Here’s why you are wrong about South Africa:

Media Watch

How positive are you about South Africa’s future?

Going against all the pessimism about the future, Adrian Gore, group chief executive at Discovery, has a different take on things, outlined in his speech delivered to the World Economic Forum on 26 August.

He said: “Whenever I make the call for positive leadership in South Africa, to liberate the country’s incredible potential, what fascinates me is the criticism I receive for my naivety. People point to the challenges South Africa faces, and it’s certainly true they exist: a bloated public sector wage bill and a hefty budget deficit to fill; and tragic inequality. My plea for positivity is not in spite of these challenges, but because of them – and it is rooted in science…”

“…The optimism paradox – the gap between private hope and public despair – is an intriguing idiosyncrasy explained by behavioural economics. On the one hand is our belief, that in our personal lives, our future will be better than our past, known as the optimism bias.”

He goes on in detail about “optimism bias” and how societies around the world have varying levels of optimism and pessimism about their future. He said that South Africans suffer from the “declinist outlook”, meaning we are highly pessimistic about the future. But, in opposition to this, he claims that South Africa has become “a fundamentally better place as time progresses.” (see the graphs in his article which illustrate this).

WE HAVE A CHOICE – OUR COUNTRY HAS REMARKABLE POTENTIAL

“As leaders in South Africa, and one can argue Africa at large, we have a choice: a problem-centric leadership approach as per the above, which perpetuates declinism; or a vision-based leadership approach, which is an antidote to declinism.”

Truck burnings & Truck strikes – Freeway blockades

Recent threats of truck blockades were confirmed over the weekend when several freeways including the N2 and N7 in Cape Town were closed off due to protests by truck drivers. However, the South African Transport and Allied Workers Union (SATAWU) has distanced itself from the planned strike in the trucking industry on Monday and on Sunday.

The origins of the call to strike are also shrouded in mystery according to SATAWU media officer Zanele Sabela, saying that none of the legitimate unions had called for it. She said they were concerned for the safety of truck drivers and urged trucking companies to be cautious because in the past “strikes called by faceless people have often resulted in gruesome attacks on truck drivers”, with trucks being set alight.
“We support all efforts by the South African Police Services to stamp out attacks on the country’s trucking industry which are tantamount to economic sabotage,” she said. 

Burning of trucks and threats of violence were also reported in Gauteng over the weekend and this is being seen as “economic sabotage” perpetrated by criminal elements.

Ministers in government condemned the ongoing violence and agreed that it was “nothing but economic sabotage threatening the economic viability” of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

In light of the above, please plan your routes carefully and keep up to date with any news reports warning of freeway blockades/violence.

Brian Jones (SA7)
Brian’s Passionate Desk
Brian@BriansPD.World
http://bpd.trackbox.world
https://t.me/BriansPD 

SOURCES:
1. Staff writer, Here’s why you are wrong about South Africa: Discovery CEO, 27.08.2019, https://businesstech.co.za/news/business/336977/heres-why-you-are-wrong-about-south-africa-discovery-ceo/
2. Adrian Gore, Things are bad and getting worse for South Africa. Or are they?, 26.08.2019, https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2019/08/things-are-bad-and-getting-worse-for-south-africa-or-are-they/
3.Staff Writer, Several freeways blocked in Cape Town due to truck drivers’ protest, 02.09.2019, https://www.iol.co.za/capetimes/news/several-freeways-blocked-in-cape-town-due-to-truck-drivers-protest-31704963
4. ANA Reporter, Attacks on trucks: Government says they’re taking action, 01.09.2019, https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/gauteng/attacks-on-trucks-government-says-theyre-taking-action-31668867