Editions

South Africa’s manufacturing industry remains challenged. The challenge of the sector to continue employing at the rate it has historically is underpinned by ongoing pricing and labour issues, competition from international markets, logistical...

Making choices deliberately and strategically – weighing up various options and deciding on one over the others – but doing so not just for your own betterment and for the bottom line separates the sustainable and long-term from the quick...

‘Made in South Africa’ has been a concept in question in recent weeks. Even for products that are manufactured in SA, the wider supply chain is in question. Is everything being done to ensure localisation? In the clothing industry, big-name brands...

Often, there is a script or a standard around daily business operations. And sometimes this is useful – a structure and routine can be helpful. But when things go offtrack, when challenges emerge with no obvious answer, business leaders must also...

Being a leader is not something that comes from doing your day job well. Heading up a team because you are the top performer doesn’t necessarily mean you will be a good leader. Leadership is a skill; a personality trait – some have it, some don’t....

The theme this month is about opening up access. For too long, across many industry sectors in very different markets, products and services have been closed off, not intentionally but through challenges around scale and delivery. In pharmaceutical...

Sometimes, excellence and quality – while targeted by most businesses – are not shared but imposed when a contractor requires the very best to cement its position in supply chains. The complex web of business relationships is a distraction and,...

Investing for the future is the talking point this month. How do you do so effectively when everything around is changing so fast? AI, digitisation, interest rates, labour relations, politics, geopolitical environments, international trading...

This month we are reminded of the range of expertise across southern Africa. While there remain powerhouse industry sectors, there are now so many areas in which the region boasts world-class talent and IP. Of course, mining is renowned. Sasol Dyno...

The housing shortage in South Africa remains shocking. While it is still highlighted in some circles, it falls behind other nationally significant challenges, and that is a shame. The wider property industry is very impressive. The skills and...

Happy holidays! It’s time for a rest? Shut down and shut up? 2025 has been another remarkable year, with so many new initiatives, such a large number of project launches, and such innovation. Away from the obvious advent of new AI based systems,...

Brand and culture are so often highlighted as the most important elements of a successful business (or a failing one). Creating a strong brand is more than colours and logos. Nurturing a culture is more than a Christmas bonus and a pat on the back....

Making your mark - and ensuring it lasts – is not easy. While simple to talk about, it’s far from easy to do. Starting a business is hard, growing it is tough, but keeping it alive-and-kicking over long periods of time is extraordinarily difficult....

Like any major economy, the construction sector of South Africa has long underpinned economic development in the most industrial country on the continent. But moreover, building, construction, engineering, and all associated industry sectors have...

I asked my colleague recently, ‘how do you think you become an industry leader?’ and the answer was mainly about consistency and reliability. Interestingly, he also said that he had heard many companies say that maintaining a small business...

Through this edition we hear about strategic shift. While it sounds simple, it rarely is. Taking an organisation, with a culture – a heartbeat – and changing it, steering it in a new direction, with new ideas? It’s a tough ask, and many end up...

This edition has been a really enjoyable one to produce, mainly because we hear from several returning companies that are facing challenges head on. The easy choice when times are tough is to quit and look elsewhere, but some of the entrepreneurial...

In South Africa’s lush, green, sun-drenched argi land, from Cape Town to Stellenbosch and Paarl and beyond, the bounty is slowly expanding. Famed for and abundant in wine, citrus, table and stone fruits, root vegetables and much more, this is South...