There are many conflicts in Somalia, not just Al-Shabaab vs the good guys. Clan fights probably top the list.
“Let me explain some of what I do,” a peacemaker tells me over lunch at the heavily fortified Jazeera Hotel in Mogadishu.
“You see there are these two clans, ve-ery important,” he says, stretching the ‘very’ as Somalis are apt to do. “The Dir, and the Maheran.”
Soft spoken, more of an academic than a fighter, he spoons the traditional green grated hot chili mixture into his soup.
Ibrahim Mohamed works on conflict transformation for the Zamzam Foundation.
“These two clans have been fighting, and I have been going there for two years, trying to get them to talk. I have one man from each clan who accompanies me, but at first only to an imaginary line in the sand, he will go no further.”
We are talking of a remote area called Galguduud, and then of an even more remote area called Inagebeli in central Somalia. The latter is an area where there is no cellphone reception, an important consideration when you are sitting under a tree trying to make peace between two warring clans.
“Eventually,” Ibrahim says, pushing his spectacles up his nose, “I get one clan to accept the other clan’s man coming with me all the way, after promising the man that he will be safe, telling him if he is killed I will be killed too.”
“So we meet, and then one clan leader agrees to go with me to the other clan, a big step, and then the other clan leader comes to his clan without me, which is a good sign.”
Now we are into negotiations. In a war between the clans some 15 years ago, 20 more Maheran died than Dir. But if you calculate things only after the war, 12 more Dir died in those past 15 years. Each side calculates from the date that suits them.
Restitution for the balance is at an agreed 100 camels per person. Plus you must return the killed person’s weapon, and the weapon with which he or she was killed.
“Of course you don’t have to pay that. There is the 30 percent forgiveness factor, so you only pay 70.”
Naively I ask: “So the family get 70 camels, or AKs?”
“Oh no. No, no, no. Only 10 percent goes to the family, the clan gets the rest.”
So seven for the family, 63 for the clan?
“No. It is calculated on the original amount, so 10 for the family.”
For each one killed in excess of those killed on the other side?
“Yes. Unless it is a woman or a girl of course.”
Huh?
“They are only worth 50 camels, minus the 30 percent.”
So girls are worth camels, men worth AK47s?
“No, no, no. An AK is worth $1,200, and a camel is worth the same. So in my negotiations I have asked if we can swop the AKs for camels to exact retribution. So far they have not accepted this.”
What if the UN bought the camels and paid everyone at 70 camels per deficit?
“No good. The killer’s family must feel the pain.”
This negotiation style is 2,000 years old in Somalia, so to change things is difficult.
Who is the ‘they’ I ask him.
“The elders. We sit under a tree, clan elders at the back, behind them the women. Last time I went, we hoped to conclude in two days, but we were there for two weeks. During this time, they slaughter animals daily to feed everyone. And provide water in a tanker every day.”
How many people?
“About 400, more or less, with the women.”
And did you get a resolution?
He sighs. “No. We are still talking. We cannot get around the problem of 12 for one side and 20 for the other.”
Like most Somalis, he is confident the country is on the up and up.
There is still the small matter of defeating Al-Shabaab. And there are not enough camels even in Australia to do that. Guns might. Somalia is counting on it.

Death Measured In Camels And Guns

On July 7, 1985, South Africa’s Kevin Curren walked out onto the hallowed green grass of the Centre Court at Wimbledon as the favorite to win the biggest title in tennis. A kid, from Leimen, in West Germany, smashed that dream.
The fresh-faced, 17-year-old, Boris Becker, surprised the world by winning that match and becoming the youngest champion at Wimbledon – a record that still stands. Curren wasn’t surprised though, just disappointed.
“I was playing an unseeded guy. He had won Queen’s (the London tournament that serves as a warm-up for Wimbledon) two weeks prior, and in the final there he beat my good friend Johan Kriek who said ‘if he plays like this he can win Wimbledon,’” says Curren.
It had all been going so well. The year before, Curren reached the final of the Australian Open but was beaten by Sweden’s Mats Wilander. He also won a doubles title at the US Open in 1982 and mixed doubles titles at the US Open in 1981 and 1982 and at Wimbledon in 1982.
<div id="attachment_3841" style="width: 280px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3841" class="size-medium wp-image-3841" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Kevin-002-270x300.jpg" alt="" width="270" height="300" />Kevin Curren</div>
At Wimbledon, the South African was on top form and had beaten top-ranked players, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, on his way to the final. Beating Becker was meant to
be easier.
“McEnroe said to me he couldn’t believe I lost to a 17-year-old. I had beaten McEnroe and Connors convincingly. But, I think we underestimated how good Boris was because he came back the next year and won it again. He is the youngest winner of all time and I don’t think that record will be beaten. He was like the Tiger Woods of tennis to win it at such a young age,” he says.
“I said to McEnroe ‘he’s a lot better than you think.’ But McEnroe still insisted that I should never have lost that match. A month later, they played on the United States hardcourts – McEnroe was the world number one at the time – and he snuck through. McEnroe came to me afterwards and said ‘I see what you mean, he’s a lot better than I thought.’”
Curren says Becker’s age worked against him.
“[Becker] played as though he’d have a thousand chances to win Wimbledon. He was young and naïve and played as if we were having a game in his backyard. He didn’t comprehend the pressures of winning that title. That probably worked against me a little.”
Despite not winning, the final against Becker was the highlight of Curren’s career.
“It is the pinnacle of the sport. Wimbledon is a title, venue and tournament held in the highest esteem by all the great players. I did get to the final of the Australian Open but Wimbledon is special,” he says.
“When I look back, I take the view that I came from Durban and played with two hands. I had to convert my entire game. I think I beat the odds and most guys wouldn’t be able to do that today. I was fortunate and had some lucky breaks. I did very well with what I had.”
It could have been Lord’s rather than Wimbledon.
“I actually excelled at cricket. I had the top batting average at under-15 for KwaZulu-Natal and things were going along nicely. I was picked for the first team to tour but had to go with my family on a holiday. The next year, when I came back as a 16-year-old, I was told by the coach that I wasn’t going to be picked for the first team that because I didn’t go on the tour. I served my six-game suspension and when I finally got a chance to get back in I was demoted in the batting order and it broke my spirit.”
It was a blessing. The lack of cricket forced Curren to focus on his tennis. The sport earned him a scholarship at the University of Texas and eventually allowed him to gain citizenship in the United States (US). During apartheid, South African sports teams were barred from playing internationally. Becoming a US citizen allowed him to “play as an independent contractor and play around the world,” he says.
Today, Curren runs the Telkom Supersport Shootout – a golf tournament geared for top businessmen, government officials and sport legends.
“We own the Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensburg. It started as a marketing sports event and mushroomed into a standalone business.”
Along with spending time with his wife and two young children, Curren plays a lot of golf on the South African Senior Tour.
“My challenge is to see if I can get my South African colours. I’m often playing against former pros who have taken their amateur status back. In tennis, I’ve climbed my Everest, I’m on the slippery slope down. But in golf, I’ve still got my Everest to climb.”
Don’t be surprised if he reaches the summit.

We Underestimated How Good Boris Was‘

With all the excitement and anticipation that comes with holidays it is so easy to overspend. Here are a few tips to manage your holiday finances and still have a lot of fun.
<h4>Plan ahead</h4>
By booking early, there is time to shop around for the best deals on fares, accommodation and tour packages. If your plans aren’t already in place, you will have little flexibility and will have to accept whatever is available. Last minute bookings can cost you much more than if you had booked weeks, if not months, in advance. This can get really expensive particularly for a large family.
Air miles are useful in offsetting some of your ticket or accommodation costs. However, it is a challenge to find air mile tickets during peak periods.
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<h4>Draw up a holiday budget, and stick to it</h4>
You do not have to travel to an expensive and exotic location just because everyone else is doing so. Set an overall spending limit involving your family and try to stick to this. You will need to budget for the various aspects of holiday spending. Avoid borrowing to finance a holiday unless there is some certainty of an impending inflow of funds or other compelling reason to do so.
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Credit cards, debit cards or cash?
If you plan to use your cards while you are away, notify your bank or card company; as an added security precaution, many card providers look out for suspicious activity and your account may be suspended until they have confirmed that it is indeed you using the card.
As far as possible, use your debit card for withdrawals at ATMs during bank opening hours. Always hold some cash just in case your card is lost, stolen or fails to work.
Licensed bureau de changes are usually available at airports; this is very convenient particularly when you arrive, but they tend not to be as competitive as those in town. Also, be cautious when you patronize moneychangers, as there is the risk of being shortchanged or sold counterfeit money.
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<h4>Beware of roaming charges</h4>
The new-generation smart phones provide us with instant access to the internet. We thus unwittingly leave ourselves open to exorbitant international roaming charges. The continuous activity as soon as we switch on our electronic gadgets utilizes data, leading to constant charging and a shocking bill when you return home.
Fortunately, smartphones have a range of options and you can choose which services to switch off. After disabling data services, you can still make and receive calls and send and receive text messages. In addition, you can turn this feature on and off,  so you can still check your emails periodically.
You will have access to Wi-Fi hotspots at internet cafes and your hotel. Use ‘free’ hotspots with extreme caution, particularly for transactions; they may be convenient but are not always secure and you could be compromising your sensitive information. Reduce your vulnerability by using strong passwords and security software.
It makes sense to buy a local SIM card when you arrive at your destination, making calls will be much cheaper than using your usual number.
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<h4>Are you insured?</h4>
While vacations usually go without incident, you don’t want to be caught unawares. What if someone in your family suddenly becomes ill? What if your luggage gets lost or you have to cancel your trip? Travel insurance usually includes coverage for medical bills, lost baggage and cancellations. Read the fine print to ensure that you have the best coverage at affordable rates and make sure you have your medical insurance card.
Above all, remember that a vacation is really about spending quality time with loved ones, resting and having time for yourself. It doesn’t have to be expensive; you can rediscover your own environment by visiting places close to home, revisit your hobbies, pastimes, and sports. With a little careful planning, you can find a balance between having a holiday and still keeping your finances in check.
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For more personal finance tips, follow Money Matters With Nimi on Twitter: @MMWITHNIMI and Facebook: MoneyMattersWithNimi

Managing your holiday finances

In the United States, 60% of the country’s employment is said to be created by family-owned businesses, though Ted Clark, the executive director at the Northeastern University Center for Family Business, believes this to be an exaggerated estimate. Despite this, family businesses are significant to job-creation, which is why it is important to understand some of the risks that come with them.
From the golden arches of our local McDonald’s, to the swiveling rims and the muscular lines of the latest BMW, we see some of the manifestations of enduring and pioneering multi-generational family businesses. But, the road to success if often paved with threatening challenges and temporary misfortune. Pitfalls such as financial turmoil, hostile takeovers, fraudulent misdemeanors and corporate scandals often plague family businesses.
Most family businesses dislike the idea of incorporating a formal structure to their business as it grows. Such structures would imply tedious forms of communication that may be placed under scrutiny by non-members of the family. Despite this, such a structure would ensure better organization, the avoidance of miscommunication, more profitability and clearer job tasks. One of the reasons many small family businesses lack structure is because they were founded without a business plan. Maintaining conflicts of interest is another tricky aspect of a family business, especially if it operates with a human resources department. Most family-business consultancies recommend that there be no direct lines of communication between relatives.
Family dynamics and business structure do not necessarily work together. In most cases, disagreements in family business stems from an overlap between family dynamics and the structure and policies of the company. Unresolved issues in a family tend to spill over into the business environment, which may stagnate the growth of, or even the continued existence of, the business. Other causes may be the lack of definitive roles that each member is required to respect. Crossing the boundaries of one’s role and assuming unsolicited authority over areas of the family business may prove detrimental to relationships within the business and unproductive to employees. Another common problem is the lack of transparency for non-family employees regarding payment structure, decision-making and career progression.
According to a report, publically-listed family businesses were found to have performed better than non-family businesses during the recessions in 2001 and 2008. Many family businesses fail to make it to the second generation owing to unresolvable family disputes, resisting or ignoring change, poor succession planning and failing to adapt to the latest business and market trends. What may have worked for the founder of the business, may be damaging for the loyal successor. On the other hand, contrasting and conflicting views on how the business must be run is a common cause of failure. Like in any company, a clear and shared vision is required to ensure that all members are working effectively towards the same goal.
The big N-word that most family businesses hate being associated with is nepotism. This is a word that usually sits at the tip of the tongue of a disgruntled employee who may have been sidestepped for a promotion that was given to a less experienced family member.
In some cases, working in a family-owned business may mean limiting your sights to positions that will never lead you to the coveted position of CEO or chairman, often reserved for the company’s blue bloods. It may be in the best interest of some family businesses take a page from the family that founded the LEGO Group. The company chose to ensure the longevity of their business by promoting the first non-family member to head their eponymous toy dynasty in 2004.
While many family businesses come with their complications, it is important that these issues are discussed openly between family and non-family members to ensure the health and growth of a business that intends to grow beyond the first or second generation.

Perils Of the  Family Business

The performance of African markets was strong last year, with money raised by companies doubling to $10.9 billion. Buoyed by a 40% jump in terms of volume of offers, 2014 saw the highest level of activity in African equity capital markets (ECM) over the previous five years, according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report: IPO Watch Africa 2014.
The report showed a total of 90 initial public offerings (IPOs) which raised $6.3 billion between 2010 and 2014. Secondary offers, on the other hand, raised a total of $31.1 billion, representing 83% of the total capital raised and 27% of the transaction volume in the same period. The resurging interest tops a five-year high, recorded in 2010, when African exchanges raised $7.6 billion in fresh equity capital.
Growth in the size of the capital markets highlighted the shift from commodity-based to a broader range of sectors, most notably financial services. During the 2010-2014 period, financials accounted for almost half of the companies raising new capital. Last year, this figure stood at 57%. Within the same year, four out of the top 10 IPOs by proceeds were financial stocks, according to Dealogic, an international financial services information provider.
The report also revealed a new trend – the growth of regional stock exchanges. The research indicated a greater share of capital was raised in markets outside of South Africa, which itself accounted for only 32% and 44% of total IPO capital raised in 2013 and 2014 respectively, a departure from its more prominent position in previous years. Last year, money raised by companies on other African exchanges increased by 66% to $1 billion compared to the previous year. However these stock exchanges still have a long way to go. In the five-year period under review, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) accounted for 78% and 64% of capital raised and transaction volume respectively. Ranked first in the world by the World Economic Forum’s 2014-2015 Global Competitiveness Report for its regulatory framework, it is easy to see why the JSE continues to dominate the Africa’s capital raising landscape.
Most notably, a number of the top 10 IPOs in the past two years had an international component, either foreign companies raising capital directly on African exchanges, or African companies marketing shares to international investors through dual listings or sales to qualified institutional buyers abroad. Since 2010, nine African companies have listed outside the continent, raising a total of $370 million while only one non-African company listed in the continent, raising $107 million. This trend highlights an increasing global integration of businesses in the region and the interest of international investors in Africa.
Regional exchanges need to continue building on the strong momentum of last year. Already, 2015 is shaping up to be a positive year for equity capital market activity in Africa. Nigeria has recorded two capital raisings in January alone; an IPO and a secondary offer. Ongoing harmonization of regional exchanges and liberalization of capital markets through legislation are necessary to keep the momentum going. This is essential to uphold investor confidence and attract new players, such as the private equity funds. To date, the most common means of exiting these funds has been through a sale to corporates, which accounts for about two-fifths of exits, according to the African Private Equity &amp; Venture Capital Association.
Furthermore, improving social conditions, rising urbanization and the adoption of new technological advances are important factors in driving regional exchanges forward. These transformations must be matched with political stability and more effective economic and fiscal policies in order to deliver stable regional exchanges. In addition, improving liquidity and quality of information is crucial. The latter has been blamed for international public companies being hesitant to list on African stock exchanges and foreign investors investing in domestic listed companies.
No doubt, as these measures are steadily implemented, Africa’s rise in the international capital markets is assured.

The Rebirth Of Africa’s Capital Markets

The current spate of opportunities in the Nigerian mining sector is predicated on a true spread of federal powers. Potential investors must be hoping that newly-elected President Muhammadu Buhari gives the mining sector the much-needed attention it deserves.
The sector has been neglected with swaths of red tape preventing it from developing. Crucially, if the mining sector is to succeed then the recently privatized power sector is integral to its success. Ask any Nigerian about the problems they face on a daily basis, you will find it hard to find one who won’t mention the infamous power outages.
When those concerns are transferred to industry it deters any serious mining activity taking place. Unless a mining company develops its own independent power plant it is highly unlikely that Nigeria will be considered as a mining hub despite its mineral wealth. Erratic power supply does not encourage mining companies that want to increase profits while decreasing production costs, especially when commodity prices, such as gold and iron, are trading at record lows.
Having spent the last year as Africa’s biggest economy and touted to have the 19th biggest economy in the world by 2030, Nigeria is expected to employ robust resource governance in accordance with international best practices. India has implemented a policy of backwards integration which has been met with success. Industrial behemoth, Jindal Steel &amp; Power, is a glowing example of how backwards integration can result in financial growth for a company.
It would be remiss of me to not commend the efforts of the previous government to transform the petroleum industry with the proposed Petroleum Industry Bill. Although delayed, it was a sign of the government’s willingness to change what has been a mismanaged government sector. The mining sector has until now failed to develop a legal and regulatory framework that will keep up with international best practices. Like an unwanted puppy, it struggles for care and attention. Instead it is neglected and imposed with an archaic tax regime.
The government must impose trade tariffs, as seen with the ban on the importation of poultry products to entice prospective participants. Additionally, fiscal federalism is necessary so that powers are devolved to the state. At present, the constitution states the federal government owns all resources.
Opportunities in the mining sector are vast due to the untapped deposits that are yet to be mined. Furthermore, the prospect of backwards integration allows for companies to effectively manage their resources.
In its ability to harness an effective framework, Ghana recently hosted a delegation from Zambia to advise the country on how to manage its resources. The government is also talking to the 13 multinational mining companies that operate in the country over the possibility of embarking on underground mining operations.
No man is an island. Despite its economic prowess, Nigeria must seek the help and advice of other countries with developed mining industries. Just like Ghana sought help from Nigeria about managing its oil production, Nigeria must extract knowledge from Ghana as to how to run its mining sector efficiently. Mistakes of the past should not be repeated. Nigeria also needs industrial stakeholders to promote, research and develop the mining sector.
Nigeria does not need to import raw materials for many of its industries. The ingredients can be found in the deposits scattered across the 36 states, all of which can be used as agents of change to satiate local and international appetite for finished products. This is added value but it something that is proving difficult to harness due to porous infrastructure.
If talk is cheap, then the labored rhetoric of diversification without the expense of action will prove costly in the long run.

The unwanted Puppy In Need Of Rescue

Rihanna is a hit machine churning out more number one songs in the charts than any other artist. Sometimes I feel that the world’s manufacturers churn out motor vehicles sticking to a formula and are too scared to rock the chassis.
Rihanna’s secret is that she and her producers know how to reinvent her vocal and, of course, physical attributes on a regular basis.
Recent proof was her rendition of Four Five Seconds along with 72-year-old Paul McCartney wearing no make-up.  Rihanna that is – I think Paul had been touched up a tad.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3826" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/shutterstock_164567624-1024x683-300x200.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="200" />
I am inspired by two brands that have taken that leap from mahogany road, overstuffed seats and polished hubcaps to leading the way in design and performance without sacrificing their iconic image.
Not that long ago, when I was rather disappointed that a certain manufacturer didn’t seem to be embracing the modern era, I was curtly reprimanded. “Our customers don’t like to lose the identity of previous models.”
Really? Is that emanating from solid market research or a bunch of dinosaur designers not willing to stray from the well beaten path of history?
But there are some brave creative souls who are proving that even dramatic design changes do not have to harm brand identity in any way – and are being rewarded at the dealerships.
A decade or so ago, Jaguar and Mercedes Benz were the flagships of the successful executive – a bold presence, but overly solid, conservative, regal and the antipathy of a performance car.
There had been the major sporting exceptions of course, the stunning E-Type Jag, the revolutionary Merc 300SL Gullwing in the fifties… but they did little to change the ‘senior citizens only’ image of the badge.
Fast forward to March this year. A standard Jaguar F-Type R V8 (limiter off) smashes the South African land speed record on the Upington Airport runway. The timekeepers settle for a split of 294.68km/h although the supercar reaches over 300 on one of the runs. And the 13-year-old boast of the Porsche 911 GT2 is a distant echo because nothing on earth has the auditory snarl and crackle of the top of the range F-Type.
While Rihanna sings about Four Five Seconds, the F-Type blurs to 120km/h in just four seconds and with the Dynamic Mode switch flipped back it is a ride that stirs the adrenal glands like very few mechanical steeds can.
I did say standard – but there is very little about this Jag that is standard as it has transmogrified, along with sister company Land Rover, from British aristocracy to adopted Indian parents Tata Motors.
It is, in my (and my wife’s!) not always humble opinion, one of the best looking sports cars on international shopping lists and has managed to pull off that most difficult of design challenges – jaw dropping looks that retain all the elements of class and style.
And the muscular and raunchy front end is matched by a menacing rear with four trumpeting chrome-embellished exhausts that show that this car means business. But unlike the Alfa 4-C which is never happy poodling along suburban lanes, the F-Type doesn’t show withdrawal symptoms when idling to the corner shop for a pint of milk.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-medium wp-image-3827" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/2015-mercedes-amg-c63-s-interior-1024x680-300x199.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="199" />
And while mahogany has long given way to carbon fiber and burnished metal, the interior is neither flashy nor contrived. A symphony of red and black leather delicately stitched throughout, an electronically adjustable flat bottomed steering wheel that seems built for your sweaty palms and controls that don’t need an MBA course to understand. The infotainment touch screen is relatively basic but superbly user friendly.
It is no wonder that the F-Type, which made its grand entrance as a convertible, has helped to keep Jaguar sales stable despite the economic downturn and collapse of car sales
in Europe.
In South Africa, you can step in to a F-Type Coupe for less than $80,000 but the beast, the supercharged 5.0 liter V8, is going to set you back around $130,000.
It’s not just Jaguar who has been pushing the boundaries in the 21st century. Mercedes Benz has disposed of stuffy design and average performance, to the extent that AMG, once the rebels who souped up the basic Benz, have been fully incorporated into the brand since 2005.
The latest AMG offering is set to accelerate pulse rates on the highways and racetracks of Africa. It is the metamorphosis of the 2015 World Car of the Year into a BlitzBenz which must be about the best performance per dollar that you can get.
While the C63 AMG it is far too classy to be called a wolf in sheep’s clothing, it is a four-second sprinter that will compete with most of the supercars selling at multiples of the price. And the S variant is even a shade quicker!
Despite the overwhelming accolades, some found the look of the new C-class to be more mini-executive than sporting, but it lends itself gloriously to the traditionally aggressive AMG styling. And at a smidgeon over $80,000 it is a package that is going to be very hard to beat.
One of the most surprising developments in the second generation of Merc’s most popular AMG is under the bonnet. The truth is that the ‘63’ is a bit of a misnomer.
The 6.2-liter engine has disappeared and in a Houdini-like maneuver been replaced by a 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8.
If, like me, you are something of a technophobe, the simple end result is improved performance, torque and fuel efficiency. These fellows seem to have mastered the technique of downsizing far better than a lot of European governments!
Mercedes Benz South Africa were brave enough to let the local writers put the C63 AMG through its paces at Zwartkops Raceway where they have shown enough confidence in the track to build a world class driver training academy run by the ebullient and skillful Clint Weston and his team.
With racing techniques being analyzed on two in-car cameras by Adrian Burford and his bewildering computer system, and laps being timed to the split second, it was white knuckle time for the scribes.
But the latest performance Merc showed that it is as comfortable and forgiving around the track as it is on a meander through the Cradle of Humankind.
<div id="attachment_3825" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3825" class="size-medium wp-image-3825" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Mercedes-4-IgnitionLIVE1-1024x672-300x197.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="197" />Mercedes-Benz C 450 AMG 4MATIC, (BR 205), 2015</div>
So… am I leaving you with a V8 problem? Jaguar F-Type R or C63 AMG?
Not at all. If you are married with kids, or even own a miniature Yorkie that has to get to the park, it’s the Merc. If it’s just you and your partner, and you don’t need to pack for long holidays or both play golf, it’s the Jag.
Either way I’m jealous.

Beasts  With Class And Style

South Africa’s favorite adventurous son, Mike Horn, regarded by many as the world’s greatest modern day explorer, was seduced by Switzerland while hitchhiking his way to Israel. It was the snow that won him over, before he’d even reached the sand of the Middle Eastern country.
While my first memory of hitchhiking in Switzerland is sharing a flagon of cheap wine at a small table in a very clean youth hostel with a young Tunisian and no dictionary, Horn immediately saw opportunity. Granted, he was considerably older than my then student self, but it speaks to his strategic contemporary self that he identified what he needed.
“It’s a safe and sure country to leave my family when I go out exploring; it has four seasons that allows me to practice all outdoor activities. It has some of the most diversified natural elements; it’s neutral and easy to travel to and from,” says Horn.
Lausanne is the Olympic capital of Switzerland, a treat for any serious sport and outdoors enthusiast. But Horn has a particularly African take on what works for him in this historical and wealthy city.
“What I love the most living in an expensive country is that everything works, it’s clean and everyone is always on time. You pay for what you get.”
Horn is an established brand in the extreme adventure environment. His website details journeys to places like the Arctic Circle, the Amazon River and various Himalayan peaks. All will challenge your body and mind. From the outside, it’s a bit like a 12-year-old’s adventure book.
“To be able to play the lead role in your dream and live it in reality makes me a privileged man. I have never started anything in life thinking I will fail. And that is how little boys dream. As we grow older we lose our dreams, but as I have grown older I kept my dreams young.”
Follow the road of Mike Horn’s history and you will arrive at his career destination, to which he must feel he was born – teaching others how to respect their environment.
Through his four-year conservation-education platform Pangaea, started in 2008, Mike and his team found enthusiastic youngsters, between the ages of 15 and 20, who he then groomed as environmental ambassadors in their respective countries. He did this through expeditions to places most only dream of; Antarctica, New Zealand, Malaysia and India among them.
On the various expeditions, the selected youngsters were given the opportunity to experience, explore and interpret different climates and surfaces.
“We must begin to take real steps towards ensuring that our planet can be respected and appreciated by all future generations…” says Horn.
These words are increasingly relevant, as the promises and targets emerging from endless conferences do more for the conference industry than the health of the planet.
This gives Horn a reason to try educate as many as he can.
His website speaks of over 200,000 miles and multiple circumnavigations being covered in pursuit of Pangaea’s goals, with more voyages in the pipeline. All of which will cost a lot of money. He says he’s in the right place to access these funds, with some of the world’s best-known brands close at hand.
“With Geneva next door, France on the other side of the lake and Italy a short drive away, we have access to the watch industry, banking, nutrition and technology and amazing universities,” he says.
But Horn stresses that such sponsors don’t give their money away easily. Even as a  Laureus World Sports Academy member, he had to do a little convincing.
“I have been very fortunate because when I proposed my projects to my sponsors they liked the idea. Credibility and authenticity is very important. Do not promise what you cannot do!”
And so they rolled in. Mercedes Benz, Panerai, Nespresso, Geberit, Mumm champagne, Scott Sports and Petzl, according to Horn all see value in his experience and knowledge.
“They are definitely your biggest investment.”
The link between the man and his sponsors is more obvious with some than others.
“For a watch company I’m a living test lab. Making timepieces that I use as navigational instruments and that I test for long periods of time in the field at extreme temperatures and altitudes makes it a unique and authentic test lab. Once the watch has survived the expedition, Panerai makes a limited special edition timepiece with my signature. Mercedes Benz use me for internal and external communication.”
Mike says while it’s difficult to measure the return on their respective investments, he has adopted a personal solution to determining the value clients get from his association with them.
“If you always do what you promise to do for them, and are willing to give more than they ask, reinventing yourself with new projects, I think it is worth it for them.”
This Johannesburg-born adventurer’s next expedition is Pole to Pole, another first in the adventure world. Horn will make solo journeys to both the North and South Poles, crossing the Arctic and Antarctica on foot and by skis.
When crossing the Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, he will be on board his sailing vessel Pangea.
As with most of his missions, Horn won’t have support; although for much of the time there will be people in the vicinity, as a camera-crew will be shooting for international film producer Goldcrest, which is producing a series on the adventure.
He aims to complete Pole to Pole within a year.
Beyond the physical endurance required for this latest venture – which he is preparing for by cycling, climbing and dragging car tyres around Swiss mountains – it requires significant effort to put these expeditions together.
“There are a lot of sacrifices you have to be prepared to make… sacrifices with family because (I am) often away from home, friends you don’t often see, and very little free time.”
Indeed, Horn suffered a tragedy when his wife, New Zealander Cathy, passed away shortly before we conducted this interview.
“I find myself with a massive gap to fill in my private and business life… Cathy was the rock and pillar of everything I ever achieved”.
Almost as if she had planned it, Cathy prepared their teenage daughters to help with the business while they were studying; a seamless transition doubling up as a comforting distraction for this hard-travelling man.
“They know the brand best,” he says, hardly surprising considering that he took them to the North Pole when they were barely in their teens.
And so the business of Mike Horn continues where it makes sense, in Switzerland. It couldn’t have happened anywhere else.

‘I’ve Never Started Anything Thinking I Will Fail

You’ll find Cameroonian-born Fidelis Ebot Tabe in the heart of Cape Town, among colorful hats and caps, bargaining with customers. He’s tall and bursts into a smile whenever he speaks. At first glance he’s just another street trader among many, but this man has got a PhD in it.
“I didn’t invite my family to my graduation, after six years I couldn’t believe it, so I just told them when I got home,” he says.
His first degree in Cameroon was in history. He applied to professional schools to teach, but didn’t get in. Instead, he began trading food – dried prawns, dried fish and palm oil. After a friend told him about the prospects, he raised money and moved to South Africa.
“If I came down here, things would be better,” he says.
His South African story started 15 years ago in Mitchells Plain, a township in Cape Town located in the Cape Flats, selling caps, sunglasses and mobile accessories.
“Mitchells Plain is like a warzone, you must watch out all the time, it’s so rough” he says.
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While trading on the streets, he did his honors and master’s in history through the University of the Western Cape (UWC).
“I was in the town center in Mitchells Plain in 2007, there was a process to upgrade the center. At the end of the process, we had to choose trading bays. The issue came up of people who were there before, what we call historic traders, they gave them the opportunity to choose sides and what size they needed. For people who had been there for seven or eight years, they just gave us small bays. When it came to me doing street trading, I started looking at what policies were there before and how things were done before,” he says.
He registered for his PhD and started an analysis of street trading in Cape Town. His research began in the CBD, a hub of activity with street traders along every street. He interviewed traders who mirrored his experience.
“They had similar histories to myself, there were a lot of foreign traders in the city center. When the question came as to why foreign traders dominate, the response was that South Africans were not interested in street trading at the time. Now, when South Africans come, there isn’t any space for them and they start to complain. The foreigners took the opportunity but they prefer the CBD which is safer than the townships where there are always clashes between locals and foreign nationals,” he says.
South Africa has suffered from violent xenophobic attacks. In May 2008, thousands of foreigners were forced to flee their homes in townships across the country when people attacked them in a wave of xenophobic violence. April saw an upsurge in xenophobic attacks throughout the country as armed gangs once again attacked immigrants. At least five people have died; shops looted and destroyed.
“Home is home. In Cameroon you sleep in peace, you don’t have crime or xenophobia there. You go to our market and you have Malians there and Nigerians there. We don’t envy them. We live happily with them, they are our friends. When they go home, you long for them to come back. But here it’s a completely different story,” he says.
He dreams of being back in Cameroon one day.
“But to go home, you need money. I’ve been here for 15 years and what do I have to show them back home?” he says.
Ebot Tabe wanted to challenge the stereotypes of the street trader.
“There’s this idea that street traders are poor. From my interviews with traders, they were not poor people. People actually left their jobs to become street traders because they believed that they would make more from street trading than from formal employment. And it’s true,” he says.
When it comes to street trading, a lot of people sell the same thing but Ebot Tabe explained that traders are a community that support each other.
“In Trafalgar Place in town, the flower sellers aren’t ideally located. There are just three stands in front of Adderley Street and the rest are at the back. They sell the same thing but you only see the people who stand in front. They began a rotation, so every day they would move one place down so that each person has the opportunity to sell in the front,” he says.
After six years of research, rewrites and clashes with his supervisor, he graduated in March this year.
“I’ve never found street trading frustrating until now. Why should I be sitting here? I hope to become a lecturer one day and not remain a street trader. I want to teach public and urban history so I can bring in my experiences,” he says.
For now, the doctor of street trading is selling in Mitchells Plain.

A PhD From The Streets

On a sunny Friday afternoon, amid the hustle and bustle of city life, Frederick Deegbe was shopping in the retail district of Accra, Oxford Street, when he came across a pair of Pierre Cardin shoes. On his way home, after purchasing the shoes, he asked a shoemaker if it was possible to create the same quality of shoe in Ghana and the answer was an emphatic “no!”
Realizing that a lack of education might be a contributing factor to the pessimistic answer he got from the shoemaker, Deegbe asked a group of educated friends and other professionals the same question. The answer was the same.  “No!”
“I asked myself, ‘if we believe we cannot make shoes in Africa, when are we ever going to be able to make airplanes?’” says Deegbe.
He decided to dig a little bit further into the luxury shoe market.  Deegbe discovered that it was a $500-billion market with an average pair of luxury shoes selling for $4,400.
“I said to myself, ‘someone out there is willing to pay me [$4,400] if I can create a shoe of the same standard.’”
That was all the motivation he needed. After a year and a half of research and planning, he quit his job as a banker to pursue luxury shoemaking fulltime and Heel The World was born. The name is apt; it represents Deegbe’s mission to prove that Ghanaians can produce high-end products that are of an international standard.
“I didn’t have all the answers, but I knew there had to be a social cause involved with the brand to give back to Ghana,” says  Deegbe.
He challenged his artisans to push the boundaries and made them believe that they had what it took to create shoes on the same level as those in the international fashion world. He sourced high-end materials and created designs that were original and contemporary. But there was something missing, which led to wrist beads being added to the Heel The World brand.
“At 1AM, we had a eureka moment. Why don’t we create beads? And then the lights went off,” says Deegbe.
The customary load shedding of electricity in Ghana, affectionately named ‘dumsor’, sparked an idea to use black beads in addition to gold detail. The black symbolized hard work and the gold was the reward.
Through social media, the Heel The World empowerment beads became an instant hit, selling thousands across Africa. Since then,  Deegbe has become a World Economic Forum Global Shaper, spoken on the same panel as Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, and received the best fashion brand award from the President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama. He has also had regular features on CNN and BBC and achieved all this in just three years. The brand is currently in talks with Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury goods department store on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, New York.
Despite this, Deegbe still has several hurdles to overcome. Some feel that the ostentatious price of his shoes is unwarranted, especially with the current state of Ghana’s economy. He is however unyielding in his passion to show that talent exists within the manufacturing sector in Africa.
Also, proceeds from the sale of the luxury shoes go back into training and empowering young craftsmen to produce high-end products that can compete in international markets.
“Africa definitely provides a longer-term growth opportunity for luxury brands. The shifting appetite and behavior of consumers in this segment will require luxury goods retailers to develop a sophisticated but uniquely African approach to reach and satisfy the growing demand for luxury goods in this segment,” says Rodger George, Africa Leader for Consumer Business at Deloitte.

The Bright Idea In The Dark

Freddie Achom does not look like the stereotypical investor or entrepreneur. Sporting dreadlocks that tumble to his shoulders, he is dapper, yet relaxed, in a blazer over a shirt and jeans. Achom is articulate and humorous as he recounts his journey to the pinnacle of global enterprise. He might not have got there if he wasn’t encouraged to take a chance while moving from studying medicine to business while at university.
“I started working for a stationery company and it was then that a more senior member of staff said to me, ‘you are really good at business development. How long have you been doing it?’ And I said, ‘this is my first job. I’m just here for the summer and when university starts again, I’m off.’ Then he said to me ‘you should consider it. Your bosses are not telling you that you are doing something really special.’”
“There was a commission sheet where you recorded what you brought into the company and for me it was never enough so I had to flip it over and fill it out all the way to the bottom of the next page. I did that week in, week out. He said ‘I’ve been here five years and I’ve never seen anyone do that, so you should consider it.’ He actually encouraged me which is strange because here’s a man getting all the accolades of training me and he’s telling me, ‘you need to get out of here.’”
Aware of his talent, Achom moved to work for a surveying firm. While there, he was headhunted to join a professional business development firm, an experience which he credits for developing his self-confidence.
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“The director was pretty quirky but he had a lot of faith in me. I think I got most of my conviction and belief there because he was self-made; an interesting guy from up north (of England)… He said I could do whatever I wanted. He said ‘you should set yourself a target where you can touch things.’ And he said to me ‘what watch are you wearing?’ I said ‘just some regular watch.’ So he said ‘buy yourself a Rolex watch. How long do you think it’s going to take you?’ I said ‘I don’t know.’ He said ‘just set yourself that target and do it.’”
Six weeks later, Achom saw the director sitting in his office and showed him his watch.
“He went ‘you’ve bought the watch already!’ I said ‘yes, I bought it a couple of weeks after I saw you.’ I set my target and I checked how much it was and I think I bought it about a fortnight after he told me. He was genuinely impressed.”
The next phase of the journey saw Achom establish his first company in partnership with a group of associates. They built a consultancy and strategic funding agency and sold it after three years. Cash in hand, Achom went on to explore other ventures that led to the establishment of his private fund and flagship company, Rosemont Group Capital Partners. Achom serves as the chairman of the group which holds a diverse portfolio of companies including Communication Power Engineering Company (CPEC), a renewable energy service company and one of the oldest listed companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Other companies under the group include BWC Management, a wine brokerage company and Hershey Pascual Fashion, a high-street women’s fashion brand. Achom’s interests also reach into the restaurant and nightclub industry where he holds stakes in a number of leading spots, including Jalouse in Mayfair and the famous Scotch of St. James in Westminster.
Recently, Achom has diversified his interests by switching his focus to the technology industry. Never one to play small, he announced plans to invest in 20 start-ups by 2017, an excursion that will see him invest around $9.2 million. Considering the skyrocketing valuations in the industry, he is aware of the pitfalls that lurk beneath opportunities.
“The technology space is almost like back in the Wild West where everyone has got their tools out searching for gold. And we all know that though everyone went out, only few came back with lorries of it. Everybody wants to be the next Google and Facebook, but that is not going to happen. But, if you have the right kind of mechanisms in place, if you are looking at the market with your entrepreneurial brain fully on it, I think you’ll do ok,” he says.
“What I find is that the early technology entrepreneur success stories are stumbled upon. Those guys are always guilty of labeling themselves as entrepreneurs and they then embark on this continuous journey to replicate their success, disregarding the fact that the first one was an accident. It just doesn’t work. The people that are really replicating success within the tech space are those that are genuine entrepreneurs and have criteria that they follow and a philosophy that really works for them.”
Achom is also keen to have an impact in Africa where he believes there is significant opportunity.
“We specialize in is renewable energy, so we are looking at Ghana, Nigeria, because West Africa will be our focus. Secondly, technology. We look at what we are learning here in the tech space and at some point it will be our ambition to create an incubator where we nurture ideas at the early stage. The telecommunications infrastructure has laid the foundation. The fundamentals and the user base are there, so this will be hugely profitable.”
Achom was born in Nigeria in the 1970s and moved to Britain in 1982. His parents ran an insurance firm together and sent all four siblings to boarding school. Achom credits the love and support shown by his parents with imbibing a sense of responsibility. They often flew to visit the children at short notice. With two children of his own now, Achom is determined to raise kids with these strong values.
His sense of responsibility extends to society. Achom recently launched the Rosemont Group Foundation. His aim is to encourage young people to believe in their dreams and focus on their passion despite potential distractions.
“About six years ago, I was driving a Lamborghini and I was at the petrol station filling it up. These kids came past on their bicycles and they were like ‘wow!’ I thought to myself, ‘ok, kids love cars,’ but I didn’t think there was anything special about the guy driving the car until they asked me what I did. I said ‘I’m an investor.’ They went ‘wow! How did you get into that?’ And I said to them ‘study hard, stay in school.’”
“They asked me again, ‘you are not a footballer?’, and I said ‘no’. And I thought to myself, ‘is that the only way they think you can drive a car like that?’ That’s when it hit me and I started to think I could do something to change that perception.”
“I wanted people to learn from my experience doing business in the UK, where the cards are stacked against you, where the pitfalls are, how you maintain your focus, your dignity, your true God-given character, because I come from Africa and we don’t succumb easily.”
“I’ve experienced prejudices doing business, where people had preconceived ideas of me but spent a few minutes with me and those perceptions changed. The foundation was about letting people know that people exist that you can look up to and call up if you need to and draw from and learn from their experiences, and I hope I can contribute a little towards that.”

Buy A Rolex And The Lamborghini Will Follow

John Schooling lived up to his name and loved working as a high school teacher. Quitting the classroom and becoming an entrepreneur in construction had nothing to do with not liking his job.
“It was 1984, and I was tired of being broke halfway through the month,” he says. “My best friend from school and I then set up our own business doing renovations and restoration jobs.”
The company grew from strength to strength, growing into a very successful construction and development company. When the global financial crisis shattered the world and shook South Africa, Schooling and his business partner were forced to reinvent themselves and their business model.
<div id="attachment_3806" style="width: 210px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3806" class="size-medium wp-image-3806" src="/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/004-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" />STAG Student Lodging | Photography by Clare Louise Thomas</div>
“We had planned an upmarket residential development and a hotel on a stretch of land near District Six, in Cape Town. These plans were canned after banks pulled their money from our investors,” he says.
“We then found out that the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), situated near that particular stretch of land, was struggling with a student accommodation shortage of 6,000 beds. We did some further research and found out that the countrywide deficit of adequate student accommodation amounted to some 200,000 beds. We decided to tap into this market, giving way to the Student Accommodation Group or STAG African.”
Schooling’s statements are reflected in the Ministerial Review of SA University Accommodation, presented by the Department of Higher Education last year. The report shows a shortfall of 207,800 university beds, meaning that less than 10% of first-year university students can be accommodated on campus. The reality is much worse as the ministerial figures exclude the shortfall at tertiary education institutions other than universities, including so-called technical vocational education and training colleges.
“The deficit at these institutions may be as high as another 200,000 beds,” says Schooling, noting that the available on-campus residences, particularly in impoverished areas, are not always in tip-top shape. “These residences are often dilapidated, unhygienic and unsafe. It is apparently not uncommon for as many as six students to share a tiny room.”
Solving this issue is critical. Research has shown that first-year students, who have a roof over their head at university, have an 80% chance of passing. This is double the pass rate of those roughing-it without.
Fixing this problem is unfortunately an expensive affair. According to the government, is costs some $3.6 billion to provide a decent roof over the heads of all students in South Africa.
“This is the price tag when one builds with bricks and mortar,” says Schooling. “STAG African does things differently, as we use Light Steel Framing (LSF).”
This technique has been used in Europe and the United States for at least half a century. It uses galvanized steel structural wall frames, floor joints, roof trusses with single skin brick walls or fiber cement boards as wall cladding.
“Building a LSF structure is 40 percent quicker than building that same structure out of bricks and mortar. The process also requires significantly less energy, making LSF construction even more cost efficient,” says Schooling.
There is another reason why LSF structures are more energy efficient than conventional buildings.
“The wall cladding comprises material from renewable forests and fiber cement. As a result you need 80 percent less energy to warm up and cool down a building to maintain an ambient temperature. On top of that, we fit our buildings with LED lights and heat pumps, which reduces energy usage even more,” he says.
STAG African has built a roof over the heads of 1,055 students. Various other projects are in the pipeline, including a 2,046-bed residence at the University of Fort Hare, in Alice, and an extension of the residence at the University of Stellenbosch’s Tygerberg Medical Campus.
“The 208 additional beds we are building will make this the greenest residence in Africa,” says Schooling.
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Making way for energy efficient buildings is no luxury in South Africa, a country which faces a persistent energy crisis. Since 2008, the national power generator has struggled to meet the country’s energy demand. The power cuts are costing the economy up to $7.3 billion per month, according to the government.
While building decent, energy-efficient student residences, Schooling intends to create as many jobs as possible, particularly for young people. Data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) reveals that 52% of South Africans aged between 15 and 24 are neither at school, nor at work. As a result, 61.3% of all South Africans living in poverty are under the age of 25.
One of the main causes of the above scenario is a lack of skills. This is where STAG wants to come in.
“LSF building skills are much easier to learn and teach than building the conventional way. Apart from that, it is a new and very relevant skill in the South African context, for which there is a high demand locally. With the work STAG has in the pipeline now, we could create 12,500 sustainable, permanent jobs. We unfortunately do not have enough people with the right skills,” says Schooling.
“Our aim, therefore, is to offer training colleges to teach LSF building techniques to their students, while employing them. We will even draw up a curriculum. We can work up someone who is unskilled to highly skilled in two years. This is good for us, this is good for them, and for those whom rely on them financially: one laborer in South Africa on average supports seven to eight dependents.”
The pull of the classroom is still strong for Schooling, the teacher turned entrepreneur.

Three Birds,  One Stone

The issue of term limits for presidents in Africa is a hot one fanned by unrest in Burundi.
South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma recently condemned leaders who tamper with their constitutions to stay in power. His comments could have been directed to Burundi’s Pierre Nkurunziza who lent on the Supreme Court to alter the constitution to extend his stay to three terms. Nkurunziza argues that the first term negotiated by a peace process doesn’t count.
“This business of us agreeing to serve two terms, only to realize 10 years is too short, is a problem,” Zuma is reported to have said in the aftermath of civil unrest in Burundi.
Constitutional law lecturer at Kent University in Britain, Alex Magaisa, says too many political elites violate their constitutions to stay in office.
“This is a dangerous trend in a number of African countries and we have just seen how this can lead to chaos and instability with the failed military coup in Burundi. This is why in Burundi’s neighbor, Rwanda, is of some concern over rumours that President [Paul] Kagame’s stay in office may be extended beyond the term limits. He has probably done a great job for Rwanda, but extending his stay in office will send a very bad message,” he says.
“The notion that a leader is indispensable is an indication of poor leadership because a leader must be able to nurture talent and promote potential successors.”
The Hong Kong-based political analyst, Obert Hodzi, says most of the African leaders wanting to rule for life usually prosper in countries with weak institutions.
“The reason is that all those countries, which include Uganda, Zimbabwe, Equatorial Guinea, Cameroon and Angola, are characterized by extractive political and economic institutions that only benefit the political elite and disenfranchise the majority of the countries’ citizens. For the leaders of those countries and their patronage networks to continue enriching themselves, they will need to monopolize political power and stay for as long as they possibly can,” he says.
The presidents of Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Namibia, Togo, Uganda and Algeria managed to change their constitutions to prolong their stay. Other countries’ presidents, such as Zambia’s Frederick Chiluba, Malawi’s Bakili Muluzi and Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo, tried to change constitutions but failed to bend the people’s will. Zimbabwe did not have term limits until 2013; while Comoros, Algeria and Uganda remain without.
As the African Union (AU) met in South Africa, Ghana’s vice president, Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, urged the AU to debate term limits as it could be a solution to Africa’s life-time presidents. This could be tricky, especially when the chairperson of the continental body, Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, has been at the helm of his country for 35 years. In 2018, he is expected to seek a fresh mandate in Zimbabwe. If he wins, he will be 99 years old when his term expires and Zimbabwe’s leader for 43 years.
Life-time leaders threaten democracy. But leaders of troubled countries, like Rwanda, argue for them. Word is Kagame may seek a third term.
“It is irrational to change exemplary leadership [Paul Kagame] and more so in our context even in the name of constitutionalism,” Rwanda’s former finance minister, Manasseh Nshuti, is reported to have said.
The country’s opposition disagrees. The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda has filed a lawsuit demanding the Supreme Court block any move by parliament to change the constitution to allow Kagame a third term.
“The Democratic Green Party of Rwanda demands the Supreme Court&#8230; to order the Rwandan parliament not to change Article 101 of the constitution,” the party said in a statement.
In neighboring Burundi, around 40 people have died, 100,000 citizens fled to Tanzania, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, over the issue of a term too far. Those fleeing violence are living at the Kagunga, Lake Tanganyika Stadium and Nyarugusu camps in Tanzania.
Burundians protesting against Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term are not alone. Late last year, Burkina Faso saw street protests that pushed out former leader Blaise Compaoré, who wanted to stay in power beyond the elections he won in 1991, 1998, 2005, and 2010.
But what about elections?
Yolande Bouka, a researcher in the conflict prevention and risk analysis division at the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) in Nairobi, told CNBC Africa that many governments in Africa create an environment where it becomes near impossible to hold free and fair elections.
“Having elections doesn’t mean that you have a democracy, and that is the impression that has been created. There needs to be more attention paid to the reasons for leaders changing the constitution,” says Bouka.
As the warring parties seem to drift further apart with each passing day in Burundi, many are looking to the AU for leadership to gently remind the continent’s presidents that their time is up.

How Long Mr President?

Many would walk past him without a second glance. But this unassuming man, in a brown jacket and faded jeans, is the man who brought up a billionaire in Africa. This is Errol Musk, father to Elon – the $13.3-billion United States entrepreneur who founded PayPal, Tesla, SpaceX and wants to go to Mars. Eroll’s son, Kimbal, is a millionaire and his daughter, Tasko, is a film producer.
“They’ve been doing well all their lives. It’s not like one suddenly jumps into it right now. It’s been like that as far as I can remember. [Elon’s] sister Tasko would say you can ask Elon to do a lot of things on his computer but don’t ask him to catch a bus. We traveled a lot in those days, their mother and I split up when they were quite young and the kids stayed with me. I took them all over the world. Elon was generally in the backseat, Kimbal, my other son who is just as energetic as Elon, would do all the guiding and navigating,” says Errol.
“Elon has always been an introvert thinker, so where a lot of people would go to a great party and have a great time and drink and talk about all sorts of things like rugby or sport, you would find Elon had found the person’s library and was going through their books. He’d find fun in that, not to say he wasn’t a person who would party every now and then.”
“The kind of things he would come up with as a youngster was always surprising. When he was very small, he would ask me ‘where is the whole world?’ when he was three or four. It was these sorts of questions that made me realize that he was a little different,” says Errol in an interview on radio station 702, in Johannesburg.
The Musk family is full of adventurers. Errol’s grandmother was Canada’s first chiropractor. His father and mother were the first to fly from South Africa to Australia in a single-engine plane. Errol, a pilot, sailor and engineer, raised Elon and Kimbal in the quiet suburbs of Pretoria.
Elon’s siblings also share the limelight. Toska is a producer and director. Kimbal owns a number of restaurant chains and spearheads a non-profit school education based program, The Kitchen Community, which grows vegetables in the United States.
“Kimbal is much more of a party animal. He is one of the two original directors of SpaceX and he’s a director of Tesla… But he’s in his own world [and has] gone into restaurants and catering. He has a number of very large restaurants. He is also part of one of the fastest growing fast foods spaces called Chipotle Mexican Grill.”
“Kimbal started a thing where he put fiberglass tubes in a snakelike shape to make a garden and taught children to grow vegetables… an article on FORBES said he was the Musk who is going to change how we eat.”
It’s a story that dates back to the 1980s in Pretoria. Errol made money by consulting and developing properties while the boys scribbled away at their desks at Pretoria Boys High School (PBHS).
“My impression is that Elon kept to himself and was relatively quiet and reserved. I believe he was involved with the computer club at school, but otherwise was not really visible in mainstream activities,” says Gavin Ehlers who was headboy at PBHS in 1988, the same year Musk finished school.
Not surprisingly, Elon graduated with distinctions in physical science and computer science, recalls Bill Schroder, the headmaster of the school from 1990 to 2009. Elon and Kimbal then emigrated to Canada with their mother, Maye, in part to avoid conscription in the South African army, before taking the plunge as entrepreneurs in the United States.
“In the mid-eighties I remember him showing me a box with a red light on it and he would say this is a modem. With this, computers can talk to one another. If that computer is on the line then I can talk to a computer in England and ask it questions. He was always switched on,” says Errol.
So what lies ahead for the billionaire Elon who wants to go to Mars?
On the cards is a possible return to Africa to install thousands of Tesla Powerwalls, a 15-centimeter sized battery box that can store up to 10kWh of free, cheap renewable energy for your house.. This is enough energy to keep your fridge cold for 600 hours, according to Eskom, South Africa’s national power utility, and could solve the country’s energy problems.
“As far as Elon is concerned, I worry, what now? What is there? I start to worry of boredom. I get worried that he is getting bored of sending stuff to NASA every week or two weeks. I mean this is becoming passé… He is one of those people, and certainly was as a boy, if he suddenly decides it’s not interesting anymore he just kind of drops it. I doubt he will though,” says Errol.
From Pretoria to the stars, Elon could go to Mars.

How To Raise A Family Of Genius Billionaires

In a statement issued in September, the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (Icasa) said: “The ICT sector has been and continues to undergo rapid technology changes with far reaching implications for the local and international industries.”
The regulator is right and some hard decisions need to be made. In May 2014, Vodacom and Neotel announced a $557-million deal for the transfer of license control from Neotel to Vodacom; public hearings were held by Icasa at the beginning of this year, revealing that not everyone is pleased.
The deal will be great for Vodacom, giving it the spectrum it needs, fiber infrastructure and a decent wedge of the enterprise market, where Neotel has placed its focus.
“The regulator has to do the right thing and take back the spectrum and allocate it to everyone. If they allow the deal to go through, then they are sending the message that they don’t want competition,” Cell C’s Chief Executive Officer, Jose Dos Santos, said.
The fact that Cell C uses Neotel’s infrastructure for its backhaul and the data center for billing probably provides plenty of motivation for the company to prevent the merger.
“One needs to be very careful because spectrum in itself doesn’t create success. Spectrum with investment is what assists you,” says Shameel Joosub, Vodacom’s Chief Executive Officer.
Joosub says Vodacom has the least amount of spectrum despite being the largest network.
The Competition Commission is the field marshal in this battlefield. It was therefore fitting that I sat down with the commissioner, Tembinkosi Bonakele, and Hardin Ratshisusu, the acting deputy commissioner and head of mergers and acquisitions, at the commission’s offices in Pretoria.
In making a decision on mergers, the Competition Commission investigates and analyses the impact the merger will have on competition and public interest issues.
“We are not here to clip wings. Mergers that will bring about innovation and efficiencies, but without reducing competition, are quite welcome,” says Ratshisusu.
In large mergers, such as the one proposed by Vodacom and Neotel, the commission makes a recommendation to the tribunal. The commission says it works on the current market structure and is unable to take into account the mere possibility of other mergers that may occur. It says it essentially tries to predict the future, post-merger, and what the consolidation of market share will do to price and product availability.
There has been a lot said about how long this process is taking. Joosub told CNBC Africa how extremely frustrating it is. He sees Neotel as an opportunity for his company to grow and the mix of mobile and fixed-line as very important for the company’s future.
“The question really is how long can Neotel cope without the requisite level of investment that is needed,” he adds.
The merger approval timeline varies based on the complexity of the issues and stakeholder engagement. There are plenty of stakeholders in the telecoms space. At the time of the interview, Ratshisusu said they were 80% of the way to a decision.
“If they [Competition Commission] do give the go ahead for the deal it’s going to have a list of conditions attached to it, particularly along the spectrum and wholesale,” says Richard Hurst, Senior Analyst at Ovum.
The commission says the market is evolving and it’s hard to say where it is going since it does not know future policies or technological advancements. It also says that it is not for them to deal with the issue of spectrum.
The reality is that it’s cheaper to buy spectrum than increase the number of base stations.
Will the Vodacom/Neotel deal benefit the man in the street? Hurst says there won’t be immediate tangible benefits to customers, but that they can expect greater quality of service. Vodacom customers were shocked to learn that the company was increasing contract prices.
“It’s been a tough two years for the industry in totality and obviously the whole mobile termination rate debacle didn’t help the situation,” says Joosub.
One of the issues the telecoms business is facing is the increase in data consumption – which requires investment in extra capacity. There are also exchange rate and inflationary pressures to deal with. Input costs are high, times are hard and everyone is working to come out on top. Vodacom is not the only one worrying about the future.
MTN has been under pressure at home for a while now, despite doing well in Nigeria. Last September, MTN sold its stake in the Nigeria towers business for $1.8 billion. The operator, along with Vodacom, also bought out their Nashua Mobile subscribers for $176.6 million.
In a cautionary announcement, Telkom said: “Shareholders are further advised that Telkom and MTN South Africa remain in discussions regarding the potential extension of their existing roaming agreement to include bilateral roaming and outsourcing of the operation of Telkom’s radio access network, which if successfully concluded may have a material effect on the price of Telkom’s securities.”
“A deal won’t happen unless something changes significantly,” says MTN Chief Executive Officer, Sifiso Dabengwa.
MTN already has a network sharing agreement with Telkom so it could be waiting to see how the Vodacom/Neotel deal shapes up. There are those that feel that the government’s decision about its Telkom stake is causing the holdup.
“The government will be very reluctant to let go of their shareholding in Telkom. They have plans for Telkom in terms of the national broadband plan,” says Hurst. He says it’s more likely for government to get rid of its 13.9% stake in Vodacom, although it won’t open up enough money to help failing power utility, Eskom.
“Telkom has embarked on a strategy to improve performance and one of the key considerations in respect of this strategy is to grow beyond its core business of connectivity by expanding into ICT services,” said Business Connexion (BCX) and Telkom in a joint announcement.
BCX and Telkom withdrew the application to transfer control of BCX licenses to Telkom for $211 million. The two companies say they did not need Icasa approval for the deal based on their review of the Electronic Communication Act. The Competition Commission recommended that the deal for a change in control of shareholding of BCX to Telkom be approved with conditions.
“Telkom, being the largest provider of wholesale leased lines to downstream customers, has the ability to foreclose its downstream rivals from access to these wholesale leased lines which are essential inputs for the provision of downstream services including managed network services (MNS), value-added network services (VANS), hosting and information technology services (ITS). The commission also found that the merger will result in the merged entity having the ability and incentives to engage in bundling strategies that may result in anticompetitive effects,” says the Competition Commission.
The Competition Tribunal determined Telkom&#8217;s $187.5 million offer for BCX, nine years ago, would adversely affect downstream competition.
“The mergers on the face of it look like they are going to reshape the entire sector, but we don’t know what that world will be like,” says Bonakele.
Hurst believes the ICT sector will focus on efficiency for a while to bring down costs, meaning the industry-wide restructuring we have seen will continue.
Vodacom’s strategy has been to invest heavily in its network, including the Nashua Mobile acquisition. Joosub says the company has spent close to $781.3 million in South Africa this year, with a further $1.3 billion earmarked for next year.
The South African power crisis has, according to Joosub, resulted in the company spending $6.2 million on diesel generators. He would like the industry to work together in powering through some of the issues and share input costs. He also calls for a better relationship between government and the industry.
Vodafone, the majority stakeholder in Vodacom, finds itself fighting a merger in Britain, with merits similar to those Cell C is bringing to the forefront in South Africa. It is not uncommon for global telecoms companies to find themselves on both sides of the fence, depending on what suits them.
Vodafone wants Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority to set tough conditions on the $17.2-billion BT/EE merger. EE is Britain’s biggest mobile operator, the company is owned jointly by Deutsche Telekom and Orange.
It’s still unclear what South Africa’s ICT picture will look like in a year’s time.
With a harsh operating environment impacting company performance, tight regulation and an ever growing demand for data, the Competition Commission, will have its work cut out for it. Whatever happens, there are likely to be casualties.

Tag: July 2015

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