South African youth are fortunate to have many respected leaders who can inspire them to help a developing country adjust to globalisation and the hectic pace of business in the 21st century.
Young faces are changing the landscape of the financial services sector, which was traditionally a preserve of middle-aged white males. They include Phumzile Mlangeni and Andile Mazwai, partners and traders at Mazwai Securities. These financial market gurus in the making share their expertise in articles they write for the local press and in on-air commentary.
They are by no means South Africa’s only young movers and shakers. The Financial Mail ranks Harold Bopalamo, a telecommunications analyst at Barnard Jacobs Mellet Securities, among the top five in South Africa. He is suave and speaks in measured tones, with an incisive, analytical mind.
Another analyst to look out for is Dennis Mashile, who specialises in mining for HSBC Securities. Ronnie Ntuli is also a name destined to become an influential player. He is CEO of the newly formed Andisa Capital, an empowerment partner to the Standard Bank Group. Ntuli received his legal training in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has blazed a trail for young executives since moving to the legal and financial arena in the early 1990s.
Young people are also asserting themselves elsewhere in business, such as in the clothing industry. Local young fashion designers are very much in vogue. Prominent among them are Khensani Manganyi and the Sechaba Mogale and Wandile Nkosi duo.
Manganyi is the founder of Stoned Cherrie, now one of the most recognisable labels adorning middle-class youth. Nkosi and Mogale, for their part, established Loxion Kulca, a label whose name and essence captures the spirit of South Africa’s townships. The label has evolved to embrace an upwardly mobile ethos, yet has managed to retain the streetwise chic style that characterises its roots.
These labels are getting a run for their money from emerging couturiers. They range from Vanya Mangaliso, founder of Sun Godd’ess, which is known for its distinct Afro chic, to Ephraim Malingoana who has gained prominence as a stylist for the soapie Generations. Away from the glare of television lights he designs for the Ephymol label.
The Smirnoff Fashion Experience has served as a platform for aspiring designers. Last year’s winner, Ingrid Motlhamare of Durban, has already showcased her work in London. Next stop Paris and then New York.
Young leaders in the government and politics are frequently criticised for failing to inspire confidence, but there are bright sparks in this area. Muthanyi Robinson Ramaite is director general of the Department of Public Service and Administration. He heads the department undertaking the restructuring of the public service — one of the most politically volatile and technically complex exercises undertaken in South Africa’s decade of democracy.
Ramaite also sits on the board of the State Information Technology Agency and is emerging as a leading light in governance and management.
Philisiwe Buthelezi is the Department of Trade and Industry’s head of black economic empowerment. She is responsible for ushering in the government’s black economic empowerment legislation. In the process she balances the interests of sometimes intransigent white capital and impatient black entrepreneurs to ensure that empowerment spreads beyond an elite few.
One shining star who has bounced back from disappointment is Orlando Pirates’s captain Mbulelo Mabizela, who has enjoyed a fairy-tale rise from the amateur ranks of Pietermaritzburg City to the vice-captaincy of the national team. But things once looked gloomy even for him. After appearing in last year’s African Nations Cup in Mali he was viciously lambasted as an example of what happens if a youngster goes too far too fast. But since then he has changed position and has displayed a maturity that helped Pirates to league victory.
These dynamic South Africans are proof that South Africa’s fountain of youth flows with vigour and enterprise.