Johannesburg - Former minister of finance Tito Mboweni has called on black professionals and other structures to develop their own industries and markets.
Mboweni, who was one of the speakers at the Black Management Forum’s 20-year anniversary of the Sandton branch, was speaking during a gala dinner held at the Maslow Hotel in Sandton on Friday evening.
The forum, which was established in 1976, is one of the oldest black leadership interest groups advocating for the representation of black leaders in the private sector and public sector.
Mboweni also said the incapacity of the public sector needs to be resolved if the country is to implement service delivery that impacts positively on the lives of ordinary people.
“How long are we going to be the modern-day hewers of wood and drawers of water? Our forebears were removed from their land. The land we used to till and were thrust into the mines, factories, and farms as agricultural workers. Are we going to be the new hewers of our own businesses and I am not talking about the tender system, but through our own industries.
“Shouldn't we start our own discovery and our own R100 million companies that operate in over 30 countries across the globe much like what Discovery is doing for its white founders,” he said.
The former governor of the SARB said the only thing standing in the way of black business leaders and entrepreneurs was access to capital, which is in the hands of the banking sector.
“Without access to capital, you will not succeed, and capital is accessed through the banking sector. We can no longer continue to be the modern day hewers of wood and drawers of water,” Mboweni added.
Minister of CoGTA Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma joined the celebrations virtually from Durban ahead of the coronation of Zulu King MisuZulu KaZwelithini. She said if it were not for this prior engagement, she would not have hesitated to attend the event in person, even with threats of a terror attack on Sandton, which was reported for this weekend.
Dlamini-Zuma, whose speech centred on women's leadership and gender equality, lauded BMF for its transformative agenda when it comes to recognising women leaders within its structures.
“Fairness and transformation in leadership are important. Nobody has a monopoly on ideas, which is why we need to collaborate with women leaders, as women are as capable and talented as their male counterparts. Women must be allowed to occupy leadership positions and must be given a chance to lead,” she said.
Acting president of BMF Esethu Mancotywa said black leaders should play their role in supporting the government in its fight against corruption, patriarchy and other issues, as evidenced by the recent sanctioning of Bain and Co for its corrupt dealings.
“As for BMF, we welcome the recent sanctioning of Bain by the state capture commission. BMF was the first to call for Bain to be held responsible. We were steadfast in stating that no international organisation should be allowed to steal from us,” Mancotywa said.
“If you steal from the SA Revenue Services, you are stealing our taxes and livelihoods. We continue to say no to organisations that do such things, as we do not believe that they should be treated with kid gloves.”
Mancotywa added that black professionals should not hide in the private sector but offer their expertise to the public sector, which is in dire need of black professionals.
“We must be careful not to demonise the public sector and government. Rather than demonising the public sector and government institutions, we must make sure that things are done right. The best of us need to be in the public sector and to be at the forefront of transformation there.”
The Star