Just like many South Africans, the poor governance in this country, the lack of economic growth and the violent protests by the impoverished, has made me very concerned about our future. We see our turnovers dropping, we see competitors entering our market and eating into our market share, and we see continually rising costs all impacting negatively on our bottom line. Have the Guptas’ bought the whole of the ANC or just the NEC do you think?
What is even scarier is the stuff that’s happening that we don’t always see. Just yesterday I read an article by the African News Agency that an EFF MP Andile Mngxitama earlier this month addressed a seminar in Pretoria and informed the delegates that land distribution could not be left to the ANC. He said “We can’t keep on asking the ANC to do what must happen. What must happen is the land must return to black people by force. The ANC is not going to legislate on it. We must organise who must occupy this land.” He went on to say “It is also time for South Africans to stand up and say ‘we must recapture the state for ourselves”. To read the article click http://www.polity.org.za/article/time-to-seize-land-without-compensation-says-former-eff-firebrand-2016-03-23
And then just before Easter it was reported that Cyril Ramaphosa, at an ANC summit for academics and professionals in Johannesburg said the time of white business monopolies was over and that Government was hell-bent on making sure blacks owned and managed the economy. “For far too long, this economy has been managed by white people. That must come to an end. “Those who don’t like this idea – tough for you. That is how we are proceeding,”
Whether these statements are political rhetoric or intent is up to us to decide but it does succinctly describe some of the things that we get used to here in South Africa, and it certainly cannot assist Gordhan’s determination to avoid South Africa’s ‘junk’ investment status
It is clear that the storm that we thought we were sheltering from today is just a taste of what we might have to face in the future.
Small businesses, especially manufacturers, can weather the economic storm by finding new markets overseas, and at the same time begin to build wealth in a stable and worthwhile currency. Indeed one of the management services that we provide is to assist South African businesses to open up in the UK at surprisingly little cost, and if you are in business and not trading in the UK, click here to find out how to get started.
Preserving or increasing income for the private individual is much more difficult. None of us can really say that we are secure in our jobs. Times are tough, and even the most valued employees can find themselves out of work.
Over the past few months I have made a concerted effort to research the methods by which a normal South African can increase, or at least preserve income. There are a number of websites addressing this and indeed in my last month’s blog I provided details of one particular site. But this month I found one that catered for just about any activity, from handyman stuff through to professional services. Moreover it offered payment in US$ which is really meaningful to us. In the USA, if someone was to drop a dollar they would probably not even bother to pick it up. Here it will buy a beer.
For those that are interested the website address is www.freelancer.com
There can be no doubt that all over the world, and particularly here in South Africa, income preservation is the order of the day; in business and in our own personal lives. We cannot be complacent and we must continually search for and hopefully find alternative sources of income. That is until our leadership puts things right, of course.
Talk soon,
Peter Veal
31 March 2016
Peter is a Director of Veal Global Limited in the UK and a Director of Associated Compliance (Pty) Ltd in South Africa