The impact of electioneering on our widening trust deficit. Within hours of the new incoming SARS commissioner, Edward Kieswetter introducing himself as a “people’s person”, his organisation announced that there would be no reprieve for late submission by the many taxpayers affected by the service’s striking workers. While Kieswetter takes over only on May 1, the contradiction could not have escaped those beleaguered tax-payers frustrated again by poor service delivery. The s

Things that really matter in keeping it together for South Africa’s future. Love them or hate them, but current events have demonstrated how deeply ingrained the ANC has become in South African society. In many respects we are like a one party state, and the trauma that that party experiences, reverberates through all walks of life. Its leadership transition has created as much uncertainty and anticipation as the country experienced in the heady days of the early 90’s. But th

Where does business fit in our natural human instincts? It must be one of the most intriguing questions that have faced humanity over the ages – what is the nature of humankind? Until we really get to understand ourselves, can we hope to understand all of the social, political, and economic constructs that we have created as a species and which ultimately are all informed by the answer? In economics and business especially, it is important to have some sense of our basic natu

What happens when information becomes increasingly less credible? Fed; filtered; fake; false and alternative facts are words increasingly being heard in relation to news and other information sources. Even the recognised bastions of credibility and authority are no longer immune. I have spent most of my life involved in and close to news. I cannot remember a time when information conveyed by popular and niche media has been received with such scepticism. This could be healthy

A defining time for business, globalisation and the legitimacy of power. There has been a global implosion of trust. The latest Edelman Trust Barometer just released at the World Economic Forum in Davos shows “the largest-ever drop in trust across the institutions of government, business, media and NGOs.” Trust in media (43 percent) is at all-time lows in 17 countries. At 41 percent, Government is the least trusted institution. CEO credibility has dropped 12 points to an all-