January 2016. What a month it was.
What with the double- edged sword of drought and a downward spiralling rand already starting to impact inflation , many shares tanking as much as 40 % on the JSE as investor confidence in Brand South Africa plunges – and significantly no mention of ‘The Rainbow Nation’ at this year’s World Economic Forum in Davos .
But, and BUT is the most powerful word in the English dictionary, there was also some good news.
On the sporting front , Brand South Africa welcomed a new hero in “KG “ Rabada , and the month of January also saw the significant listing of Anheuser- Busch InBev on the JSE – which went mostly unnoticed.
AB InBev ,CEO Carlos Brito, who is no stranger to challenge, was forthright with his message to South Africans:
The things we can control, we deliver on : Carlos Brito
When times get tough , it’s wise to have a game plan which seeks to ‘control the controllables’.
Tough times also call for a period of introspection and a mindset of:
Turning Adversity to Advantage.
And it’s in tough times when some tough questions need to be answered
Let’s ask these tough questions of Brand South Africa as at today.
The Brand Reality Check: Where do we come from, where are we now and where do we want to be ?
It’s now abundantly clear that investor confidence in Brand South Africa (and President Jacob Zuma) has taken a plunge and something needs to be done urgently.
Maybe, this question should be re-phrased as:
What would Nelson Mandela have done?
Firstly, he would have reprimanded those who choose to use racist remarks to pull the country down. He would have reminded us all that in tough times, the call is for us all to pull closer together – not further apart.
And that we all have that collective responsibility to Brand South Africa – and its future.
We are here for the long term. That’s where the benefits are: Carlos Brito
The Brand Diagnostics: What is working for us , and what is not working for us?
Right at the top of our priorities , should be what we are doing to lessen the impact of a drought disaster – which has all but destroyed South Africa’s current cycle of food production.
Governments who face a natural disaster – such as a flood – immediately implement disaster planning .
But , for some reason little is being done to support the farmers who face financial ruin – the consequences of which will be ongoing ‘Hyper Food Inflation” – as we are now forced to import with a significantly weaker rand.
This will shortly impact most seriously on the poor who rely heavily on maize and bread for stomach fill.
Our farmers need immediate governmental support to ” stay in the game “.
Let’s hope they get it soon, before it’s too late.
The Brand Game Plan: Where do we need to focus ? And what urgent steps should be taken?
There can be little doubting that the most prevalent move would be to move first and foremost to restore the rand to fair and equal value.
And the fastest way to do that is to restore investor confidence in Brand South Africa.
This means it’s time for a new leader – and for President Jacob Zuma to hand over the reins to someone who can do it. (just like Hashim did )
It’s high time for government and business ( including farmers ) to move ever closer.
Let’s trust and hope that our President acts sooner, rather than later, for the good of all South Africans.
Brand South Africa. One Country. One Team
It’s Carlos Brito who does not appear to be a man who hangs around and invests when things cannot be controlled. A man with plan A,B,C and D.
When we commit. We deliver. Investors know that : Carlos Brito.
- 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
