The impact of behaviour on the unemployment crisis. We have become a nation of takers. Without recognising this we will not fully understand the true nature of our persistent unemployment crisis. That is informed by the simple logic that when people by and large are taking more than they are contributing they create deficits and poverty. Conversely when they contribute more than they are taking they create surpluses and prosperity. In turn prosperity, according to long standi

The crucial role we can all play in promoting inclusion. Every election time one is reminded of the exciting prospect of South Africa’s transition to a constitutional democracy in 1994. Broad political inclusivity, it was thought, would become a panacea for most of the country’s socio-political ills, including those injustices created by a suppressive past. Now, 25 years on, that dream must surely lie mostly shattered, despite the futile attempts, amplified by election manife

Reflecting on the wider issues of the Steinhoff scandal. If there is one conversation that I would love to hear, it is that between Milton Friedman and Mervyn King. As a Nobel Prize winning economist and adviser to American President Ronald Reagan, Friedman strongly influenced the course of economics and the “greed is good” era of the 80’s; arguing that the sole purpose of enterprise was to create value for shareholders. South Africa’s governance architect, Mervyn King, on th

Can South Africa create a fresh economic approach to growth and inclusivity? Part of the enthusiasm of a “new dawn” in South Africa is the belief that a closer partnership can be established between labour, capital and state. It has a firm Ramaphosa stamp to it and is key to the President’s desire to galvanise the nation on a different business friendly path of cohesion, inclusivity and growth. In this he has put renewed emphasis on the CEO initiative and the National Economi

Let's use our fury to restore business to its true purpose. It may take a while to unravel the wicked web that Steinhoff’s leaders and mercenary executives elsewhere have woven and who have flung another layer of tarnish on free enterprise. But after countless examples of the recent past and present, including the state capture thugs, we should now be very angry at those who play shareholder-value Sudoku for maximum self-gain: at executive remuneration which encourages this b

Refocusing on the essence of creating wealth and value for all. One cannot legitimately apply the word “monopoly” to generic concepts such as “capital”. I’ve been guilty myself, and it’s nothing more than sloppy thinking or emotive spin if it is aimed at the multi-dimensional accumulation and deployment of money. That has many forms: governments, central banks, financial services and banks, institutional investors, holding companies, multi-nationals and very large companies.

Wresting the initiative from government to prevent reckless radicalisation. During those widespread protest marches recently, I asked my son whether he was going to join one of them. “It won’t make a difference,” he replied. “But it will to you,” I said. Few things are more powerful than a group of people actively and vigorously pursuing a noble cause. The outcome becomes a secondary issue. In that moment each gets to experience the fulfilment of embracing and being embraced

Threatening the unifying potential and benefits of a radical economic overhaul. Radical economic transformation (RET) has been around for about half a decade although the need for it has been evident for decades more. This time it has come with a fanfare of bullhorns, town criers, aspirant emperors and empresses; and some hysteria in a clear strategic attempt to recapture political initiative; to unify a fractured ruling party and deflect attention from its beleaguered leader

The lie that tarnished the best social system humanity has ever created. Not all lies are based on deceit and malevolence. Sometimes they are based on seemingly valid assumptions but then become a lie when they are fanatically promoted as a universal truth despite clear evidence to the contrary. There is no better example than the 40 year persistent defence of and slavish adherence to the shareholder-value driven business model; once described by American business leader, Jac