The most important thing I have learnt in life is to focus my energy on what is important in life – Bill Gates
We’re well into the new year and Brand South Africa is under pressure as its ‘distracters’ turn to social media to voice their personal opinions .
Sadly, social media rants do very little to help build our country, and serve only to distract from the harsh realities which we should be focussing on together.
It’s at times like this that we need to focus more on what’s important for Brand South Africa.
Here are three important things for 2016:
A FOCUS ON OUR DROUGHT CHALLENGE.
Having been in the food business most of my life and worked on brands like Iwisa and Ace, here’s how it’ s going to impact -unless we box significantly more clever in 2016 .
Unknown to most people, white maize is not commonly available and commonly traded on world markets.
Hence the price of white maize has simply rocketed and will continue to do so as the severe drought impacts. As will the price of yellow maize, which is a major feed component in animal feeds.
This will foremostly and severely impact on millions of South Africans who choose maize as their number one stomach fill.
The sky high relative price of maize then creates a switching effect to other carbohydrate fillers, such as bread. While wheat is commonly available and traded on the world markets, we will now be directly exposed to the plunging rand.
The net result, unless the rand can be turned soon – is that food inflation will rocket in 2016.
Put more bluntly,
higher maize prices trigger a knock-on effect for overall inflation in South Africa .
This leads to the immediate question:
How can we urgently return the rand to a reasonable fair international valuation ?
A FOCUS ON OUR LEADERSHIP
Sometimes business can teach sport. And sometimes sport can teach business.
Brand South Africa is a business. And businesses are commonly measured by their share price.
Brand South Africa is best measured by what global investors have to say about the rand relative to the dollar.
A fair exchange rate would be 12/13, but recently it has touched 18 – as global investors pronounce a continuing no – confidence vote .
In sport, we have recently seen an admirable move by Hashim Amla – in his standing down after Brand Proteas took a knock under his immediate leadership .
No one doubts Hashim’s cricketing genius, and most people understand where he is coming from – in helping to further build Brand Proteas .
Naturally this decision is not an easy one, but the more I think about it, the more I believe I can be of greater value to the Proteas as a fully focused batsman and senior player at this time of rebuilding our team.
I felt someone else could do a better job – Hashim Amla
It’s high time for President Jacob Zuma to take heed and do what is right for Brand South Africa – if we are to avoid ”rand and food” triggered double- digit inflation .
A FOCUS ON OUR WIN / WIN SCENARIOS
The plummeting rand has forced many South African based businesses to evaluate the way forward – especially those exposed to importing against the rand. This is exactly what Brand South Africa does not require – as this can and will impact negatively on employment levels.
We need to continue building a Win- Win culture – where everyone wins
The business of government needs to grab this opportunity window to move far closer to SA business itself.
Without support no one wins
Thankfully we are seeing positive change already – and we truly have some great leaders who can make this happen.
Hats off to Pravin Gordhan. Hats off to Brian Molefe .Hats off Hashim Amla. Hats off to all our brilliant leaders in business and sport – who are building Brand South Africa in so many ways – each and every day.
So often their contributions go unnoticed. Like the billions added to South African tax coffers by genius business leaders on exponential global expansion paths – whilst remaining fiercely loyal to the JSE – and their fellow countrymen.
It’s Brand South Africa at its very best .
C’mon. Let’s make sunny South Africa a continued place where there’s a succession of smiles , by focusing on what’s important .
Smile. Pass it on
- Rob’s new book: The Game Changers: Good to Great to Greater is available FREE to readers as an instant digital download on his site : www.thegameplan.co.za
