From time to time I write to my Whatsapp networks motivational statements. Today I would like to hear the business response to load shedding in South Africa. That is why I posted the following messages on my Whatsapp status and I would like to keep them as authentic as possible.
I saw a very interesting article about our favorite billionaire in South Africa Mr. Rupert and the headlines read thus: Africa’s second richest man Johan Rupert adds $400 million to his net worth in week one of 2023.
Here is what I wrote on WhatsApp: “Is this load-shedding giving him more money we are losing as SA businesses? Some became billionaires during a pandemic.” Well, I am not observing this from the politician’s standpoint. This is a question I would ask in South Africa we had a Business Parliament.
I then followed with a question on Whatsapp: “If Rupert was black how would South Africans respond? If Rupert was Chinese how would south Africans respond to this? If he was Indian how would you respond?”This comes in the backdrop of our political education as the black majority and how our political leaders and media feed the information to us.
On a very interesting and humorous note, we have a Black Economic Empowerment approach in South Africa that seeks to address economic transformation, my friend said to me “Chinese are classified as blacks in the bill, how do I partner with them as a BEE component of their company?” I found that question very interesting.
After posting the picture of the increase announcement in my Whatsapp from IOL I then continued to post the one that follows
This shows a total 32 percent hike in our electricity. My friend who is an energy expert sent me this calculation that follows on the South African reality in the next 3 years:
What will be your percentage increase in salary in the next 3 years? Will you have appreciated as a business that 40% to carry those operational costs? If not so what steps can we take without destroying our country further?
Well, I would like to kindly bring the response of our CEO who we have chosen to run the country of South Africa as voters:
Well, how would other countries respond? I put these facts to you as a Nation Builder and a South African. If one would respond from a Political Party he would be accused of taking this point as a campaign ticket.
Let us continue on my Whatsapp status: “We wake up early to jump at the news about the war in Ukraine and Russia. Are we not in an economic war? Are we not at war against ourselves? I tried to look at the enemy and I went to the mirror and I saw a voter called Me.”
Let us look at a few facts about the war in Ukraine:
Well, it does not matter what side you belong to, some accuse Russia to be profiting more from the war while others accuse the USA to be profiting more from the war. I think all sides agree that weapon manufacturers are the real winners.
That brings us back to the Economic War through the weapon of load-shedding in South Africa. We can blame the President we can blame the ruling party, but as we have opened the discussion I think Mr. Rupert and the group have become the real winner in this load-shedding. While we can classify him in the popular category of racism the African partners must not be left behind.
Am I blaming Mr. Rupert for our electricity problems? No not at all, chances are that like all business people he has seen a huge gap that brings him the profit opportunity.
Back to the Whatsapp discussion concerning the picture above: “Before we look at Rupert in the eyes of the color divide in his business that makes him profit this year; we should ask ourselves; if he owns an electricity company why should we not also be profitable as a nation in electricity this year”
I would stand in the Business Parliament to say: Mr. Rupert we as South Africans are in a state of national disaster when it comes to electricity. We are sinking at the time when your company Remgro is going up in the sky in profits. Am I missing something? Should we not be profitable as well in our electricity?
My next post was this: If Rupert was an Indian, we could have confronted him just as we did with the Guptas because Electricity was at the center of that confrontation.
Here is my other statement in Whatsapp: “We need a virtual platform that will question these developments without fear or favor. We need to ask the business community that has gained alongside Mr. Rupert in 2023; how they help us solve the electricity problem as we seem to be sinking while they are reaching the skies.”
We really need a Business community response to the load-shedding problem in South Africa. I believe the lessons learned in this crisis can make us better people on the other side. I promised to share about the young people in Welkom who are giving a positive response to this crisis. They are called OFF-GRID PALS they are opening a national business association that will help communities to be ready for the future in load-shedding crisis.
Please check my blog: The digitization of the sun and the soil of Africa.
