In case you missed the hullabaloo, the Cosatu congress is upon us and, as always, there is great excitement and speculation.
There has been a potpourri of issues building up to the congress and great speculation about what will be topical in the deliberations, with the usual speculative position of whether the federation is lurching left, right or centre.
Of greater interest to me is that transformation remains a challenging conundrum. This manifests itself in fractious debates around service delivery, appointment of senior executives — particularly in public companies — and ‘security in transit” for ministers, MECs and so on.
Though the recent spate of strikes can be linked to the effects of the global recession, there can be no denying that the goodwill displayed by black people for 15 years in their wait for improvement in their material conditions is wearing thin.
Holistic transformation that improves access and corrects the ills of the past is non-negotiable. It is true that in South Africa implementing transformation is like trying to change the tyres of a speeding car.
The issue of service delivery is linked to transformation because there are those who allege that it is because of employment equity that we lost skills that would have made service delivery a reality. Such people ignore the fact that such skills were there during apartheid and service delivery to black communities was appalling.
Furthermore, it is an indictment of both our schooling system and business that, after 15 years of democracy, the most advanced economy in Africa is unable to produce project management, general management and technical skills to realise the practical side of our democratic dream.
When I attended a presentation by a chief executive of a supermarket chain I was flabbergasted to hear him say: ‘These things take time.” How long does it take to produce a chief executive, project engineer or municipal manager?
Black business is not excluded in this because, having benefited from the transformation process, it needs to play a significant role in skills development rather than just sniff at every BEE deal that is in the air.
It would be interesting to be a fly on the wall to see where Cosatu puts blame for the slowness of the transformation process, given the fact that we have been in power for 15 years and BEE has produced millionaires and billionaires.
And to see whether Cosatu itself has played its legitimate role optimally by ushering in and consolidating transformation, given its own and its affiliates’ financial and moral muscle. This brings me to another forthcoming conference, the build-up to which is going unnoticed.
The Black Management Forum (BMF) will gather in October for another round of discussions and elections. It is informative that such an occasion will come and go and hardly be noticed.
Does this reflect the standing of the organisation in the unfolding brand of democracy in South Africa?
The black business class in South Africa sometimes reminds me of Curtis Mayfield’s Billy Jack song which says: ‘Up in the city they called him Boss Jack but down home he is an alley cat. Ah! Didn’t care nothing about being black. Ah! Billy Jack.” Somehow this song depicts what could be a schizophrenic life of black people at professional level and also at personal and social level.
The question is how gains in the business arena can be directed towards the development of societies. And how do organisations such as the BMF support young people coming into business — beyond just having chapters?
There is also the question of truly transforming business rather than merely changing the pigmentation and carrying on the delegated role of maintaining the status quo.
Within the confines of business itself, how do you drive a transformation agenda, the values of which are generally contrary to those of business?
For instance, when business remains individualistic and selfserving (forget the temporary and fake contrition induced by the financial meltdown), transformation can work only if we are inclusive and giving of ourselves.
Materialism and accumulation are symbols of success in business, yet we are called upon to share and avail ourselves in the spirit of ubuntu. How do you do that when your white counterparts seem to be responding to a different call or mandate?
By the way, the spat about luxurious, ‘safe” cars for ministers has been interesting because as much as the symbolism is important, it is not the most pressing hindrance to transformation and service delivery. Not driving such cars does not emancipate people from poverty or make good leaders.
Government ministers are charged with creating an environment in which others may accumulate wealth without being answerable to anybody.
We should know the hard deliverables that transformation should bring forth and not be distracted by soft symbols and gestures. These conferences and congresses are important milestones in our journey and should propel us forward rather than being missed opportunities to consolidate and integrate our position.
Nathi Chonco is an executive director at Metropolitan