For many of us, the current situation in South Africa feels more and more like the 1980s: growing social division, high levels of tension and violence, even claims of terrorism and calls for a state of emergency. And undoubtedly, the situation of the poor has not changed commensurately with the promises of our new Constitution.

As we look forward to Freedom Day on the 27th of April and Workers Day on the 1st of May, the question becomes: “Is there still room to navigate an economic transition without ever-increasing destructive conflict and violence? And if so, how?”

As in the 1980s, we can probably predict that simply hoping government will change is an insufficient strategy, and that the rest of us will have to commit to an active role in collaborative action...

Book now to join our very special Leader’s Angle Series event where Prof Brian Ganson will lead a discussion with esteemed speakers Mr Jay Naidoo, Dr Theuns Eloff, Mrs Lesego Serolong Holzapfel and Dr Mamello Nchake that explores solutions towards peaceful economic transformation in South Africa. This event is proudly hosted in association with Stellenbosch Business School’s Centre on Conflict & Collaboration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prof Brian Ganson

Professor and Head: Centre on Conflict & Collaboration, Stellenbosch Business School

Brian Ganson is an expert on socio-political risk management, conflict prevention and collaboration, and third-party roles in post-conflict and other complex environments. He works with companies, governments, international organisations, and civil society as a researcher, evaluator, consultant, professor, and mediator.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mr Jay Naidoo

Social Activist

Mr Jay Naidoo is a social activist, dedicated to global voluntary work in the field of ecology, nutrition, and intergenerational partnerships.

Previously, Mr Naidoo was the Chairperson of the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN). He was also the founding General Secretary of the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the largest labour movement in South Africa, where he served three terms. Mr Naidoo served as Minister of Reconstruction and Development and Communications in President Nelson Mandela’s Cabinet between 1994 and 1999.

Mr Naidoo is passionate about supporting youth causes that put ecology and indigenous wisdom at their centre. He is the Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneu.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Theuns Eloff

Chairperson of Astral Foods

Theuns served as minister of religion in Pretoria from 1983 to 1989. He completed his Doctorate in theological ethics. Theuns left the ministry in 1989 and joined the Consultative Business Movement (CBM). He headed the administration of Codesa and was Deputy Director of the Transitional Executive Council before the 1994 elections. From 1995 he is the CEO of the National Business Initiative. He became Vice-Chancellor of Potchefstroom University for CHE in 2002 and headed the merged North West University (NWU) from 2004. He completed his second term at the NWU in May 2014. Theuns acted as CEO of the FW de Klerk Foundation until 31 May 2019.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mrs Lesego Serolong Holzapfel

CEO and founder of Bokamoso Impact Investments

Lesego grew up in the village community in the Northwest Province of South Africa after being orphaned as a young girl. She obtained a Master of Science in Social Policy and Development through the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from the City College of New York. She has since married and is a mother to three boys. Lesego acknowledges that the solution to poverty lies in access to good education and innovative entrepreneurship.

She is the CEO and founder of Bokamoso Impact Investments, a social enterprise empowering poverty-stricken communities by introducing innovative agricultural solutions to eradicate poverty through education and the incubation of local rural entrepreneurs. Bokamoso Foods, a subsidiary of Bokamoso Investments, provides high-quality foods and beverage products to the world, creating job opportunities and empowering the young people of rural South Africa.

Bee Loved is the niche luxury honey brand born from Bokamoso Foods encouraging indigenous beekeeping as a key player in saving the honeybee population while promoting education through agriculture. Bee Loved aligns with empowering women and achieving sustainability. Khai Wines was born out of embracing diversity and joins the hands of two dynamic women entrepreneurs, Lesego and Ezanne Gouws-du Toit. It is rooted in the determination to change the narrative in rural South Africa and drives to impact lives through innovation and collaboration.

Lesego is a 2019 Tutu Fellow and is recognized as one of the Mail & Guardian 200 Young South Africans. She was selected as Standard Bank Top Woman of the Year & received the Trail Blazer Presidential Award.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr Mamello Nchake

Senior Lecturer: Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University

Dr Mamello Nchake is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics at Stellenbosch University. She is also a research associate at Policy Research in International Services and Manufacturing (PRISM). She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Cape Town, South Africa, under the Collaborative PhD Programme (CPP) funded by the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC).

Her research interests fall within a broad area of international trade and economic development with a special emphasis on Africa. Her current research agenda focuses on private sector development, structural change, and industrial development and how it affects gender dynamics in Africa. She works with various research and academic institutions and is a recipient of various research fellowships including a prestigious AfDB/AERC research fellowship, where she conducted individual and collaborative research.

Mamello has published in regional and international peer-reviewed journals including the International Review of Economics and Finance, the Journal of African Economies, and the Agricultural Finance Review. She has conducted commissioned research for various Government Ministries and international organizations, for which she has produced policy and technical documents and reports. These include among others, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Commission for Africa (UNECA), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

Through research assignments, she gained both local and regional experience in various countries including Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Eswatini, Angola, and Cote d'Ivoire.