly, you only really understand something when you can explain it, in simple terms, in less than three minutes.
These lessons guided me when I moved from the negotiating table to the boardroom table. As an executive director at Johnnic, which at the time was an industrial conglomerate, I represented the unions and the black business consortium.
I also had the opportunity to play a leading role in the negotiation of a number of transactions that ultimately led to Johnnic’s makeover as a focused media, entertainment and telecommunications group. One of these contracts resulted in the reverse-listing of MTN Holdings through M-Cell Limited, and the subsequent transformation of the mobile operator into one of the pre-eminent black-empowered companies on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange.
At MTN, I became aware of the inc-
redible impact that information and communications technology can have on people’s lives. Access to information and the ability to communicate makes us masters of our own destinies, empowered to uplift families, communities, businesses, and ultim-ately, the societies in which we live.
The statistics speak for themselves. According to the World Bank, for every 10% increase in broadband penetration, there is a 2-3% increase in employment and a 1.38 percentage point increase in gross domestic product.
This realization, and the freedom that I felt after achieving my objectives at MTN, inspired me to establish Smile Communications.
An African telecommunications operator, Smile has a presence in Tanzania, Uganda, the DRC and Nigeria.
Our mission is testimony to what I have learnt: To deliver affordable, high-quality and easy-to-use broadband access and communication services across Africa, using low-cost, innovative business models and technologies.
Although my journey is – hopefully – nowhere near its end, I suspect that some of the most important lessons still lie ahead. Every day, when I step into the office, I feel that in some small way I am making a contribution to changing the world for the better. That sense of mission makes every problem surmountable and every victory more meaningful.

Making a difference: Irene Charnley’s journey in the corporate world

Philanthropy is entering what some economists and academics believe is another golden age. Previously, there were booms in giving in Renaissance Europe, 18th-century Britain, the Victorian era, and during the age of industrialization in the 19th-century.
It is hardly surprising, considering how the number of millionaires has increased across the world. But inequality remains widespread. Besides the fact that giving makes one feel good for various reasons, it also makes business sense.
“Philanthropy in Africa, strateg-ically pursued, will contribute to broad-based growth, which creates markets, which in turn enables commerce. How could it not make good business sense?” says Jane Wales, who is the CEO of the Global Philanthropy Forum (GPF).
<div id="attachment_5881" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5881" class="size-medium wp-image-5881" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/FWA-2013-Dec-Jan-024-026-CA-Phil-001-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />Mona T Brooks |</div>
Besides opening up markets, many philanthropists are able to provide risk capital for social innovation where governments and businesses are averse to go. John D. Rockefeller, who was one of the first philanthropists in the United States (US), was key to helping eradicate yellow fever and hookworm.
A contemporary example is Eli Broad, whose Broad Foundation is sponsoring medical research in human genomics to revolutionize clinical medicine and make that knowledge freely available across the globe.
“Philanthropy is not and should not be about sure bets. It should include a very healthy dose of risk taking. In fact, in an era of 24-hour news cycles, snap judgments, and the tyranny of quarterly reports, one could argue that the philanthropic sector is the only societal actor that can take risks, withstand short-term setbacks and make long-term investments in the social good,” says Wales.
In the US, philanthropy and charities are encouraged through massive tax breaks. This is very different in Africa, where there is little legal framework for philanthropy. However, there is a push by philanthropic organizations, such as the Kenya Community Development Foundation, for governments to adopt policies that are favorable for philanthropy.
But what is philanthropy? The most common definition is that it is a humane act aimed at creating a better life. So how do we value human life?
Acclaimed philosopher Peter Singer believes that if we were forced to put a price tag on human life, we would say it is in the millions.
He then goes onto to argue that we are all created equal, “at least to the extent of denying that differences of sex, ethnicity, nationality and place of residence change the value of a human life”.
This is especially true for many Africans, who continue to live in abject poverty and survive on handouts.
But its not all doom and gloom. This picture is changing, albeit it painfully slowly in some areas. Philanthropy is gaining momentum in Africa, and it is not only international do-gooders who are helping communities uplift themselves in a sustainable way.
Africans are increasingly becoming involved in philanthropic projects, with the belief that we should be driving the broad-based growth on the continent.
In South Africa, the tax regime is slightly more beneficial. Currently, donations to public benefit organizations are deductible up to 10% of an individual’s taxable income in the year the donation is made.
But the South African Revenue Service (Sars) has noted that large donations are discouraged, because donations in excess of the limit cannot be carried over. It is now looking at allowing donations in excess of 10% of taxable income in any given year to be rolled over as allowable deductions in subsequent years.
According to Nedbank’s Giving Report II, which surveys the giving practices of high-net worth individuals in South Africa, respondents highlighted insufficient tax benefits as a reason for not being philanthropic.
“In 2012 a total of 29% of donors (104) said they would give more if there were more tax perks for giving. This is almost double the 15% of respondents in 2010 who said that changes to the tax regime would influence their giving behavior.”
The Private Philanthropy Circle (PPC), an independent forum of individual philanthropists, is in the process of preparing a formal submission to Sars and the National Treasury on amending the tax regime.
“We believe that tax legislation that promotes philanthropy through benefits or relief for the establishment and growth of philanthropic foundations (institutionalized giving) will ultimately encourage and ensure the sustained strategic support of civil society. Likewise, the non-profit sector would benefit from a more enabling environment for their donors a well,” says PPC member Amanda Bloch. The forum wants a number of changes, including an increase in the upper limit of 10%, the lengthy turnaround times at the Tax Exemption Unit to be addressed, and a clarification from Sars on gifts in kind and services donated, such as time, skill and effort.
Many types of philanthropy are practiced around the world and they all have varying benefits.
“Impact investing”, which aims to achieve financial and social environmental gain at the same time, is becoming more popular. Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and one of the greatest philanthropists of our time, is an advocate for program-related investments (PRIs).
Instead of giving money away through grants, PRIs allow philanthropic foundations to make investments as loans or equity stakes, hoping to regain them at a later stage, plus a reasonable rate of return.
The Bill &amp; Melinda Gates Foundation’s $400 million investment program encourages employees to weigh up the social and financial returns involved in proposed projects.
In 2009, non-profit social investment fund Root Capital was chosen as the foundation’s first PRI. The organiz-ation is expanding opportunities for 500,000 rural households in Africa with an investment of $10 million and a $4 million grant. It is being used to extend access to credit, financial management training, and global market opportunities for small and growing rural businesses.
As privatization and the scramble for Africa’s mineral wealth continues, some philanthropic organizations and academics believe there are new opportunities to harness these resources for the public good.
Lester Salamon, a director at the Institute for Policy Studies at John Hopkins University in the US, argues for what he calls “Philanthropication thru Privatization (PtP)”. Basically, it is the phenomenon of capturing, in charitable endowments, at least some of the proceeds of the sales of state-owned enterprises or common-use resources underway around the world.
In one study, Salamon says that more than 500 endowed, independent charitable foundations have been created or enriched during the privatizations, and together they control assets of $128 billion.
The African Grantmakers Network believes PtP will help to prevent the continent’s civil society from relying solely on external funding. An example cited is the Newmont Ahafo Dev-elopment Foundation in Ghana. It was formed in 2008 when Newmont Ghana Gold Limited and the Ahafo Social Responsibility Forum pledged to support community development programs near the mine.
The company contributes $1 per ounce of gold produced and 1% of net profits from the mine to the foundation. In turn, the foundation supports economic empowerment, infrastructure development and sports and social amenities.
Becoming financially self-sufficient and not over reliant on aid and donors is not to be scoffed at. But just how many good deeds can be done when the overwhelming leitmotif of the initiative is driven by profit? Surely a case can be made that profit would, in most instances, trump philanthropy?
Whatever the method of benevolence, Africans are stressing that it needs to be sustainable. Earlier this year, GPF launched its most recent regional affiliate, the African Philanthropy Forum (APF).
Its aim is to contribute to the expansion of strategic philanthropy by Africans in Africa by seeking to address the underlying causes of a given problem. Put differently, don’t give a handout; give a hand up.
“But it would be a mistake to assume that strategic philanthropists ignore such inputs as instinct and intuition. It would also be a mistake to assume that deep in their hearts they are not in search of a ‘silver bullet’ that will solve all. It’s human nature to be impatient in one’s search for a better world. And that’s a good thing,” says Wales. APF’s members define philanthropy broadly to encompass all private means of financing the social good – from grants and microfinance to investments in enterprises that provide goods, services and income-generating opportunities for the poor. Some put their companies to the service of social goals, pursuing what is known as a ‘shared value’ or ‘inclusive business’ strategy.
APF believes the next wave of philanthropic innovation will come from the continent. The forum’s impressive membership includes Nigerians Tony Elumelu and Hakeem Belo-Osagie. Elumelu wants to rewrite Africa’s story by leveraging markets in a strategy he refers to as ‘Africacapitalism’, while Belo-Osagie supports a number of higher-education institutions and philanthropic funds to advance education and build leadership skills among young Africans.
Other members are South Africans Hylton and Wendy Appelbaum, who support a variety of causes, and Benin’s Angelique Kidjo, who promotes the empowerment of women and girls.
One of Africa’s most well-known couples involved in philanthropy is mining magnate Patrice Motsepe and his wife, Precious Moloi-Motsepe, who is a key player in Africa’s fashion industry. They made headlines earlier this year when they announced that they would donate half of their wealth to their foundation, which is involved in a number of initiatives to uplift communities.
The Motsepes join the likes of Gates and US business magnate Warren Buffet, who started the Giving Pledge, which encourages the super-rich to donate at least half of their wealth to charities.
Although the super-rich are often criticized that their philanthropic efforts are in part motivated by self-interest, their impact on making changes for good cannot be scoffed at.
As Albert Einstein so aptly put it: “It is every man’s obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it.”

The value of philanthropy

It is harrowing watching a crane move a two ton yacht onto a truck. Ropes crack under the strain. You imagine the fibreglass hull will shatter at any moment. Professionals may struggle with the job, so consider a family of seven with their thirteen-year-old daughter, Michaela, driving the crane. This feat of engineering is the first step of a Robinson family holiday that most would find hard to imagine.
“It’s been impossible to get her out of the driving seat; at least if she doesn’t make it as a sailor she can always work the crane,” says father Mike Robinson.
The Robinsons are as much a crew as a family. For them a Christmas holiday is a month ploughing through the cold ocean, ducking under flying fish, gawking at glowing dolphins and watching out for floating containers as deadly as icebergs. All this in a 35-foot yacht, that cost them $24,000 to repair as well as a case of beer for the charter fee, on Africa’s most famous sea voyage, the Cape to Rio.
Once every three years, yachts of all shapes and sizes take to the high seas in a bid for glory. It is a downwind race stretching 5,500 kilometers from Cape Town in South Africa to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
“It’s not hard to find South America. You just go toward the setting sun,” jokes Mike.
It may seem unlikely but the Robinsons have a good chance of winning. In 2011, Mike and his wife Gill, sons Ricky, Brennan, and Ryan with daughters Kathryn and Michaela and their nephew Bradley came second on board the Ciao Bella, the smallest yacht in the competition.
What’s more, the Robinsons managed to sail all the way with a hole in their rudder after they collided with a submerged container. They say the greatest danger comes lurking, sinister as a snake, under the surface. The Robinsons were lucky, floating containers could easily rip a hole in your hull, says Mike.
“They fall off the tops of those huge charter ships, and you will never see them. They float just under the surface,” says Brennan.
While swimming, the Robinsons found their rudder was missing a large chunk. Ricky believes it started as a hairline crack that opened after traveling for a few days at high speed on the sea. You could say it took a knock to their chances of winning.
“All the hotshot sailors from the Cape were saying we were just a family from Carletonville, from the Vaal, that we knew nothing about ocean racing,” says Michaela.
Their critics were wrong. The Robinsons had trained together for years. The family grew up with the wind in their face and a rope in their hand. Brennan, Ricky and Michaela have all sailed for South Africa. The Robinson’s garage holds testament to this, it is a boneyard of boats, masts and sails. The cars are parked under a tree.
The Ciao Bella lies in their backyard in Carletonville, a small mining town that is a two-hour drive from Johannesburg and hundreds of miles from the ocean. The yacht is on its way to the sea, to race in the Cape to Rio, once again. This time round they are aiming to win it, with a new rudder designed and made by Brennan, an engineer student at the University of Witwatersrand.
It is a different world far out on the Atlantic Ocean. One night, outside of Cape Town, there was a glowing phosphorous light on the surface of the sea attracting life.
“In the wake of the yacht you have this bright light. Dolphins jumped out the water, it makes them look like glowing torpedoes. You can’t see the dolphins, you just see this glow,” says Brennan.
“Every time they hit a shoal of fish it would sound like fireworks as the fish scattered,” says Kathryn.
It is not always plain sailing. The Robinsons were halfway, 10 days out of Rio. They were moving along in the trade winds. All was well, when their engine failed. Somehow there was water in the diesel.
“We still don’t know if it was the cheapskate who we got the diesel from or if it was a pipe in the engine. It was dead,” says Mike.
“A yacht uses the wind to move, but uses an engine to survive,” says Mike.
Without it you cannot charge your GPS or purify water.
“When your engine fails, it’s the scariest moment on the Atlantic,” says Gill.
The family did an inventory of their available water; it was running low. They went into emergency rationing and experienced 24 hours without water.
“It was looking pretty bleak,” says Mike.
Luck and ingenuity saw them through. As the sun began to rise, a rare squall blew over the yacht.  Mike woke up to see his children using the yacht’s sail and every bucket they could find to store rain. They collected 80 liters of fresh clean water, which was the exact amount needed to get them to the Brazilian coast.
“What was really cool was that we could see another boat next to us, and they didn’t get any rain. It was just us,” says Michaela.
They managed to fix the engine a few days later, the danger had passed. And to boot they had some extra water for a rare bath.
Then there is the bombardment of flying fish.
“They are like phantoms, they’ll get caught in places you don’t want them and there is just a smell on the deck. They’ll rot for two days and you’ll think oh my word where is that smell coming from. You have to dig them out from all the holes they’ve crept into,” says Ricky.
The ultimate irony was that the family had tailed a line across 5,500 kilometers, hoping to catch a real fish, without getting a single bite.
The Cape to Rio starts off at a chase. Strong south-easters blow the ships off the coast of Cape Town. It is a judgment call where to pick up the calmer trade winds in the heart of the Atlantic. Finally you reach the most difficult phase of the trip, the South American coast.
“Everyone calls it the Parking Lot; you come to a complete stop, with the mountains of Rio just in front of you and the oil rigs around you. You have to be careful because there is a strong current and you end up going backyards. It gets tense on these last couple of days, when you are in the doldrums with no wind. It’s hot and you are trying to keep the boat moving,” says Gill.
The Robinsons were racing against teams who had the latest navigation systems, linked permanently to satellites and day-to-day weather forecasts. All the family had was a small yellow GPS phone called Homer, only useful for pinpointing your position. Instead, they relied on ship routes dating back to 1800s. Most of their opposition ended up being stranded in the Atlantic without wind, whereas the historical route, proven by hundreds of years sailing, was longer but more reliable.
“You will find the family transfers information between each other. I’m at best a journey man, we’ve taught them as best as we know. It goes full circle. The process of going across the Atlantic has got this potential to transfer this huge amount of knowledge. Our children are now teaching us, so when Brennan says this sail needs to be enveloped, we can’t let anybody know we don’t know what he’s talking about,” says Mike.
What started out as a family holiday, on a yacht that needed $24,000 to repair and a case of beer, has now become a family obsession. If you were to sit next to the Robinsons in a restaurant you would not think that they were contenders for a coveted gold medal. But don’t go telling them that, they don’t like losing. Coming second to a team from Cape Town last time was one place too far behind as far as they are concerned. So they plan to spend another 20 days cramped together fighting off flying fish and floating containers. All the while their eyes will be focused on the horizon and the setting sun.

The Yacht Family Robinson

Dingaan Thobela is among the top of the list when mentioning South African sport legends. Thobela was a brilliant boxer and his achievements in the ring have earned him legendary status.
He had an illustrious boxing career but, just like any other sport hero, Thobela went through ups and downs.
“I had a great boxing career and I am so thankful to all the people that supported me throughout the years. I had many wonderful moments as well as tough moments in boxing and I gave my best in everything that I did as a fighter,” says Thobela.
“I learned a lot during my fighting days and now that I have retired I still have a passion for boxing. I am involved as a promoter and trying my best to help young boxers who want to emulate me.”
Thobela, known as ‘The Rose of Soweto’, began on the dusty streets of the township to become a household name.
He had a few high profile fights that put him in the spotlight and he always had many South African fans cheering him on whenever he entered the ring. When he won his first national title against Mpisekhaya Mbaduli, doors were opened for him. He was ultimately victorious at international level, beating Mauricio Aceves to win the WBO lightweight title in 1990.
His most popular fight was against Tony Lopez, which Thobela lost. Many boxing experts thought he was robbed of a result and a rematch at Sun City was organized. He did well enough in that bout to convince the judges he was the worthy champion.
“A lot of people remember my fight against Lopez because he was such a good fighter. I lost my first fight against him because of a controversial decision, so I was happy when the rematch was organized. I won the rematch and was helped by the support of a lot of people at home,” says Thobela.
“I believed in myself and I believed that I had what it took to do well against Lopez. I was really motivated for that fight.”
As more and more money was rolling into his bank account, Thobela started to gain weight, which affected his performance. He later lost his title to Orsubek Nazarov in one of his worst performances in the ring.
After taking a break for almost two years, Thobela made a comeback but struggled as age caught up with him.
“I was a disciplined fighter because I worked hard and I was focused. My strength was my mental capacity, as I used to analyze each fight,” he says.
“My fight against Mbaduli Mpisekhaya was very interesting because he was a strong fighter and he was determined to win. I had prepared myself well for that fight and I was ready for the battle. It is good that I stayed focused during that fight and was able to win.”
Thobela had always looked up to Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard and says his fighting style was based on theirs.
To this day, he attracts the attention of people whenever he walks down the street. He even takes the time to assist young boxers that ask him for advice.
“When I was young, there were other professional boxers that I used to watch in order to improve as a fighter. Now I am interested in giving back my knowledge to young fighters who are also determined to make an impact like I did. I am involved in marketing and promoting the young fighters who approach me for help,” he says.
“In boxing there is a lot that is needed when preparing for a fight. A young fighter may have potential but that is not enough. I do my best to give advice because I am very passionate about boxing. I also approach some sponsors to help wherever they can.”
Back in the day, Thobela and Jacob ‘Baby Jake’ Matlala were role models to many people in the townships. Thobela says he still keeps in touch with Matlala as they are both passionate about the development of boxing in South Africa. He is aware of how boxers often earn decent money while they are active but struggle financially after they retire.
“I do communicate with Baby Jake whenever the need arises and we do talk about how we can contribute and make the difference,” says Thobela.
“Today, boxing is not of the same standard. Back in the day, there was myself, Baby Jake and Vuyani Bungu,” he says.
“Development is key; it is the feeder to the professional ranks. Young boxers need to be guided properly from an early age and I would like to see Boxing South Africa ensuring that managers look after their fighters when they sign a contract.”
Thobela is now in the funeral insurance industry and runs his own business, The Rose, in Chiawelo, Soweto. He was always aware that he could not be a professional boxer forever, so he prepared himself for business while he was still fighting.
Thobela copes well with the challenges he faces. There is plenty of competition in the business, but he feels that through good managerial skills and with the right people around him, he will be able to survive and succeed.
“Our aim is to help people and make a difference. I would say that the business is doing fine because I also manage to help some young boxers with the money from The Rose,” he says.
“Of course there are some challenges, such as when you don’t get materials on time from suppliers. But, I am as committed in business as I was in boxing.”
Thobela keeps his eye on the South African economy and is aware of the weak rand that is affecting the market.
“I manage my schedule well and I know when the time is right to do certain things. It is also important to stay updated on what is happening in the market,” he says.

How The Rose Of Soweto Rose

China has long-standing links with Africa and has become an important trading partner. Now it wants to play football with us.
Africa’s footballers have been making steady inroads into the Chinese Super League in recent times, where new-found riches have been used to lure some top names to the competition.
It is a policy that has worked in part, though the more high-profile signings have not enjoyed lengthy stays in the country.
Cote d’Ivoire great Didier Drogba is the biggest name to have been lured to the Chinese league when he signed for Shanghai Shenhua in 2012 and earned a reported $1.3 million salary.
He joined former Chelsea teammate Nicolas Anelka at the club in what was viewed as a show of financial muscle by the team’s owners.
Despite these riches, Drogba stayed just six months before taking a pay cut to join Galatasaray in Turkey. The striker found it difficult to settle in a wonderful country that is unlike anywhere else on earth.
I saw it first hand when I traveled to Beijing in my role as president of the Football Association of Zambia for a friendly international against Brazil at the famous Bird’s Nest Olympic stadium. Next year’s World Cup hosts, Brazil, were made to work hard to beat the African nation 2-0.
There is much to enjoy in China, the sights, sounds and smells mesmerize the senses, but it is a culture that is very different to our own, and far, far removed from what you experience in the west. I was very impressed with Beijing. It is a bustling hive of activity and while everything from the west is available, the Chinese have clung on to their culture.
I have a new found respect for this nation since I scaled the Great Wall of China in Badaling. I realized the tenacity and strength of spirit that this great Nation has and I was mesmerized. We were lucky to be guided by my good friend Mr Yang because not much English is spoken. That does make it difficult to adapt. It is one thing to enjoy a few days holiday in an unfamiliar environment, but another living there.
That has not stopped a sizeable number of African players from making the move to the Super League though—21 African nations have been represented in the league down the years.
The influx of players started as a small trickle, when the Super League was formed in 2004, becoming a flood in the last three or four years.
It has become an alternative to Europe for some, and is financially more attractive than other options in Asia, such as Indonesia and Vietnam that had been popular destinations for African players in the past.
Zambia has been represented there by national captain Christopher Katongo, who has been with Henan Construction FC since 2011, as well as Isaac Chansa and Billy Mwanza, while James Chamanga has played for Liaoning Whowin for the last five years. All have stories to tell.
The biggest exporter to China from Africa has been Nigeria, who have had 20 of their players in the league since 2004. Brazil has the most players in China, with 122 players in the same period of time.
But teams have also scoured the rest of African continent, signing players from Angola, Cape Verde, DR Congo, Gambia, Mozambique and Sierra Leone, along with the more established football nations that you would expect on the continent.
It shows that their reach is long, and that all styles of African football appeal to them—the technical quality of the north, the power and physicality of players in the west and the skillful trickery of the players in Southern Africa.
There would no doubt be more, but the Chinese authorities have sensibly restricted the number of foreign players in the league, mindful of the need to develop young Chinese talent. Each team may register five foreign players for a season, and can field four of those on the field at any one time.
When you look at the infrastructure of the country, the massive population and the passion that they have for football, it is difficult to understand why China has failed to make the same strides on the pitch as the likes of Japan and South Korea.
In fact, in March this year they reached an all-time low on the FIFA World Rankings of 109th position and by October had improved slightly to 97th.
Within their own Asian Confederation they sit a lowly ninth, behind the likes of Oman, Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, countries you would think they could beat easily given their resources.
China’s one and only FIFA World Cup appearance came in 2002 when the tournament was held in South Korea and Japan, but ended in three defeats and not one goal.
Having just completed its 10th season, it will be incredibly interesting to see how the Super League develops and whether the growing strength of the league does translate into greater success for the national side.
The two are not certainties, but you feel that China has great potential as a football nation. All of the ingredients for success are there; they just need to knit them together.

The Great Call of China

When an elephant charges, all you can do is pray and try and get out of its way; especially when you are stuck in a two-man canoe riding the powerful current on the Zambezi River.
It is a far cry from sipping a pina colada on a deckchair under a tree. It’s the last thing you would expect, but staring into the eyes of a two-ton beast that is only 10 meters away from you, will change the way you look at the world. This is the Lower Zambezi National Park, in Zambia, where the idea of a good time is getting as close as you can to nature without being trampled.
Most tourists would find Zambia difficult to point out on the map. It’s quite easy to overlook. It is hemmed in by Africa’s best known wildlife tourist destinations: Botswana; Mozambique; the Democratic Republic of Congo; Malawi; Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Up until 1991, the country was a socialist state, which prized copper over tourism. Now, the country has flung open its doors and is hoping to double tourism from 300,000 to 600,000 visits by 2015 and increase GDP from 2% to 7%, in line with Zimbabwe. It is arguably the freest economy in sub-Saharan Africa.
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What it means is more people are likely to be drawn to the thundering Victoria Falls, millions of fruit bats migrating, tiger fish jumping out of the water, and running away from elephants on the banks of the Zambezi River; or in some cases rowing furiously.
My introduction to Zambia came from game ranger, Wallace Kabompa, who works in the national park where he grew up, for Chiawa Camp; the only bush camp in the big five reserve, which lies on the Zimbabwe border.
For Kabompa, hippos and elephants walking in your backyard is just another day. He grew up fishing along the Zambezi, he has chased leopards from his patio and he has run from so many elephants in the bush he could do it professionally.
“The dangers are very real. I have seen it first-hand. When I was very young, I went swimming in a pool close to the river with my friend. My friend went down, underwater, and then he went for good. I never saw him again. His parents came to me and said ‘where is your friend?’. I said I didn’t know. He had been eaten by a crocodile. I tell you, I have been beaten by my parents not to swim in the Zambezi. My parents would say don’t you know there are crocodiles, it’s dangerous,&#8221; he says.
Standing by the river he warns tourists of the dangers of canoes.
“I just need to point out that the Zambezi River is dangerous. When you are in the canoe please do not dip your hands into the river. Crocodiles are advantageous predators, and we don’t want them to take advantage of your hands. Elephants will give you a toot when they think you are getting too close. But it’s nothing to be scared of, they are just saying hi. If we encounter a mother with her baby they are more aggressive. All you can do is try not to get in their way. So… who wants to go in front?” he says.
A Dutch family, red of nose and sweating profusely in the 40 degree heat, watch skeptically as he speaks. Their sunburned faces turn white at the mention of being in front. With Kabompa’s cautious speech over, we board our canoes and enter the Zambezi. Kabompa boards the two-man canoe with me, the eager photographer, in front.
As the sun sets, the water glistens in golden light. In the still of the evening, Kabompa’s warning came to life like a snake in a bed. It started so sedately. In the distance, a herd of elephants crossed the river. The only problem was at the end of the line were two females with a baby.
“Let’s get close, I really need a good photo,” I say.
Kabompa obliges and we drift closer, hugging the shoreline. It was as quiet as the grave. The elephants begin to cross the river, but as they reach our side of the shore there is a problem. They get stuck. In their panic, their bodies crash against one another. Their ears flap madly. They then turn and come straight for us.
You may think an elephant charging in water is slow. Think again. An elephant slices through water like it is going through a field of grass. White water churns at their feet. Their trumpeting gets louder with every step. Their trunks smash the water. It is terrifying.
When it is 50 meters away you think it can never reach you. When it is 35 meters away you worry that it will. When it is just 15 meters you realize one stamp of the foot could turn your body to dog meat.
It is at this time that Kabompa saves us from the butcher shop. He slams his paddle in the water violently, sending us in reverse. Ten meters from us, where our canoe was a few moments before, the beasts take a sharp right turn and scramble up the bank. I thank the heavens.
Our canoe rocks in the elephants’ wash. I turn to Kabompa, too stunned to speak. He looks back with a smile as wide as the Zambezi.
“Was that close enough?” he asks.
All I could do is nod in agreement as the canoe drifts away to live another day.
“Do you need to change your pants?” Michelle, one of the Dutch tourists, asks.
No change needed after a moment deep in the Zambian bush that will live with me for the rest of my life.
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With gratitude to the Zambian Tourism Board and Proflight Zambia for accommodation and flights.

When The Elephant Says Hi… Run!

Mauritius regards fashion as serious business. This was emphasized by the country’s industry, commerce and consumer protection minister, Cader Sayed-Hossen, when he declared that the items at the Trend Forum 2013 were made by Mauritius, not in Mauritius.
The country’s export promotion organization, Enterprise Mauritius, who hosted the event at the Intercontinental Hotel in October, aims to give its young designers cues on the trends shaping global fashion and more importantly, how to forecast those trends.
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The country has aspirations to evolve from a rudimentary textile economy, synonymous with the likes of Bangladesh, and graduate into the sexy design environment that epitomizes the fashion worlds in New York, London and Tokyo.
The Indian Ocean island is along a trade route between Africa and Asia and has become a leading exporter of textiles and apparel to the world. Last year, the nation exported almost $1 billion to countries such as the Britain, France, the United States and South Africa.
The fashion industry is a main pillar of Mauritius’ economy and since its genesis in the 1970s, has contributed to economic growth and attracted crucial foreign direct investment.
According to Enterprise Mauritius, the country now supplies to international brands such as Topshop, Levi’s, Zara, MANGO, Guess and Calvin Klein.
But sub-Saharan Africa’s most competitive country wants more and is beginning to punch above its weight, positioning itself as a major supplier of high-value fashion pieces.
This ambition is a familiar one. The t-shirt phase, where a significant number of poor farm workers who, rather than toil on land, accept harsh work conditions and low wages in textile and apparel factories, has been a rite of passage for nearly every rich country. Countries such as Britain, the United States, Japan and China have progressed from the t-shirt phase into broader economic development. Cambodia, Turkey, India, and Bangladesh are currently passing through this phase.
The t-shirt phase lasts only as long as there are large populations of farm workers with few options. But once the labor market has cleared, factories need to find a new competitive advantage which involves moving up the value chain and requires workers who are better skilled and better paid.
Mauritius is now at the juncture when the race to the bottom coincides with the beginning of a race to the top. What is refreshing is not only the ambitious vision, but the pragmatism that follows it. The country is certainly not a stuck-up upstart, but a keen apprentice that invited international players in the global fashion and design industry to speak and engage with students from local design institutions.
Representatives from WGSN, one of the world’s largest fashion trend forecasters with a glittering list of clients including Prada and Gucci, gave guidance on the social and cultural trends shaping design, as well as the translation of macro trends into color, textiles and product.
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French representation came in the form of Louis Gerin and Gregory Lamaud, the creative director and director respectively, of Le Garcon. The pair gave insights on the evolution of European fashion trends.
Italy had KB Design’s director, Enrico Brussa, and creative director, Flora Russo, zoned in trends for autumn and winter as well as micro trends for jackets, cut and sewn, artworks, labeling and accessories.
Inspiration also came from South Africa, a country further up the value creation chain.
Bryan Ramkhilawon, CEO of the Cape Town Fashion Council, presented a case study on the South African market’s patterns.
The students were perhaps most inspired by the youngest speaker at the event, designer Shweta Wahi, who at 22, has shown in more fashion shows than her age (23 to be exact). Wahi, the creative director of the eponymous Shweta Wahi Creations brand, advised that African designers cannot compete with the prices of the East and the style of the West, and should instead find their own niche.
The fashion event was not only about fashion education, but action too. The last evening saw the launch of the Mauritius Fashion Design Council whose efforts to develop and look after the interests of local designers were bolstered by a generous donation from Shweta Wahi Creations. A significant part will go towards sponsoring the best fashion student in 2014.
The CEO of Enterprise Mauritius, Dev Chamroo, is committed to staging more events similar to this and promised that the next Trend Forum will be bigger, better and staged abroad.
The evening was aptly concluded by a breathtaking fashion show by the international designers present at the forum, providing final inspiration to the young designers whose items will don the Made By Mauritius With Care brand and, if Sayed-Hossen has anything to do with it, will be worn all around the world.

The Fashion Contender

When I meet Julian Kyula in his office at the penthouse of the International Life House, smack in the middle of the bustling Nairobi central business district, I cannot make up my mind whether I should address him as pastor or by his surname because rarely do you meet a church minister who doubles up as a shrewd businessman.
Obviously exhausted after a long flight from New York, Kyula tells me he needs to beat the annoying Nairobi traffic jam to be home with his family in around an hour, so we get down to our interview.
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In the world of mobile commerce Julian Kyula needs no introduction, he is the co-founder and CEO of MoDe, a company he describes as disruptive by nature. MoDe is a nano-finance company that lends credit, as low as 50 cents, profitably through mobile phones.
“When you are in need of cash at 3AM and you cannot access the ATM, or you run out of internet bundles somewhere in Africa, or want a bus coupon or need to buy a day’s worth of electricity in a prepaid facility, that is when MoDE steps in,” he says.
For a company in its third year of existence, having successfully completed its first financial transaction in September of 2010, MoDe has done admirably in the mobile money arena. By June this year, the company was handling 500 million transactions, each ranging from 50 cents to $10 and serving 105 million customers across the 17 African countries it operates in and recording over $750 million in sales revenue since its inception. MoDe is also making inroads in the Asian markets, making it among the top global FinTech companies.
“We have opened new offices in Delhi and Mumbai and we plan to go for the American market by opening offices in the United States in 2014,” says Kyula.
“We believe we are at the forefront of building one of the largest FinTech businesses globally and what is so exciting is that the next big thing is coming from Africa. This will boost our efforts as we seek to deepen partnerships with the United States and Europe as we chase for opportunities in that market,” he says, struggling to hide the smile on his face.
MoDe has partnered with the giant mobile telephony service provider Airtel group, and MTN in the African market, with intentions to hit 13 more markets before the end of the year.
Whenever conversations about the African telecoms sector are held, Kenya always features largely due to the success of M-Pesa, the mobile money transfer system. However, the Kenyan telecoms sector is one that has evolved faster than the legislation designed to regulate it and Kyula knows this too well, observing that when he started there were all kinds of licenses required by the government, most of which were unnecessary.
“Legislation should enable business, it shouldn’t be an impediment,” he says.
Getting over the challenge of cumbersome regulations was the first hurdle in Kyula’s quest at providing nano-finance. Next was to convince a mobile service provider with a significant subscriber base to take a chance on a little-known outfit.
Airtel was an obvious choice for Kyula despite it being the second largest service provider in Kenya after the dominant Vodafone powered Safaricom. Airtel has an impressive subscriber base in West and Central Africa and it has a footprint in India and other emerging markets, exactly what Kyula was looking for.
“If you want to build something that is global you must work with a partner who can take you outside the continent and Airtel was willing to do that for us,” he says.
Looking at the dynamic nature of mobile money innovations in the recent past, one would wonder just how relevant a company like MoDe will be in the next five to ten years.
“We do understand that problems surrounding the access of credit in Kenya, Singapore, Vietnam or America are similar and we are preparing ourselves by spreading our geographical risk by being in as many markets as possible.’’
Kyula’s strategy seems to be working for the company.
“Look, when you stop innovating you begin to die,” he says as he moves towards a trophy the company won at the IBM global entrepreneurs award.
In 2012, Kyula was IBM’s Africa Entrepreneur of The Year, the IBM Latin America Entrepreneur of the Year as well as the recipient of the African Leadership Network Of Top 12 Companies.
Kyula’s share in MoDe stands at around $85 million, however, his total investment portfolio and companies in agriculture, equity investment, and real estate seated on his firm Kyula Holdings, give him a total net worth of $115 million.
So when Kyula, or Coach as he is fondly referred to by his employees, is not jumping into planes to close deals halfway across the world he is busy preaching at his local church called The Purpose Centre. One would wonder how he is able to balance both worlds.
As opposed to a businessman who moonlights as a pastor, Kyula claims to be a pastor who moonlights as a businessman. He insists that church and business are two worlds that can complement each other if the right balance is achieved.
“My best decision and my worst mistake is failure. I was naïve when I was much younger to think that when you are upset with someone you go ahead and compete with him,” explains Kyula.
“There is no better school than failure, you just have to pick up the pieces, take time to recover, reassess, reconfigure, rest and revive. These are my five ‘R’s of life.’’
For an entrepreneur who has experienced significant success and wealth, you may wonder what is left on Kyula’s bucket list.
“The one thing that I want to be able to achieve is to shift the dimension of how we look at those at the bottom of the pyramid. I would like to innovate something that shakes the way businesses look at people that are underprivileged. I want to be able, in my lifetime, to have a million children in Africa going to school because I lived,” he declares.
To this I say amen.

A Pastor  Disruptive By Nature

Under the scorching African sun, in Sudan, a seven-year-old boy stands at attention. His fragile frame struggles to hold the AK47. The blank stare on his face betrays the atrocities he has lived through so far. At the command of his superior he runs into the bush. His mission is simple: no prisoners; kill them all. The stutter of the firing gun drowns out the screams. This is one of millions of boys who will never know what it feels like to play with Lego and toy trucks. With each passing day his hardening heart stifles a distant dream of a joyful childhood.
That boy, Emmanuel Jal, now in his thirties, has a made a career by telling his stories though music as a hip-hop artist. But the memories of death and destruction stick with him like the bullets in the chamber of an assault rifle.
“Everything I do today is mostly inspired by my past. I consider myself a soldier, but I fight with a microphone instead of an AK47. The battle that I’m fighting now is not because I am bitter; I am fighting to create change and I’m using dialogue and ideas instead of using force.”
In many ways Jal is still one of the lost children. He doesn’t know when or where he was born, but he thinks it was in the early 1980s. At the age of seven, after both his parents died, Jal went to a refugee camp in Ethiopia where he was recruited by the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA).
“Just as we approached the SPLA training facility, some members jumped out of the bush and started beating us… The next day we were shown how to attack towns, make weapons, make houses for ourselves and how to cook. The training was harsh and I thought that once we had finished I was going to kill my trainer.”
When Jal was around 13 years old, the SPLA began to turn against each other. During this time, a group of them plotted their escape. The plan was to walk to a place called Waad. They thought it would take one month, but it took three. Only 16 of them survived.
Jal was taken in by a British aid worker who smuggled him into Nairobi. After her death, he was on his own again. The night terrors of his time in Sudan became worse and often left Jal on his knees. He may have left Sudan; but it never left him. Although he had dreams of being a pilot or a doctor, music was where he found peace.
In 2005, Jal released his first album Gua, meaning peace. The album focused on life as a child soldier, government corruption and the future of Africa. Although Jal’s music connected with many; it was too real for others.
“Music with a message behind it is very dangerous because you are educating the public; you are letting people know their rights… The system is scared of highly intelligent people who have more information about life because once they know, they can’t turn away.”
Jal’s music has seen him perform alongside the likes of Bob Geldof, the Soweto Gospel Choir and Josh Groban. In 2008, Jal performed in London for Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday.
In 2008, a documentary on his life, War Child, received international praise. It was shown at various festivals including the Tribeca film festival where it won the Cadillac Audience Choice Award.
From child soldier to musician and activist, Jal has one mission. It’s highlighted in the lyrics to his song War Child: “I believe I’ve survived for a reason to tell my story to touch lives&#8230;”
Through his music he is doing just that. With the mic as his weapon, he fires words of hope for those who suffer in silence.

Tag: December 2013

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