• Leroy Munetsi – M&F’s Man for Africa • Quartile Capital’s Modise Motloba • David Iraka – Head of Offshore Services, SA • African American at a Zulu Wedding • Jobs in Africa - backpage!

w w w . e x p a t r i a t e . c o . z a

A f r i c a n P r o f e s s i o n a l s B e y o n d B o r d e r s

Issue 8

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eet Clara Masinde;

a woman who

has embraced a

r e v o l u t i o n a r y

lifestyle and

l i t e r a l l y

ran with

it. Clara

had been

o v e r w e i g h t

since turning 13

and struggled with

her weight through

her teenage years and

beyond. She had attempted

numerous fad diets - fruit

only, protein only, juice diets,

replacement meals, diet pills,

you name it! All with very

short lived results and yoyo

weight gain that left her quite

certain she would never shake the

fat monkey off her back. Resigned

to the fate of being the ‘big girl’,

she was a plus-sized clothing guru

and cleverly accessorized to shift

focus off her weight. This in time

became the famous pink elephant

(with bright gold speckles) in the

room that was neither discussed nor

dealt with.

After a lot of introspection

during the months leading up to her

34th birthday, she set some powerful

personal goals for her future. One of

these was dubbed “35 by 35” in other

words to lose 35 kilograms by her

35th birthday. With her mind in the

right place, she joined a gym after

a fifteen year hiatus and cautiously

begun a search for an eating regimen

that would help her achieve her

ambitious goal. The search ended

when she encountered and signed up

for the Fat Loss Laboratory program.

In just two months she had lost

17kilos and went on to attain her “35

by 35” in just under six months.

“What attracted me to Fat Loss

Lab was their approach,” she explains.

“For the first time ever, I heard it

acknowledged that the overweight

and obese have metabolisms that

don’t behave the same as thin

people. Fat Loss Lab is based on

the proven premise that hormonal

imbalance results in weight gain. In

people with weight problems, certain

hormones that regulate metabolism

are out of balance and sufferers

constantly crave food and gain

weight whether they eat a little or a

lot. I had finally found an explanation

for my frustration with food. Gone

was the ‘Eat less and exercise more!’

adage underlying all the diets I had

tried. Instead, here was a programme

that dealt with me as an individual,

a sheer hormonal masterpiece of

creation.”

In a nutshell, Fat Loss Lab requires

a set of blood tests which are read

together with your medical history

to determine an eating programme

specifically for you and your blood

diagnostics. This is in order to trigger

a chemical reaction in your body

that results in fat loss. Once the

desired goal weight is achieved, the

“I lost 17 kilos in just two months and went on to attain my goal of 35 kilo’s by my 35th birthday. The success convinced me to become a full-time Fat Loss Lab agent...”

next phases of the program are the

re-feeding and lifestyle maintenance

which reintroduce a wider variety of

foods and teach an individual how to

eat healthily for life as well as keep

the weight off for good!

“The outcomes of the

programme have been life (and

wardrobe) changing, far exceeding my

expectations,”

she beams.

“I have the

greatest sense

of wellbeing,

stable hunger

levels and

lots of energy

to be an

involved mum to my two young

sons. Following on this success and

having recently relocated to South

Africa with my mind and heart open

to new possibilities, I decided to

become a Fat Loss Lab agent here

and in my home country Kenya to

help other people along the journey

of revealing their best selves. I am

also a coach in training and aspire

to become a certified life coach. I

previously thought myself cut out for

the corporate world, having risen to

the top of my game as a formidable

call centre manager in the banking

industry with ten years local and

international experience. Whilst this

was professionally satisfying, it did

not resonate closely with my passion

for helping people make the best

of their present circumstances in

order to live authentic lives. Running

my Fat Loss

Lab business

is radically

different and

closely aligned

to my purpose.

I put love into

what I do and

strive to be a

blessing to everyone I encounter.”

Clara Masinde | +27 79 860 7362 | mclara@fatlosslab.co.za | www.fatlosslab.co.za

Before After

A Story of Reinvention

One World Advert 210x297mm FA.indd 1 2/20/12 9:51:38 AM

One World Advert 210x297mm FA.indd 1 2/20/12 9:51:38 AM

Contents

8 Editorial

10 Inside Home Affairs: Here is the good news!

11 Expat-tivities

16 IK Osakioduwa - Face of Big Brother Africa

20 Leroy Munetsi - Mutual & Federal’s Man For Africa

25 Quartile Capital’s Modise Motloba

29 Delta Cab’s Emmanuel Omaruaye

32 Expat-towers - Tintswalo at Waterfall

36 Scholastica Kimaryo - Recent U.N Co-ordinator in SA

38 David Iraka - Head of Offshore

Services (Africa), Standard Bank

40 African American at a Zulu Wedding

43 Senkubuge - Cupid’s Rubik’s Cube

44 Book Review - You are not a country Africa

47 Know Your Envoy - Rwandan Ambassador

50 Hanging on with Hannington:

Community service for Expats

52 The Last Word

53 Jobs in Africa

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Session Two: “Food as Medicine,” How to select the mostnourishing foods for your mind-body type;

Session Three: Rejuvenation and Renewal. How toeliminate toxins that accumulate in the mind and body aswell as How to introduce gentle rejuvenating practices &techniques to relieve stress, and anxiety, as well asadopting a personal daily routine for balance and health;

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08 EXPATRIATE

spent three months in Boston,

USA in the winter season of 2009.

It was also the first time I got

to experience more snow than

sunlight. I remember, on the first day,

descending from the apartment my

employers had rented for me into

the City’s financial district and being

confronted by a sea of white matter

lining the sides of the road.

That will probably go down as

the coldest quarter of my life. In my

attempts to keep warm, I purchased

a woollen mask from a local clothing

store. With only holes for my eyes

and nose, it kept the rest of my

head nice and warm. I however had

to retire the apparel due to all the

frightened reactions I got from the

locals whenever they turned a corner

and met this extra dark East African

wearing a sock fit for a bank robber.

On a week in August, memories of

Boston were evoked by a countrywide

showing of snow so significant that

a Johannesburg newspaper renamed

the City “Sno’burg” in its headline

the following day.

But enough about the cold.

Spring is here and we celebrate these

brighter days by bringing you our

eighth issue. Our cover personality

epitomises the African professional

beyond borders. Probably no other

African entertainment personality is

viewed by as many people each year

than Big Brother’s I.K. from Nigeria

and we are pleased to bring you his

exclusive interview.

Another young achiever is

Zimbabwean-born Leroy Munetsi

who spearheads Mutual and

Federal’s charge into the African

market. Similarly, Ugandan-born

David Iraka is the man responsible

for offloading offshore products for

Standard Bank on the continent.

Read Modise Motloba’s story of over

100 billion rand in deals through his

Quartile Capital brand and Nigerian-

born Emmanuel Omaruaye’s bid to

revolutionalise corporate travel in

Sandton.

We have another inspiring profile

on Tanzanian-born Ms. Scholastica

Kimaryo as well as our regular story

categories – Tintswalo at Waterfall

Hotel (“Expat-towers), African

American at a Zulu Wedding (“Expat-

travel”), Rwandan Ambassador

(“Know Your Envoy”) and You Are Not

a Country, Africa (“Book Review”).

KC Rottok, CA (SA)

Creative & Fin. Journalism (Wits University)

Managing Editor.

SPRING IS HERE!Publisher: The Expatriate Forum andMagazine (Pty) LimitedReg. Number: 2010/012428/07P O Box 4935, Randburg, 2125Tel: +27 11 7917484www.expatriate.co.za

Director: Carol Malonza – carol@expatriate.co.zaManaging Editor:KC Rottok – editor@expatriate.co.za Deputy Editor and Content Advisor: Leah Maina – leah@expatriate.co.za

Publishing Executive: Sheila Lynn Senkubuge

Advertising and Event Enquiries sales@expatriate.co.za or 0822146421

Edition Writers:Keith Kundai, Hannington Kasirye, Yaw Peprah, Andreas Krensel, KC Rottok, Sheila Senkubuge, Carol Malonza

Contributors:Wanjiru Waichigo, Juanita Nene Ceesay

Art Direction, Design and Layout:Mike Obrienmike@obriendesign.co.za

Photography:Mzu Nhlabati www.creativenation.co.zaWebsite: Drutech Media (0781121311)

To subscribe or contribute an article, email us at subs@expatriate.co.za

All rights reserved. Excerpts may be used as long as this magazine is credited as the source. Longer versions of our content may only be used with the written permission of the Publisher. Neither the publisher nor the editor accept responsibility for any of the information from edition writers or contributors. Whilst we have taken care in preparing this publication, the publisher/editor does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. The editor retains the right to edit all contributions. Advertisers are responsible for their material.

© Expatriate SA 2012: ISSN 2218 – 757X

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

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Inside Home Affairs

recently commented on an article

by Mr. Itumeleng Mahabane

published in the Business Day on

25th of April 2012. In that article,

he wrote about a personal experience

and praised the Department of Home

Affairs for world class service with

regards to the issuing of passports.

This resulted in an email exchange

in which I pointed out all the

shortcomings of the Department. He

agreed with my view and concluded

that he normally does not write

about personal experiences because

readers might have different ones.

However, one should generally

take advice from such a distinguished

writer and despite my misgivings

about the Department of Home

Affairs, I decided to do exactly the

same here and share with you some

positive news about the Department

in this issue.

We recently travelled to Pretoria

where we had an appointment with

a senior adjudicator to submit copies

of long overdue PR applications at

Home Affairs Head Office. Normally

the public is not allowed access to

this building to avoid the officials

from being “influenced”. However

our intention was only to submit

copies of about 25 applications,

which we actually feared to be lost in

the system. Most of them have been

pending for at least 2 years and our

numerous follow ups at the regional

office, head office and the “Customer

Service Centre” have yielded no

results so far.

H e r e i s t h e g o o d n e w s ! “We were also informed that a new permanent residence team was formed about six weeks ago. Before that, due to the enormous backlog of temporary residence applications (TRA’s), all resources were deployed to the processing of TRA’s....”

Being aware of these problems, Home

Affairs allowed us a visit. We are not

sure, how quickly these cases will be

resolved now but only two weeks

after our visit, some of the applicants

have already received calls from

officials about their applications.

So somebody is now taking care of

these applications. We were also

informed that a new permanent

residence team was formed about

six weeks ago. Before that, due to

the enormous backlog of temporary

residence applications (TRA’s), all

resources were deployed to the

processing of TRA’s. The effect of this

new team in expediting permanent

residence applications will start to

be seen in the near future.

In addition, we can confirm

that the processing times for all

temporary residence applications

are being reduced drastically. In

some cases we received results

within two weeks. According to the

Acting Chief Director Permitting

who recently travelled throughout

South Africa in order to engage

with Immigration Attorneys and

Immigration Practitioners, the

backlog of over 46,000 applications

has been substantially reduced to

16,669. The number of decision

making officials has been increased

and 1,100 new posts for permitting

have been approved and will be filled

in the coming months. Furthermore

the Department will handle most of

the application process electronically

in order to avoid the current risks

and delays caused by the sending of

physical files. He even emphasised the

strong role Immigration Practitioners

should play in the future.

I find these signs and results

encouraging. It seems that it is

possible to start turning around a

Department which during the last

years has not performed well. Of

course there are still many areas

which need significant improvement,

for instance the swift repayment of

repatriation fees, the non functioning

appeals process or processing

times with permanent residence to

name only a few. But one should

acknowledge the positive change

and hope that it is a start for a

permanent improvement in service

delivery.

Andreas Krensel is the owner and managing

director of IBN Consulting in Cape Town. He is

a qualified German attorney with an LLM from

UCT and has been assisting foreign investors

in South Africa for the past ten years. www.

ibncapetown.com

10 EXPATRIATE

ExpaT-TivitieS

1 - Event organiser Stella Nankya 2 - Miss Popularity 3 - Aziz Azion 4 - Mr. Uganda SA winner Reagan Reanal 5 - Talent competition winner Lillian Kamwine 6 - From left – Car Winner Miss Teen Uganda SA Shameelah Mthupi, middle Miss Photogenic Winner Babirye Luzuka and right Facebook votes winner Faridah Nanyanzi 7 - Ugandan High Commissioner H.E. Kweronda Ruhemba 8 - Audience

More pics available at www.facebook.com/expatmag

Miss Uganda SA Busisiwe Juuko

01

04

0203

05

080706

“I was born in SA in 1995 and speak

Luganda, Sepedi, Xhosa and Zulu

fluently. I am a high school student in

Limpopo. I heard of Miss Uganda SA

on Facebook and think the event was a

success. I was very nervous and never

did think I would win; I entered the

competition for the experience. I was

disappointed not to be given a car as

advertised but winning the pageant

was the biggest prize of all. Since

winning my life has changed; I am

not as shy as I used to be. I intend to

partner up with Miss Uganda to form

an organisation that will highlight the

talent of Ugandan youth. My dream

career is to be an air hostess as I love

travelling and meeting new people.”

11WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

12 EXPATRIATE

ExpaT-TivitieS

04

WINTER WOMEN’S BREAKFAST, ISSUE 7 LAUNCH

1- Pure Romance prize recipient Esther Munyi, 2- Sold Out! 130 women in attendance, 3 - CEO of Tara Hospital, Dr. Florence Otieno, 4 - Consolidated prize recipient Makgotso Maponya, 5 - Nigerian born publisher, Moky Makura, 6 - Programme Director, Sheila Lynn Senkubuge, 7- African American blogger Juanita Ceesay, 8 - Namibian born Olivia Nghaamwa, 9 - Quiz winners from left, Judy Odero, Esther Munyi, Makgotso Maponya and Wambui Gachago, 10 - CEO of Helen Joseph, Gladys Bogoshi

More pics available at www.facebook.com/expatmag

07

05 02

03

04

01

09

10

08

06

13WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

ExpaT-TivitieS

01

1 - Chair of Obaasima Ghanaian Women Social Club, Ophelia Akosah-Bempah, 2 - Dr. Dominique Stott of PPS, 3 - Accountant of Ugandan descent, Paula Kulubya, 4 - The Consolidated Financial Planning team, 5 - Tanzanian born Former U.N. Ambassador to SA, Scholastica Kimaryo, 6 - Zambian born proprietor of Ethnique Designs, Ezi Kilembe,7 - From left, Anita Munetsi and Brunhilda Essoka, 8 - Mercy Mureithi of Pure Romance, 9 - Women’s Breakfast Quiz10 - Evelyn Doubell of Consolidated giving her presentation, “Healthy, Wealthy and Wise”

More pics available at www.facebook.com/expatmag

WINTER WOMEN’S BREAKFAST, ISSUE 7 LAUNCH

01

0402

03

0507

0910

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06

ExpaT-TivitieS

1 - Ugandan born veterinarian Dr. Agnes Ikatekit (right), 2 - NEPAD Head of Communications, Maureen Nkandu, Issue 7 cover personality, 3 - Sumptuous breakfast

WINTER WOMEN’S BREAKFAST, ISSUE 7 LAUNCH

14 EXPATRIATE

01

01

02

03

1- Ambassador Yusuf Nzibo, IEBC Commissioner, 2- Kenya High Commissioner to SA, H.E. Tom Amolo, 3 - Programme Director Nanzala Mwaura, 4 - Lilian Mahiri-Zaja Vice Chair of IEBC, 5 - Meeting organiser Patrick Kabuya, 6 - KEDASA Chair Dr. Chomba Chuma, 7- Registrar of Political Parties, Lucy Ndung’u

KEDASA Hosts Kenya’s IEBC

01 02

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0405

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23WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

ExpaT-TivitieS

1 - Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma hosting various African diaspora groups at her residence in May 2012, 2 - Ethnique Designs Zambia Night Fashion Show 3 - ZASA hosts Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation at Broadacres, Johannesburg, 4 - Cartier Women’s Initiative Awards – Africa Finalists – Lindsay Stradley (Kenya,first from left), Julienne Ingabire (Rwanda,fourth from left) and Nthabi Sibanda (SA, second from right), 5 - Annual General Meeting of AUPSA – New Officials – S. Twinoburyo (Chair), A. Mutono (Public Relations), J. Zake (Admin), E. Mukwaya (Finance), S. Ogema (Secretary), H. Kasirye (Marketing) and P. Mugisha (IT) Dr. A. Sekeito, Dr. F. Senkubuge & F. Katasi (Committee Members)

01

04

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VARIOUS OTHER EVENTS

16 EXPATRIATE

IK Osakioduwa The Face of Big Brother Africa

“I don’t just want to be the MVP; I want to own the game. Hosting is great, but it is those who put together the shows and sell content who make the real money...”

17WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

t is mid-July at the Balfour Park

studios where the popular show

Big Brother Africa (BBA) is shot.

The Expatriate magazine team

(Xpatr8) sits for an interview with

the show’s presenter Ikponmwosa

(I.K.) Osakioduwa at a cafeteria right

next to the “Upville house” where

a handful of Africans live under the

watchful eye of millions across the

continent.

Xpatr8: So your full name is actually

Ikpoo...ah...hmmm

IK: Don’t even bother pronouncing it.

What kind of parents punish a child

with such a long name? Even worse

my surname sounds Japanese even

though I am 100% Edo from Nigeria.

Xpatr8: You actually don’t sound very

Nigerian, did you grow up outside

the country?

IK: Not really but we travelled a lot

within Nigeria when I was young

because my dad was in the army. As

a result of all the travelling, I ended

up not learning any of the local

languages and my parents spoke to

their kids in English. Always being

the new kid in the class, I learnt how

to break the ice and adapt which has

helped me a lot in my career.

Xpatr8: How did you get into

entertainment?

IK: When I was about 21, I joined

Rhythm 93.7 FM in Nigeria as an

understudy on the afternoon drive

show. The host didn’t like me and told

me to sit in the corner and shut up. I

have a fuel crisis to thank for bringing

me to the limelight. For about a week

and a half, many presenters who lived

far from the station were unable to

make it to work and I was called upon

to present for 12 hours straight each

day. This was my opportunity and I

went crazy earning me a lot of fans

and the nickname ‘The Wildchild’. As

a result, I got the afternoon show and

later moved up to the morning show.

Xpatr8: And MNET?

IK: My Head of Programmes at

Rhythm, Femi Sowolu insisted that I

take the day off and go for the Studio

53 audition in 2003. I wasn’t that

keen on it but I didn’t want to annoy

him so I went. There were close to

250 established TV faces there so

I felt like it was an achievement to

make the shortlist afterwards and

even more pleased to get the part.

After that I hosted other shows

including Temptation Nigeria and

Comedy Club Live in Lagos. In 2009,

I went for the BBA auditions which

were a disaster because I am used

to free-styling the script but the

director insisted on us mouthing it

verbatim. Fortunately, they gave me

a second chance with an interview

where I was asked to describe the

places I had been to. I killed it! I made

everywhere sound so exotic!

Xpatr8: How was your first show?

IK: Terrible! A live show is a different

kettle of fish. Halfway through the

show the director pulled me aside

and insisted that I stick to the script

as the crew was relying on certain

key words to know what happens

next. I had a problem with dyslexia

when I was young, so following the

auto cues was difficult. One ear

was plugged to the director and I

couldn’t hear myself from the other

as the crowd was screaming so hard.

Consequently, I sounded like a retard!

A wardrobe malfunction also meant

that I was stuck with this ridiculous

trench coat for the entire show

which was trending afterwards on

twitter. Ah men... I struggled for the

entire first season; I actually would

have fired me if I was in charge of the

show.

Xpatr8: And yet, here you are in

your fourth season being watched by

millions. How does it feel?

IK: Amazing! It means that I am

on a first name basis with millions

of people. It gets me to a place of

familiarity with people meaning that

I don’t have to introduce myself.

If I fly to Kenya for example, an

immigration official would recognise

me and that makes my life easier.

There is a downside though – the

constant scrutiny. If I am on my cell

phone while driving it would be a

radio topic in Nigeria all day and the

media are almost always on my case.

Xpatr8: Has anything untrue ever

been written about you?

IK: Are you kidding? All the time!

Just recently I was quoted on

taking a stand against the Nigerian

government on some topic I had

not even heard of. Look man, I am a

retiring flirt so occasionally I may be

seen being friendly with the ladies

which magazines make a big deal of

because I am a married man.

Xpatr8: Retiring flirt huh, recovering

alcoholic as well perhaps?

show on Sunday. Then a week later,

they flew her body from Mexico

where she was being treated for

cancer and I had to receive her body

at the airport then board a flight to

SA for another show. That was very

tough.

Xpatr8: Do you fly in and out of SA

for the show?

IK: Yes I still have a show on Rhythm

FM where I am also Head of

Programmes and MC a lot of events

in Lagos. Thank God for technology

because I occasionally do my radio

show over the internet from a quiet

place in an airport and record the

daily BBA shows from Nigeria which

I email to SA.

Xpatr8: Speaking of Nigeria, the

M.D. of MNET Africa is Nigerian, the

presenter is also Nigerian and the

last three seasons of BBA were won

by a Nigerian!

IK: Pure coincidence. The voting

platform is in no way skewed to

favour Nigeria as each country gets

one vote. In addition, a reputable

audit firm with multinational clients

that are a thousand times more

important to them than BBA always

checks the results.

Xpatr8: Who is the voice of Big

Brother?

IK: There is an individual who is here

almost 24 hours a day. His identity

remains a secret as the producers

reserve the right to change the

person. But it is not about him

because the concept is that the

public is big brother as they are the

IK: I actually don’t drink or smoke,

never really have. People do those

things for three reasons. They

either like the taste of alcohol or

need alcohol to loosen up and be

more confident or do it out of peer

pressure to socialise. None of those

apply to me.

Xpatr8: Let’s get back to your being

married.

IK: I met my wife Olo while I was

dating someone else who wanted

me to quit my radio gig and get a

‘real job’. Olo was the only friend

who seemed to get me and did not

want to change me, but she was

dating someone else. So I called her

and told her that she seems like the

kind of person I would be able to

spend my life with and asked her to

get in touch as soon as she had got

rid of the guy! We named our son

Osahar, Egyptian for ‘God hears me’.

I was praying that he would arrive

before I had to leave for SA for four

months during the first season of

BBA and he arrived three days before

my departure. Our second child is a

daughter called Micah.

Xpatr8: Was leaving your new-born

your hardest experience with the

show?

IK: It was hard but my mother’s

passing this season was worse. I

actually wanted to quit but my

father wouldn’t allow me to because

he knew she was the only one who

believed I could have a career in

entertainment. I found out she had

passed three days after my birthday

on Friday the 24th of May 2012. That

same morning I flew to SA to do the

ones watching and determining who

wins.

Xpatr8: What is your view of this

season, what will be its legacy given

the two violent incidences between

a guy and a girl resulting in all four

people involved being eliminated?

IK: What we are seeing is that the

quality of housemates is changing as

they now understand the dynamics

of the show. No one has used as much

profanity in any season as much as

these housemates. They understand

that to win the USD300,000 you have

to get the cameras to follow you and

that is why they are pushing their

personalities to the limit where you

find a girl provoking a guy to slap her

in the hope that he gets eliminated.

But next season’s housemates are

watching this season so I predict that

in as much as they will be crazy, they

will be careful not to get eliminated

by provoking violence.

Xpatr8: Where to from here? Have

you reached the pinnacle of your

career by hosting BBA?

IK: Not at all. I don’t just want to be

the MVP (Most Valuable Player), I

want to own the game. Hosting the

show is great and has a lot of perks

but it is the people who put shows

together and sell the content that

make the real money. One of my

role models is Ryan Seacrest who

not only has a radio show and is the

presenter of American Idols but also

owns a number of shows like Keeping

up with the Kardashians.

- Expatriate mag team

18 EXPATRIATE

LeRoy then joined Innscor Africa

as a Regional Financial Manager for

their Fast Foods division in March

1999. Here he led a team of 18 and

was given the opportunity to hone

his skills in a larger organisation.

“It was a great job and I was

exposed to the ups and downs of

management as I had a bigger team

reporting to me. Soon after I joined

the entity, the Zimbabwean economy

started to take a turn for the worse

which affected the company and

my prospects. Fortunately, voluntary

retrenchment packages were offered

and I took mine and left for South

Africa in October 2000.”

After a few months of job

hunting and burning into his “meagre

Zim-dollar savings”, he got a

contract financial manager job at the

advertising agency Leo Burnett before

joining Brunswick, an international

corporate communications outfit as

an analyst.

“That was in 2001 and a number

of interesting corporate case studies

were playing out. As an analyst, the

research involved was a good learning

experience for me and helped me

to gain a better understanding of

the local business landscape. I later

moved to Cadbury’s where I was a

commercial accountant supporting

the marketing and sales functions.”

“After a short stint in the

telecommunications industry with

the MTN Group, I joined the Standard

Bank Group in October 2003 and

started my MBA at the Wits Business

School in January 2004. By the time

I left Standard Bank, I was essentially

eRoy Munetsi’s father was

a Seventh - day Adventist

pastor and as a result, the

family travelled quite often

during his formative years. By the

time he went to Anderson High

School in Zimbabwe, LeRoy had lived

in and visited a number of countries

in North America, Europe, South-East

Asia and other parts of Africa.

Armed with a first degree in

business administration (accounting

major) from Andrews University in

Michigan in the United States, he

started his formal working career

in June 1996 as a workshop costing

clerk with Amtec Motors in Bulawayo.

“I used to be the guy who checks-

in your car for service in the morning,

making sure your jack and spanner

are in the car, then spending the rest

of the day tracking the progress of

the job and finally calculating the

charges for invoicing,” LeRoy recalled

in an interview. “It was a humble start

but I really enjoyed the experience...

probably because I love cars”

After a few months in the

workshop, LeRoy was moved to the

accounts department where shortly

after, the Group Finance Director

bought a division of the group and

poached a couple of “bright sparks”

including LeRoy from the department

to join him at Elida Automotive. Elida

was a smaller entity and LeRoy gained

invaluable management accounting

experience and developed a firm

appreciation for both the challenges

faced and opportunities available

when growing your business from

the ground up.

the CFO for the group corporate

entities which included Group Risk,

Group Finance, Corporate Human

Resources and Group Marketing to

name a few. One of the highlights

was my involvement in the multi-

million rand rebranding exercise

which took the bank from the

legendary ‘simpler, better, faster’ to

‘inspired, motivated and involved’.”

LeRoy moved to the Absa Group

in August 2006 with the goal of

moving away from ‘bean counting’

to a more business oriented role.

In 2008, he moved to the Absa Life

business unit as executive assistant

to the Managing Director. Shortly

after, he was appointed Chief

Operating Officer of the unit and

helped to drive a significant change

program which involved a technology

platform upgrade, process re-

engineering and the introduction

of output based remuneration in

the operations environment. His

mandate also included playing a

central role in the infusion of a more

progressive culture into the business

to support the changes going on with

the operating model.

In October 2011, he joined

Mutual & Federal Insurance Company

(M&F) as Executive: Africa & New

Markets with responsibility for its

interests in Namibia, Botswana,

Zimbabwe and Swaziland and leading

the expansion of the business into

new territories.

“Our overarching goal is to

position M&F as a pan-African

company with representation in

more countries than we presently

have and to participate in the

20 EXPATRIATE

emergence of the continent. As

a division, I believe we have the

opportunity to grow faster than the

South African business and expect

that in the next five to ten years,

our contribution to the group will be

significantly more than it currently

is. There is an immense opportunity

for insurance on the continent,

considering the level of socio-

economic development, coupled

with the emergence of a significant

middle class. Our vision is to ensure

M&F is relevant in the jurisdictions

we embark on rather than trying to

copy and paste solutions wholesale.

A range of successful African

companies like Multichoice, Dangote

and MTN are good examples of how

this can be done.”

M&F’s charge on the continent

is aided by the fact that it is a

member of the Old Mutual Group

which has a wider footprint and

greater experience on the continent.

LeRoy believes that collaboration,

relationships and innovation will be

key to the success of his division.

As an African expatriate, he also has

a good appreciation for the multi-

cultural aspects which are essential

to doing business in different

markets.

“I have a passion for the

continent and am keen to build

the “Africa” brand wherever and

whenever I can. At work, I have a

ritual of wearing an Africa themed

t-shirt every Friday and look forward

to this becoming a trend across the

company.”

LeRoy is married to Lee-Ann, who is

the founder of Germinate Consulting,

a market research consultancy.

Together they have two children;

daughter Lenhle (8) and son Luhle

(6).

- Keith Kundai

Mutual & Federal’s Man for Africa

“There is an immense opportunity for insur-ance on the continent, considering the level of social and economic de-velopment, coupled with the emergence of a sig-nificant middle class. Our vision is to ensure M&F is relevant in the jurisdictions we embark on rather than trying to

copy and paste solu-tions wholesale.

A range of suc-cessful African c o m p a n i e s like Mul-t i c h o i c e , D a n g o t e and MTN are good examples of how this can

be done...”

21WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

ZIMBABWEAN ART GENIUS

Basel Miami Beach 2009 and 2010.

His work featured on two major

international exhibitions in 2011:

Figures & Fictions: Contemporary

South African Photography at the

Victoria and Albert Museum in

he winner of the second

FNB Art Prize of R100,000

is Kudzanai Chiurai. Born in

1981 in Zimbabwe, he is an

internationally acclaimed young

artist now living and working in

SA.

Chiurai has participated

in a number of local and

international group exhibitions,

including the Dakar Biennale,

Senegal; Africa Now, a travelling

exhibition in Scandinavia; as

well as New Painting, a local

travelling exhibition in 2006. The

Goodman Gallery has exhibited

his work at Paris Photo 2009, the

2010 Armory fair in New York, and Art

London and Impressions from South

Africa, 1965 to Now at the Museum

of Modern Art in New York, which has

recently acquired Chiurai’s work for

their collection.

Despite his art hanging on

the walls of New York’s Museum

of Modern Art and in Elton John

and Richard Branson’s homes,

Chiurai remains unaffected: a

cut-off observer, clearly speaking

his truth. His only future agenda

is to return home to Zimbabwe

to teach kids about art.

The 2012 FNB Joburg Art Fair

takes place 7 – 9 September,

Sandton Convention Centre.

- Story by artlogic.co.za

odise Motloba grew up

and undertook his early

education in Soweto

before being admitted to

Wits University where he obtained

a Bachelor’s degree with a major

in Mathematics and Computer

Science in 1990. He spent a couple

of years applying his computer

science knowledge at Coopers

and Lybrand and subsequently at

Argus Newspapers prior to joining

Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) as an

investment banking trainee.

“Joining RMB and investment

banking was quite accidental as I

was looking for a job and heard that

the bank was looking to train black

graduates,” he says as we sit in the

boardroom at the Quartile Capital

offices in Illovo. “But I was quite

elated as this new career exposed me

to multiple sectors and broadened

my mind as opposed to computing

which was not much more than a

support role for an organisation.”

Modise spent five years at RMB

which included a stint with Goldman

Sachs in New York in 1995. He joined

African Merchant Bank in 1998

where he was the domestic treasurer

responsible for compliance and

liquidity matters. In 2000, he moved

on to African Harvest managers in

Cape Town where he was a portfolio

manager.

“It was a different kettle of

fish working in Cape Town; there is

certainly some truth to the notion

that things are much more relaxed

there. But it was a good two years for

my personal development to learn

that I could be successful and at the

same time enjoy life. I returned to

Johannesburg briefly before resigning

and I have been an entrepreneur ever

since.”

Modise and partner Sandile Njilo

were behind the early years of Africa

Vukani Investment Management

Services, an entity whose core service

lines were wealth management and

corporate advisory. Modise was

responsible for the latter and was

also the company’s chief executive.

“In 2008, the corporate advisory

business was separated from

Africa Vukani and the

new subsidiary

r e n a m e d

Q u a r t i l e

Capital

( Q C ) .

W e

chose

t h e

name

‘Quartile’

as we

aspire to

be at the

upper most

quartile of

the investment

arena and as

the term is

frequently used

in global financial

circles, it would

remain relevant

once we expanded

internationally.”

QC has a proud

record of being

involved in deals

Modise Motloba Quartile Capital’s Quest for R2 Billion Value By 2017

of over 100 billion rand to date. Their

signature deals include advising the

Public Investment Corporation (PIC)

regarding their restructuring of their

equity stake in MTN.

“The transaction was in excess of

R25 billion rand and took about three

years from 2004 to 2007. As a result,

significant value was unlocked for the

PIC, fellow shareholders Transnet and

the management and staff of MTN.

Another milestone deal was advising

Eyesizwe Mining in the merger of its

core assets with the assets of Anglo

American and subsequent formation

and listing of Kumba Iron Ore and

Exxaro.”

Across the border, QC was

involved in treasury related work

when they advised Bank of Namibia

regarding restructuring its portfolio

and managing rand denominated

funds. Their assistance involved

putting in place systems, policies

and procedures as well as providing

training to bank staff on portfolio

management.

“Other work includes assisting

the Development Bank of Southern

Africa reposition

t h e i r

treasury from a cost centre to

a profit centre. This involved

addressing issues around their

strategy and aligning their policies

to move into a profit making space.

We were also transaction advisors to

the PIC regarding the structuring of

the 16 billion rand BEE transaction at

Holcim (now Afrisam). More recently

we assisted the national treasury

in their efforts to raise two billion

dollars which involved working with

various local and international banks.

Beyond that we have done significant

consulting work with Transnet.”

QC has a vision of achieving a

company valuation of two billion

rand by 2017 which it intends to

do by focusing on achieving returns

in four areas: investment, fund

management, wealth management

and advisory services.

“We believe our target is

achievable given that the company

is 12 years old and we have learnt a

number of lessons that will enable us

to maximise on opportunities. We

also have strategic advantages over

our competitors including the fact

that we are owner managed which

allows us to be flexible and requires

us to be dependent on creating value

for our clients. This impacts the fee

that we generate. QC

provides

integrated service solutions that cut

across a number of service areas that

talk to each other while most other

companies provide only one or two

of these services. As a predominantly

black entity, we fare well in

transformation transactions as it is

something we believe in rather than

just a compliance issue.”

Modise says that the company’s

model will be replicated across

the continent with an imminent

acquisition of a Zambian finance

and insurance outfit. The company

is also in the process of acquiring

equity stakes in various entities in

South Africa where they believe they

can add value and obtain credible

returns. They recently acquired a

51% stake in Megarom, a video

gaming distribution company.

The company recently

appointed Dinao Lerutla as CEO

with Modise assuming the role

of Executive Chairman. There are

two other non-executive directors

and an executive committee is

responsible for executing the board’s

strategy. All in all the company has

a staff complement of 23 people

consisting mainly of professionals.

This structure works well given that

Modise has other roles to play outside

of the company including serving as

a director at Harmony Mining and

was recently a director at Land Bank,

RMB Structured Insurance and

Deutsche Bank. He has also

served as president of the

Association of Black

Securities and

Investment Professionals (ABSIP).

Modise credits his belief in God and

dedication to his personal vision for

his success.

“I am dedicated to the vision of

my own financial, intellectual and

social freedom. I think the harder

you work and the more focused you

are on your vision, the ‘luckier’ you

become. I also see this company as

a resource for my family, members of

staff and the community.”

QC’s only other external

shareholder is the Soweto-based

Phutanang Youth Trust who are the

company’s CSI (Corporate Social

Investment) beneficiaries. Some of

their members work at the company

and receive lifestyles training help.

“I think the only way to bridge

the gap is by going back to the basics.

I see this with these community

structures that are to a large extent

better organised than we the

professionals. I wish to extend a

challenge to all African professionals

to seek platforms that encourage

effective interaction irrespective

of their origin. We can succeed if

we embrace unity in our diversity

and create mega companies using

the knowledge obtained from our

different backgrounds.”

Modise is married to Rakgadi

who is also an entrepreneur running

her own events and decor company

called RPM. Together they have two

children – daughter Mamokete who

is 13 and three year old son Obakeng.

- Keith Kundai

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EMMANUEL OMARUAYE REVOLUTIONALISING CAB TRAVEL IN SANDTON

“We use advanced technology such that about 90% of

our operations are paperless. We were a finalist in the

service category of the Randburg Chamber of Com-

merce Industry /FNB Business Excellence awards...”

29WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

wanted to have my own thing hence

my relocation to SA in 2005 to set

up Deltaland Logistics Solutions T/A

Deltacab named after my state of

origin.”

Emmanuel’s entrepreneurial

spirit was cultivated in the Omaruaye

household where his late father ran

a successful concrete and trucking

business in Delta state. From the

age of 16, he would drive trucks and

assist in other aspects of the business

which his brothers run today.

He co-founded Deltaland

with his business and life partner

Nomvula. They started off with only

one Toyota Avanza and a small office

in Rivonia and Emmanuel was the

company’s only employee. It was

not an easy process as they had to

acquire shuttle service permits for

the company, amongst many other

challenges.

“It was also a challenge to get

corporate clients. We initially had

to make do with servicing private

individuals in need of cab services

from shopping centres and clubs. But

we persevered, grew thick skinned

and managed to crack the corporate

market, which is where we have

mmanuel Omaruaye was born

in 1975 in Delta State, Nigeria

and moved to South Africa in

2002 to pursue a private pilot

licence at the Johannesburg School

of Flying in Germiston, Johannesburg.

“I had to travel quite a long

distance to the school every day in old

taxis. This gave me the opportunity

to study Johannesburg’s transport

system. I found it interesting that

a world class city would be in such

obvious need of a proper transport

infrastructure and this convinced me

that there were opportunities in this

sector,” Emmanuel explained in an

interview at his company offices in

Rivonia.

His move to pursue flying was

inspired by his mother’s desire to

have a son who was a pilot but

Emmanuel knew from the outset

that he was not cut out to work in

the aviation industry.

“I just couldn’t see myself

working for somebody else who

paid me to fly a plane from one

point to another. Eight months into

the course, I obtained a certified

log book and returned to Nigeria to

re-join the family company. But I

always wanted to position ourselves

as we had identified this as a

lucrative niche market. I now believe

that when a company tells you NO,

that is an abbreviation for the ‘next

one’ and from moving on with your

head held high you find that a YES is

around the corner.”

From a single Avanza, Deltacab

today has five brand new Toyota

Corollas and one Hyundai H1 Bus

and at the time of this interview,

the company was close to securing

an assignment that would require

a fleet of about 36 vehicles. The

company is a cut above the rest using

advanced technology to track and

assign vehicles thus allowing them to

achieve a superior level of efficiency.

They also provide free WIFI service in

their vehicles.

“I estimate that close to 90%

of our operations are paperless.

Each driver has a device with which

they can accept jobs. The device

immediately acts as a navigation

system to where the customer is.

We on the other hand can track the

progress of the assignment in real

time from our systems at head office.

This tool also provides an accurate

record of each trip which we provide

to customers when invoicing them.”

Deltacab is a member of the Sandton

Tourism Association and some of

their high profile clients include

Deloitte & Touche, Anglo American,

Bain & Company and the Courtyard

Hotel. Emmanuel said their aim is to

provide a professional, executive and

corporate shuttle service as they do

not want to compete with the “taxi

on the street”.

“We are in a saturated industry

because people think that the taxi

industry is as easy as purchasing a

vehicle and expecting people to jump

in for a fee. This impacts pricing as

most operators are willing to accept

very low amounts as they do not

have to consider expenses like office

rent and other overhead costs.”

And DeltaCab is beginning to get

noticed. In 2011, the company was a

finalist in the service category of the

Randburg Chamber of Commerce

Industry /FNB Business Excellence

awards. Emmanuel attributed the

nomination to the firm’s culture

amongst the body of eight staff

members of putting the client first.

He cited his wife Nomvula

(with whom he has a new born son

Langa), his mother and his successful

entrepreneur mother-in-law as

his sources of inspiration. He said

he aspires to establish a transport

empire that includes haulage and

executive jets services with active

operations that stretch as far as his

country of origin Nigeria.

- Keith Kundai

32 EXPATRIATE

“Tint” and “swallow” are words in

the English language, but Tintswalo

couldn’t be further from the European

tongue. It is native Shangaan for “the

intangible feeling of love, gratitude

and peace bestowed upon someone

offering you a meaningful and

worthy gift”.

And so it is that I take a walk

through the five star Tintswalo at

Waterfall Hotel in the Sunninghill

area of Johannesburg. The entrance

sets the scene for what to expect

as my vehicle sits upon a wooden

plank bridge above a man-made river

that acts as an aquatic border to the

outside world.

get an aerial perspective to the

various rooms. The opposite of a rock

and a hard place must be a dam and a

polo field – the two aesthetic choices

available as a view to each room.

The architect who designed this

place must have grown up in a barn.

Every door looks like the opening to a

horses stall in a stable with a number

and name surrounding a horse shoe

label. Kirsty informs me that each

room is individually named after a

breed of horse.

“There are sixteen suites,” she

explains, “individually decorated

to the colours and characteristics

of specific horse breeds. They are

spacious and en-suite, leading on to

The petite Kirsty Coetzee cuts a

hospitable figure standing between

two large wood-fire cauldrons at the

main door. We proceed via the ten

metre high timber and steel doors

inviting you to enter the automatic

glass door and I immediately spot a

legendary endorsement in the form

of the framed picture of Nelson

Mandela with the hotel staff taken at

this very venue.

We skip past the lounge which

elicits a homely feel with comfortable

couches positioned around a fire-

place. The equestrian theme is clear;

the artwork and miniature statues

consist mainly of multiple horses.

We walk up the wooden steps and

Tintswalo at WaterfallA walk across a stable

ExpaT-Towers

33WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

a quaint balcony and all have air-

conditioning, under-floor heating,

flat screen TV, mini bar, wireless

connectivity and extra length king

size or twin beds.”

Still on the first floor, on the

opposite side of the building, is the

Vital Source Spa which offers a variety

of treatments. As we walk across to

the north end of the building, the

stable feel is compounded by the

timber boards that line the corridor.

Adjacent to the building, we

encounter a pebble-stone tower

in the shape of a lighthouse. The

steps to the top of the structure

attach beautifully to it like a vine

wrapped around a rainforest tree

To cap it all, Tintswalo at

Waterfall has boardroom facilities

that cater for groups of up to 45.

Certainly the ultimate ‘out of town’

experience for seminars, corporate

breakaways and special occasions.

The tour was certainly

a meaningful gift and with

peace and gratitude already

bestowed, I leave with a promise

to myself that I will return one

day soon for an extended stay.

- KC ROTTOK

and the top of this mini-tower offers

a compelling view of the northern

suburbs of the city. This roof-top

setting is occasionally used for

private functions.

“A number of wedding proposals

have been done right here,” Kirsty

informs me as we descend and re-

enter the main building from the

restaurant. In keeping with the

theme, it is called the Feedroom

but thankfully the menu indicates

that the cuisine is far from fodder.

Guests can enjoy life à la carte on

an eatery that extends to a covered

patio by the water and dine against a

countryside backdrop of singing birds

and floating ducks.

ExpaT-Towers

23WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

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threatened to ex-communicate him

that he allowed me to go to grade

five. I was aware that I should not let

myself or other women down and as

a result my career has been centred

on supporting women, children and

poor people.

How did you end up working for

the United Nations and in what

positions did you serve?

My first degree was in home

economics at the then University of

East Africa in Nairobi.

During my

studies I

w r o t e

articles

f o r

arly this quarter, The

Expatriate magazine met with

and interviewed Scholastica

Kimaryo, the former co-

ordinator of the United Nations

system in SA who now heads her

own leadership institute.

Tell us about your early upbringing.

I was raised on the slopes of Mt.

Kilimanjaro where I was the first girl

to go beyond primary school. My

father actually refused to “waste

his coffee money on a girl

who would end up

getting pregnant or

mess up in some

other way”. It

was only

after the

p r i e s t

various publications and joined

the newspapers thereafter

whilst pursuing a post-graduate

qualification in journalism. In

1977, I was appointed the first

executive secretary of the Tanzanian

Commission for children funded by

UNICEF. Although I had written

many articles/journals prior to that

appointment, this was the first

organisation where my writing was

used to make a difference. UNICEF is

a multi-lateral agency that researches

child-related issues, sources funding

and develops programs that improve

people’s lives. I stayed on and

progressed to be Head of Country

and thereafter worked for various UN

Agencies mainly in Southern Africa.

After 23 years I was promoted to

be the UNDP Representative to SA,

effectively responsible for the UN

here as this agency coordinates the

organisation’s system in the country.

What were the highlights of your

career at the U.N.?

There are several in every country that

I have worked. In Tanzania, UNICEF

helped to significantly reduce child

mortality so much so that it was

common to find children named

‘UNICEF’ there. In Botswana, we

highlighted the plight of the pastoral

communities who experienced a lack

of access to food. In SA, our work

focused on supporting the emerging

democracy in incorporating the

rights of children into the new

constitution. Also during

my time as the UNICEF

r e p r e s e n t a t i v e

here, our office

managed to

bring the

Scholastica Kimaryo – Recent U.N. Representative to SA

Duchess of Kent for a tour which

resulted in her raising five million

dollars for the local cause. Similarly,

during my tenure in Liberia which

happened to have been during its

civil war, we facilitated a tour by ‘the

Oprah of Japan’ Tetsuko Kuroyanagi

who raised a million dollars to help

our programmes there.

Did you experience any difficulties

in your work while at the U.N?

The organisation is an international

platform with significant resources

to make a

d i f fe rence

and where

all nations

have a

voice. My

long period

of service

opened up

my eyes to

the realities

of the world

including the fact that how much

money we were able to raise often

depended on the political priorities

of donor nations. It was also not

easy to reach certain communities

without their ‘gate-keepers’ making

it possible. Finally, most of the senior

employees only stay in one station

for four to five years which affects

continuity in the programmes that

they initiate.

Given how well you have travelled

on the continent, what is your view

of its prospects?

I think the biggest disservice

modernisation has had is to teach

people to be compliant which has

inhibited creativity. This is beginning

to change although the media rarely

focuses on this positive angle. Another

problem is that people are taught to

fear their leaders which prevents the

kind of interaction that can lead to

mentoring and intergenerational

beneficiation. For instance I learn

quite a lot from my children and

grand-children. I am 63 now and a

lot has changed since my childhood

when women on the continent

could only be teachers or nurses.

Now they can be anything and the

African Union is pushing the idea of

gender equality. This, amongst other

things, makes me truly believe that

an African renaissance is underway.

Why have you settled in SA and what

line of work are you involved in?

This is the only country where I

served for two different periods. I

really believe that God brought me

here for a reason. After independence,

Tanzania’s founding father Mwalimu

Nyerere said that the continent

would not be free unless the other

countries including SA were freed.

Similarly, I think that in the success

or failure of SA lies the hopes and

aspirations of the African people.

Here, I find vibrancy, a democratic

space and a hunger for success. It is

the last hope that we have to get our

act together and provide a platform

for a dynamic Africa.

I currently serve on the boards of

many international organisations

and about a decade ago I founded

the Tanzanian Women in Gauteng

(TWIGA).

After witnessing the toll that stress

in the workplace takes on individuals,

I made a promise to God that when I

retire I would learn to be a principle-

c e n t r e d

leader who

p r o m o t e s

b a l a n c e d

living for

people to be

healthy in

mind, body

and spirit.

I retired

in 2009

and went

to the Chopra Centre University in

California to learn about spiritual

health. I subsequently founded the

Maadili Conscious Leadership &

Healthy Lifestyles Coaching Institute.

Using Ayurvedic techniques, I help

individuals in the work place and

elsewhere identify their natural mind

body constitution and to understand

their behaviour patterns when they

are in and out of balance. On this

basis, I share with them knowledge

that enables them to access their

potential towards the attainment of

mind body balance through mindful

awareness and conscious choice

making. This helps tap into the healer

within all of us and supports the

fulfilment of our purpose in life.

- Carol Malonza

“I was raised on the slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro where I was the first girl to go beyond primary school. My father initially refused to “waste his coffee money on a girl who would end up getting pregnant or mess up in some other way”. I was aware that I should not let myself or other women down and as a result my career has been centred on supporting women, children and poor people.....”

37WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

avid Iraka was born in

Kampala in 1972 and

was the first born in a

family of four children. As

Uganda was politically volatile in the

early eighties, his father decided to

relocate the family to the Transkei

homeland of SA in 1983 where he

worked at Umtata General Hospital

as a specialist Paediatrician.

In 1990, soon after David

matriculated from St. Andrews

College in Grahamstown, Dr

Iraka got a position at Pretoria’s

Medical University of South Africa

(MEDUNSA). The family drove up to

the country’s capital looking forward

to life in the big city unprepared for

the rude shock that awaited them as

people there were not as hospitable

as they expected.

“Pretoria was still very much the

seat of the old regime,” David recalled

at an interview in his new Hyde Park

office. “We were turned away by one

of the hotels who claimed that they

had no rooms for us and we ended

up living in a “matchbox house”

in Ga-Rankuwa, a township north

of Pretoria. Eventually, we found

our feet and moved to the Pretoria

East suburb of Newlands where we

established a family home that we

still have to this day.”

Dr Iraka was determined to “hand

over his stethoscope” to David and

encouraged him to study medicine

at university. He joined Medunsa to

study for a Bachelor of Science degree

but six months into the course,

he was accepted at Indiana State

University for a Pre-med Degree

and thus relocated to the U.S.A.

DAVID IRAKA

“In just 18 months, he doubled his portfolio’s assets from three billion to six billion...”

38 EXPATRIATE

“I spent a few years in the U.S.,

first at Indiana State University then

later I transferred to Georgia State

University. I majored in psychology

and worked part time as a Mental

Health Counsellor at various hospitals

in Atlanta. One of my highlights was

working as a security guard during

the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta

and watching the events for free.”

David eventually got admitted

to Medical School but when the class

began to cut up and analyse cadavers,

he realised that medicine was not for

him and dropped out of the course

much to his father’s disappointment.

In 1999, David returned to SA and

decided to redesign his career path

to focus on Financial Services. His

first opportunity was as a call centre

agent at Momentum Life where he

enjoyed serving clients while earning

commission. Simultaneously, he

aggressively pursued and obtained

various qualifications in the financial

services Industry. In 2003, he Joined

Absa Private Bank as a Financial

Planner where he had great success

in attracting young doctors from

Medunsa as clients.

“After a year and a half, I was

promoted to the role of assistant

regional leader within the bank and

tasked with the mandate of recruiting

and developing young black financial

planners. Then in 2006, I was head

hunted by Stanlib to take up a

position as the head of retail sales in

the Africa division; I was responsible

for business development and

distribution in Namibia, Botswana,

Lesotho and Swaziland.”

One of the highlights of David’s

career was when he doubled

his portfolio’s “assets under

management” at Stanlib from three

to six billion rand in the span of only

eighteen months.

In 2009, he decided to start

his own brokerage firm which he

christened Ancestry Capital.

“Unfortunately, I started

Ancestry during the height of the

global recession and hence business

did not pick up as well as I would

have liked. That same year, I was

approached by Nedbank (Wealth)

and subsequently accepted an offer

as an Area Manager supervising a

team of senior financial planners

in the Private Bank & BOE Private

Clients divisions. After just a year at

Nedbank, I was selected to attend an

Executive Program at the prestigious

INSEAD School of business in

Fontainebleau, France.”

The INSEAD programme was

a great networking opportunity as

David interacted with some of the

best financial minds from across

the globe. The course focused on

“Channel Distribution” and on

completion, he implemented a

process whereby the head office

began providing financial planning

services to its employees/staff for

a subsidised fee which became an

additional revenue stream for the

bank.

“I needed a new challenge

afterwards and I came across an

advert in the newspapers by Standard

Bank for a role I thought I could fulfil.

When I applied, they suggested a

different role for me which was to

head offshore sales for 14 countries

in Africa. After a series of interviews,

I got the position and commenced

work at the beginning of August

2012.”

An excited David has taken

up Portuguese and French lessons

(to add to his fluency in Afrikaans,

Xhosa, Zulu and Ankole) to be more

effective in the countries that speak

these languages. Offshore services

offer a range of products; from hard

currency bank deposits, to capital-

protected structured products, funds

and offshore trusts.

“Our aim is to create and preserve

wealth for our clients through

innovative tax and estate planning

solutions as well as diversification

across different geographies. The

bank’s presence in the tax havens of

the Isle of Man, Jersey and Mauritius

combined with highly skilled

resources in stock-broking , asset

management and fiduciary services

make our proposal “a must have” for

any high net worth individual.”

He concluded by confidently

predicting that he will not reach but

surpass his initial sales target of 25

million british pounds (approx. R310

million) worth of business.

David is married to Dana, an

African American he met in 1998.

They have two (2) sons; Amani, 13,

and Khaya, 10.

- Keith Kundai

HEAD OF OFFSHORE SERVICES, AFRICA AT STANDARD BANK

39WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

the opportunity arose for me

to undertake professional work

which would positively impact

communities and countries across

Africa, I signed off on my acceptance

letter and haven’t looked back ever

since.

I can say without a doubt

that this has been one of the best

decisions I ever made. Living and

working in Africa is beautiful in

every way imaginable and I cannot

emphasize enough how refreshing

it feels to live in an environment

that appreciates the importance of

having a good work and life balance.

A recent trip out of Johannesburg

illustrates how revitalizing the

wealth of culture here is.

arlier in the year, I set off to

pursue one of my life long

missions; to live and work in

Africa. And so it was that I,

Juanita Nene Ceesay, a girl born in

America to African parents, left the

confines of my secure life in New

York to venture into the unknown

world with only two suitcases to my

name.

I sometimes wonder how I ever

convinced myself to make such a

bold career and personal move. My

conclusion so far is simple really, “I

want to participate in the change

which I envision for the African

continent”. Walking the walk and

not just talking the talk has always

been a saying that resonated

with me strongly. Therefore, when

One of the best ways to enjoy Africa’s

vibrancy is by attending a traditional

African Wedding. Electrifying,

emotional, spellbinding, beautiful,

dramatic are amongst the many

adjectives I would use to describe

what goes on. Last weekend I had

the great privilege of accompanying

my friend Trixie Koki, to her cousins’

traditional Zulu wedding in the

township of Kroonstad, South Africa.

We left the city of Johannesburg

in the early hours of the morning and

set off for our three hour road trip to

the township. Since arriving in South

Africa, this was my first time visiting

the rural part of the country, so

needless to say, I was pretty excited.

Kroonstad is a cosy little place

with the most amazingly hospitable

people. Upon arriving in the town, I

felt right at home. However as

is common with rural

AFRICAN AMERICAN AT A ZULU WEDDING

communities in Africa, you could

immediately tell that the village was

taking a hit from rapid urbanization.

In other words, most of the able

members of the community had

left in search of greener pastures

in the cities. Everywhere you

looked, you could see the signs of

a disproportionate amount of older

folks and young children. However,

for those who have remained in

Kroonstad, life is one happy, laid back

and content affair.

From the moment I arrived

at the wedding hall, I knew I was

in for a treat. Like a typical girl, I

was mesmerized by the colourful

and fabulous attire of the guests in

attendance, evidenced in my photos

which focused on the dressing.

The ceremony was absolutely

breath-taking. African culture and

traditions are truly a sight to behold.

The chants, singing, and music gave

me goose bumps and the insanely

talented dancing made me get on

YouTube right away in a quest to

learn the moves.

All in all, my first Zulu wedding

experience convinced me that when I

do get married, I am definitely doing

so in Africa.

- Juanita Nene Ceesay

“One of the best ways to enjoy Africa’s vibrancy is by attend-ing a traditional African Wed-ding. Electrifying, emotional, spellbinding, beautiful, dramatic are amongst the many adjectives I would use to describe what goes on....”

Juanita Nene Ceesay

ExpaT-TraveL

43WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

hen I sat with a

close friend recently

for an “intellectual

c o n v e r s a t i o n ” ,

anyone listening would have

concluded that Socrates himself

couldn’t have thoughts that delve

so deep. The discussion centred on

how well we know ourselves and our

best and worst attributes. I boasted

that one of my best attributes must

be my unlimited ability to love.

To which my “fellow philosopher”

replied “what is love?” And though

in my mind and heart I know exactly

what it is, putting

into words was

near impossible.

The love

between lovers

is something

that has become

so multifaceted

that every individual has their own

opinion about it. Areas that used to

be black or white have now become

grey areas. A woman thinks: “the

man is financially stable, his looks

are fair and he seems to have a

bright future ahead of him.” She

then positions herself next to the

man claiming to love him. A man

thinks: “she is beautiful, intelligent

(not overwhelmingly so) and has a

career that earns enough for her to

contribute.” Society approves the

match, and off they waltz down the

aisle and declare their love for one

another. Welcome to love in 2012.

When did price tags become

a pre-requisite for our hearts

to experience an emotion that

is supposed to be pure? Love is

not an emotion that is based on

achievements and it has no cost.

Ironically, all material things can very

easily disappear and the only things

that are irreplaceable in this life are

the people that are around us. Why

then measure the irreplaceable with

replaceable things?

Looks fade, money comes

and goes, status and prestige are

unpredictable. And when this happens

a ‘loving one’ leaves claiming that this

is not what they signed up for. That

said, certain logical decisions have to

be made, regardless of how deeply

you love someone. When a penniless

pastoral student wanted to marry a

young girl, his father asked “What are

you going to eat? Prayers?”

I am not saying that people

shouldn’t plan for a comfortable

life but I think making material

things a predictor about how you

are going to feel about someone is

a grave mistake. True love is not a

premeditated emotion, it doesn’t

include calculating, planning and

scheming. If one schemes and

gets the one they’re after, I can

confidently say, that what they have

found is definitely not love,

and sooner or later the cracks

begin to show.

So, having said everything

love isn’t, it’s much easier for

CUPID’S RUBIK’S CUBE me to say what love is. It happens

spontaneously and doesn’t involve

dishonesty. It is unconditional,

nothing that anyone says can waver

your emotion towards that particular

person. It is steadfast, trusting, having

an unwavering faith in someone and

builds both people in the relationship.

It involves mutual respect, protecting

one another and is completely

selfless. Perhaps most frightening

of all is that it is a risk because you

take what is most precious to you

and hold it out to someone else in

the hope that they will treasure it as

much as you do.

I may not

have the insight

of the greatest

philosophers of all

time (yet), but of

this one thing I am

sure…I know what

love is. Putting it in words may be a

challenge but I know love is real and

tangible. When it comes my way, I

will grab onto it with both hands

and never let it go. If we could all

do a little more of this, that in my

philosophy would be good enough!

- SHEILA LYNN SENKUBUGE

“Looks fade, money comes and goes, status and prestige are unpredict-able. And when this happens a ‘lov-ing one’ leaves claiming that this is not what they signed up for....”

and currently working in Canada

as a professor of English, Adesami

writes of his physical, emotional and

intellectual movements in Africa and

in Euro-America as an African. His

he 21st century is

characterised by the

disintegration of the

geographical boundaries

that initially constrained people and

culture. Investors are trading

on the New York Stock

Exchange in the comfort

of their homes in Eastern

Cape, South Africa. There

are Africans who are more

passionate about the English

Premier League than the

English themselves. Twitter

has enabled a Syrian activist to

connect with a Zimbabwean

strategist. So, what does it

mean to be African these

days? What does Africa mean

to you? Pius Adesami’s latest

creative non-fiction flirts with

such questions.

You are not a country Africa

is Adesami’s autobiography

of ideas. It is a collection of

essays which highlights the

complexities of Africa and of

being African. Born in Nigeria

book helps one understand African

culture and everyday history as well

as the manifestations of modern

African identities.

As African

expatriates in South Africa,

many have encountered

infamous questions such

as, “Where are you from?”,

“How do you pronounce your

name?”, “That’s an interesting

accent?” or “What tribe

do you belong to?” These

questions force us to engage

with the politics of identity.

For that split of a second

we reflect on who we are as

defined either by our accent,

that small dictatorial booklet

called the passport, or the

tiny thing referred to as the

“identity” card. You are not a

country Africa articulates and

politicizes everyday living

while embracing the different

identities of Africa and

Africans.

You are not a country,

AfricaBook Review

44 EXPATRIATE

Adesami’s title borrows from

a line in Abioseh Nicol’s poem, The

Meaning of Africa. The line describes

Africa as unique to its billions of

inhabitants and complicates the

African narrative. Remember while

reading the book that the authors

choice of words describe his

perceptions, hence the very fitting

title. Every African whether in Africa

or in diaspora has unique experiences

and meanings of Africa and this,

according to the poet and author, is

what defines Africa and what makes

one African.

Reiterating Chimamanda

Adichie’s thoughts on the danger

of a single African story, the author

unravels what Africa means to him

and by extension to all those who

populate this continent of extremes.

He tells of Africa the beautiful,

Africa the powerful, Africa the

intellectual, Africa the corrupt, Africa

the complicated, Africa the poor and

Africa the xenophobic.

There are references to his

country Nigeria but he makes an

effort to relate it to other countries in

the continent and beyond. The book

corroborates the various meanings

of Africa that are shared regionally

(in Africa) and internationally. The

author’s experiences evoke in the

reader episodes of self-reflection,

laughter, and mmmhhhh, aaahhhh,

I-know-that-feeling moments.

The reader feels as if they were

in their local bar listening to the

experiences of an old honest friend,

philosophising the most mundane

activities and having passionate

constructive debates.

From a feminist perspective one

can’t help but notice his reference

to African culture, history and the

traditional literary canon, all of

which are highly patriarchal. There

are a few pages dotted with feminist

talks, but one gets the feeling that it

is an unsuccessful attempt to silence

gender critics. On the other hand, it

has always been complicated when a

male author takes it upon himself to

tell herstory.

Overall, it is a book that can

be enjoyed by anyone interested

in a fresh perspective of the good

old debate of distorted and sorted

images and representations of

Africa (ns). It gives useful pointers

to the conversation of culture and

the verbiage will undoubtedly tickle

those who hunger for new words.

- Wanjiru Waichigo is an MA (Literature)

graduate from the University of Witwatersrand. She

currently works with CIET in Southern Africa as a

researcher and programme manager.

“Many have encountered questions that make you engage in the politics of identity such as, “Where are you from?” or “How do you pronounce your name?” You are not a country Africa articulates and politicizes everyday living while embracing the dif-ferent identities of Africa and Africans....”

Book Review

45WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

160 Helen Road (off Grayston Drive), Strathavon, Sandton, Johannesburg • +27 11 384 4900reservations@strathavonhotel.co.za • +27 861 MOLOKO (66 56 56) • www.strathavonhotel.co.za

More than just somewhere to sleep, the Moloko Strathavon Hotel is a style statement. It’s the future of the boutique hospitality industry which embodies all that is great in the modern luxury hotel market, and then takes it one step beyond. The exclusive hotel encompasses an award-winning organic spa, fine dining at the Ambassador Restaurant and the sought-after post-dinner night spot Off the Record cigar lounge. Taking its cue from Mother Nature, the hotel has been designed to blend seamlessly into the indigenous gardens surrounding it. Moloko Strathavon Hotel is a mere stone’s throw from Sandton, Johannesburg’s trendsetting business and shopping hub.

SERENE • TRANQUIL • EXCLUSIVE

Moloko.indd 30 2011/06/20 10:49 AM

160 Helen Road (off Grayston Drive), Strathavon, Sandton, Johannesburg • +27 11 384 4900reservations@strathavonhotel.co.za • +27 861 MOLOKO (66 56 56) • www.strathavonhotel.co.za

More than just somewhere to sleep, the Moloko Strathavon Hotel is a style statement. It’s the future of the boutique hospitality industry which embodies all that is great in the modern luxury hotel market, and then takes it one step beyond. The exclusive hotel encompasses an award-winning organic spa, fine dining at the Ambassador Restaurant and the sought-after post-dinner night spot Off the Record cigar lounge. Taking its cue from Mother Nature, the hotel has been designed to blend seamlessly into the indigenous gardens surrounding it. Moloko Strathavon Hotel is a mere stone’s throw from Sandton, Johannesburg’s trendsetting business and shopping hub.

SERENE • TRANQUIL • EXCLUSIVE

Moloko.indd 30 2011/06/20 10:49 AM

Describe your career path leading up

to your appointment.

I have had a career spanning

22 years which includes five years

in the private sector spent in the

DRC and here in SA. I joined the

Rwandan government as a civil

servant working as a director then

as permanent secretary in various

ministries. In 2006, I was appointed

a cabinet minister initially as the

minister responsible for industry

and investment before a brief stint

as mining and environment minister.

Prior to my appointment as the

Ambassador to SA, I served as the

minister responsible for Rwanda’s

infrastructure.

How did you receive the news of your

appointment?

I am a cadre of the Rwanda

Patriotic Front headed by President

Paul Kagame. As a cadre you are

required to serve where the country

needs you most so we are not in

a position to question whether

each position is higher than the

other. I leave it up to the party and

government that I have joined to

decide for me where it is suitable

for me to serve. But I must say that

I have been quite fortunate in the

appointments accorded to me. It

pleases me to be in positions where

I can contribute to the ongoing

transformation of my country. We

have one of the cleanest cities in the

world and the incredibly fast rate at

which we are developing in many

sectors is being described by many

as a miracle.

How does working as an envoy differ

from working as a government

minister?

I think it is good to be a minister

when one has already been in

government as I have participated

in the formulation of the policies of

my government and can therefore

communicate these abroad with

much authority. I can also link up

people here with the appropriate

person in our government quite

easily.

What do you view as your priorities

as envoy to SA?

My role is to ensure bilateral

relations are strengthened between

the two countries. We need to attract

investment to Rwanda while seizing

the opportunities presented to us by

SA. As it is the foremost economic

powerhouse on the continent, there

is a lot of knowledge to be acquired

from here. The mission also acts

as a conduit given that there are a

number of South Africans who have

invested in Rwanda and we also have

a number of Rwandan businessmen

in SA as well as a significant number

of students. We host a number of

gatherings for the Rwandan diaspora

here and try and help them as much

as we can when they have difficulties.

Describe the state of the relationship

between Rwanda and SA.

They are very good and the

interaction between the two

countries is continuously increasing.

Flights to Rwanda are frequently full

and a good number of the passengers

H.E. Vincent Karega Rwandan Ambassador to SA

47WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

are South African. Rwandans also

frequent SA freely; a number of our

high ranking government officials

travel here in their capacities,

business people visit for meetings

and other individuals come here for

purposes such as medical treatment

or private tours. In spite of SA having

accorded a few dissidents political

asylum, the relationship between

our two governments is good; our

president was here for the centenary

celebrations of the ANC.

What would you describe as the

highlights of your career?

As an official in the Gender Ministry

I took part in the empowerment

of the women of Rwanda such

that today they make up 56% of

parliamentarians and the proportion

of women in our cabinet is the highest

in the world. I also participated in the

development of poverty alleviation

programmes; today we celebrate

every five years lifting millions

of our people from poverty. I am

also proud of my role in increasing

both domestic and international

investment and working with

other cadres in establishing key

infrastructure agencies.

Tell us more about yourself, your

family, your hobbies and future

plans.

I am married with two daughters. I

participate in sports to keep fit and I

enjoy reading and sightseeing. I also

have an interest in different cultures

and learning new languages. I leave

my future to God as I am not the

kind of person who dreams of being

this or the other but because I am

very passionate about my country I

intend to retire in Rwanda when my

career comes to an end.

We note that both you and President

Kagame are on twitter which is quite

unique for politicians/diplomats,

what is your view of the role of social

media?

We are not a bureaucratic

establishment like most

governments. We are looking to be

as close as possible to people and to

the world and therefore use social

media to communicate what is going

on and to reach out to people. These

tools are also useful in marketing our

country.

- Carol Malonza

“As a civil servant, I participated in vari-ous landmark programmes like gender equality and today 56% of our parlia-mentarians are women. We also have one of the cleanest cities in the world and the incredibly fast rate at which we are developing in many sectors is be-ing described by many as a miracle.....”

48 EXPATRIATE

For more information on the event including payment for your invitation cards please go to www.upendoinvestments.com or www.kenya.org.za or contact any of the following:

Nanzala Mwaura | +27 76 052 6723 | nanzala.mwaura@upendoinvestments.comRoselida Aluha | +27 82 476 8389 | roselidah.aluha@upendoinvestments.com

The organising committee, Kenya Night, in collaboration

with His Excellency The High Commissioner of Kenya

in South Africa, Ambassador Tom Amolo

Cordially Invite you To

Venue:Date:Time:Cost:Entertainment:Dress Code:

Indaba Hotel, Injabulo Room3 November 201218h00 for 18h30 till lateR350 per personTamasha band, Bongani and DJ JemoSmart / Traditional

Kenya Nigh 2t 1 20The New Kenyan Constitution: Challenges and Opportunities

Kenya Night 2012Great Entertainment, Delicious Food and Opportunities for Networking

The New Kenyan Constitution: Challenges and Opportunities

05

ONE YEAR COMPULSORY COMMUNITY SERVICE FOR EXPATS

recent experience has me convinced that expats should do one year of community service in the

townships before being granted work permits.

A little over seven months ago, a friend of mine called Emmy Muzamil

of Asur Civil Engineers, offered me an opportunity to be murdered in a township. He tasked me with managing a government low-cost housing project in the Diepsloot West township of Johannesburg.

Having handled all sorts of construction projects in predominantly black areas, this progressive SA educated engineer

must have known that this was an opportunity to have me stabbed to death.

Working in a black township like Diepsloot is a task would engulf any foreigner with anxiety. That said, people there are good natured even when conditions and circumstances programme them to hate foreigners.This desolate but dense slum is 30kms in the west of Pretoria and lines the route that stretches to the capital of debauchery - Sandton City. You can spot the rich in tinted shiny SUVs speeding to important meetings past this township. Many call tinned shacks their homes and these make up a squatter colony far removed from what we commonly view as civilization. It’s a sea of poverty, degradation and humiliation that I know many white collar expats have never experienced.

One morning, after I alighted from a taxi, I saw a group of children standing in a heap of refuse playing with the carcass of a dead cat. One rugged boy continued to flog the carcass until the insides were spewing everywhere! Not too far from them were elderly women sifting through rubbish pits for used cans. Their companions were stray dogs feasting on rotting food while flies buzzed around all of them in some kind of symphonic orchestra.

Under these conditions, the residents of Diepsloot are understandably angry as many have died waiting for decades for the government to deliver its promise of a better life. It is easy for them to hate foreigners which the same government may be seen to be affording that better life. Hence my discomfort at the fact that they could

Hanging on with Hannington

easily identify me as a foreigner as I look somewhat different, speak only English and don’t eat chicken feet. I am thankful that I never got stabbed to death during my stint at the township.

The point of this missive is that I think African expats need to integrate with poor locals. We easily forget that most of us are also the products of some poverty and become mere voyeurs of misery once we get a work permit and settle in the suburbs.

It would be a fantastic idea for the SA government to force expats to do some community service as a pre-requisite to getting a work permit. Locals would see us as a positive contributor and many expats would learn to be grateful for their circumstances. While this is not a statutory requirement, I urge expats to volunteer some time and make a difference. You could volunteer at the local clinics or schools that are massively understaffed or do something as simple as donating old clothes.

It is a sad thing if your answer is “nothing” to the question: “What did you do for your 67 minutes on Nelson Mandela’s birthday?”

- HANNINGTON KASIRYE

“Township residents are understandably angry as they feel like they are missing out on the promise of a better life which government seems to deliver to foreigners.....”

50 EXPATRIATE

52 EXPATRIATE

The Last Word

Send your CV to you@antonapps.com quoting the relevant reference

0861 788 788 www.antonapps.com 073 788 7880 +27 11 788 7880

BotswanaMANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT:ManufacturingUS$45k – US$60kPreparation of budgets and nancial planning to assist the business in decision making and risk management. Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements as relating to the business. Ref: BC 01

DRCFINANCIAL CONTROLLER: MiningUS$130k – US$175kMining background essential. You will be involved in operational and commercial decisions for the business from a nancial perspective. Leadership of the team is of utmost importance for the smooth running of the department.Ref: BC 05

KenyaPRIVATE EQUITY TRANSACTOR:Private EquityUS$70k – US$90kBoutique Private Equity house requires the skills of an experienced transactor to initiate and manage deals across the East Africa Region. Minimum four years PE experience.Ref: PM 04

TanzaniaFINANCE MANAGER:TelecomsUS$130k – US$150kManaging a team, implementing nancial procedures, cross country reporting and involvement in strategic operations.Ref: PM 01

FINANCE MANAGER:TourismUS$80k – US$120kFull responsibility for the management of nance and compliance functions.Ref: PM 03

Malawi SENIOR ACCOUNTANT:EngineeringUS$50k – US$70kA large group needs a Senior Accountant with solid experience in managing the full accounting function with import/export experience. Must have at least two years local tax experience. Ref: BC 02

MozambiqueFINANCIAL CONTROLLER: ManufacturingUS$80k – US$100kDevelop, monitor and review departmental and company accounting policies, procedures and processes. Complete nancial control role of the business including staff management. Portuguese mandatory.Ref: BC 03

Zambia CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER:AgricultureUS$140k – US$190kStrategically guiding the business from a nancial perspective this role involves controlling the nance function and ultimately supporting the CEO.Ref: PM 02

NigeriaFINANCE MANAGER:FMCGUS$110k – US$140kMinimum 5 years experience in FMCG. To establish and maintain nancial procedures for a fast growing business.Ref: BC 04

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER:MediaUS$80k – US$120kAfrican media and TV business requires experienced FC to manage Nigerian operations.Ref: PM 05

ZimbabweASSISTANT ACCOUNTANT:LogisticsUS$20k – US$30kCA with a minimum of two years post qualifying experience to assist Group CFO.Ref: KH 03

FINANCIAL ANALYST:Venture CapitalUS$24k – US$30kGlobal VC rm is growing rapidly and needs a CA with a love for analysing numbers.Ref: KH 04

FINANCIAL MANAGER:TourismUS$35k – US$45kManaging a team reporting into the MD and a dotted line to SA. You will have previous management skills, budgeting, annual reporting and reconciliation skills.Ref: KH 05

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER:MiningUS$24k – US$45kBlue chip organization requires a CA to manage full nance function. Ref: KH 06

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT:BankingUS$18k – US$24kRecently quali ed CA required to join a leading retail bank as part of the nance team. You will receive good exposure to the industry and will be trained accordingly.Ref: KH 01

MIDDLE MANAGER REPORTING:BankingUS$35k – US$50kLeading bank requires a three year post quali ed accountant to join their reporting team working closely with group head of ce in South Africa on delivering nancial results.Ref: KH 02

Opportunities in Africaantonapps is a leading private recruitment rm specialising in placing distinctive quali ed Accountants holding one of the following quali cations: CA, CPA, CIMA, ACCA. Based out of Johannesburg and Harare, we place these individuals across Africa and South Africa into Accounting, Finance, Tax and Banking opportunities. antonapps works across sectors including Mining and Resources, Telcos, FMCG, Manufacturing, Services, Hotels & Gaming, Construction, Motor, Retail, IT, Pharma, Banking & Financial Services and Professional Services.

Founded in 2003 by Anton Apps, a PwC-trained CA with 16 years’ experience in international nancial recruitment and executive search, antonapps has well-established relationships and access to decision-makers in leading blue-chip and private companies. Customised career management and company pro ling enables us to selectively connect quality individuals to career-building opportunities.

Textbooks…uring the last quarter

Ghana lost her president,

Juju continues to go

from “kill for” Zuma to

‘kill’ Zuma, we had our first double

amputee compete in the able bodied

Olympics, Jackie Selebi unsurprisingly

was granted medical parole and it

snowed in Joburg.

But most notably, NASA sent a

probe to Mars yet the SA government

cannot send textbooks to Limpopo.

In August 2012, some students still

hadn’t got textbooks and some blind

students had received books meant

for full sighted children. What grates

my cheese though is the fact that

people are just dumping these books

in velds or burning them instead of

delivering them to those in need.

When we were at school we had

hand me downs with books returned

by the outgoing students for use

by the new class each year. Doesn’t

the system work like that anymore?

Other than heads rolling, what needs

to happen is an honest review aimed

at taking lasting steps to ensure that

this never happens again. We should

not play the blame game; I heard

the president blamed Verwoerd for

the mess. Well then this should have

been an issue since 1994 then and

not just in 2012!

Tradition… A few weekends ago, I was

involved in the traditional wedding

of my youngest brother Nana and

his fiancée Aso. Having been born

in Accra but raised in the Transkei,

I have little knowledge of my roots

hence this was educational.

Ghanaians follow a maternal

line, which makes sense, because

there could always be doubt about

who the father is but there is never

any question about who the mother

of a child is. We approached this in

the knowledge that my mother’s

bloodline is linked to that of royalty

in some shape or form.

The process began with my father

doing the “knocking”. He sourced an

elder who took gifts to my in-laws

and initiated a conversation along

the lines of “if you see my son walking

in the streets with your daughter, do

not be alarmed.” The bride’s family

sent a list of requirements which

included alcohol, cloth, cash, a ring, a

Bible and other odds and ends.

We arrived at their home in

Maritzburg dressed in Ghanaian

attire with these items wrapped

in beautiful baskets. The two

families sat on opposite sides

of the room each with a chief

negotiator. We are offered

water to drink because

whenever anyone knocks

on your door, you offer

them water. Once their

thirst has been quenched,

you ask them what their

business is and then the fun

negotiations begin.

It was a light hearted and

enjoyable process albeit time

consuming, but that’s all

part of the experience.

Once most of the

gifts and

negotiations had been done, we

were then asked to go and fetch my

brother so that they can ‘inspect’ him

to see whether he is a fitting match

for their daughter. He was ushered in

to much voice and fanfare, inspected,

interrogated and then allowed to sit.

An aunt then ‘extorted’ more money

from us “to buy sunglasses for the

bride to be and for taxi fare to go and

fetch her.”

Finally, with music blazing in

the background, she danced her

way in. She was asked whether

this is the man that she had

chosen and once she replied in the

affirmative, a pastor performed a

ceremony which concluded with

a ring being placed on her finger.

We then ate, drank and played out

a weekend of sheer merriment.

Yaw Peprah is a self employed entrepreneur pursuing interests in business advisory, consultancy and

commodity brokering. www.asitissoitis.blogspot.com

TEXTBOOKS AND TRADITION“NASA sent a probe to Mars yet the SA government can’t send textbooks to Limpopo.”

Send your CV to you@antonapps.com quoting the relevant reference

0861 788 788 www.antonapps.com 073 788 7880 +27 11 788 7880

BotswanaMANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT:ManufacturingUS$45k – US$60kPreparation of budgets and nancial planning to assist the business in decision making and risk management. Ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements as relating to the business. Ref: BC 01

DRCFINANCIAL CONTROLLER: MiningUS$130k – US$175kMining background essential. You will be involved in operational and commercial decisions for the business from a nancial perspective. Leadership of the team is of utmost importance for the smooth running of the department.Ref: BC 05

KenyaPRIVATE EQUITY TRANSACTOR:Private EquityUS$70k – US$90kBoutique Private Equity house requires the skills of an experienced transactor to initiate and manage deals across the East Africa Region. Minimum four years PE experience.Ref: PM 04

TanzaniaFINANCE MANAGER:TelecomsUS$130k – US$150kManaging a team, implementing nancial procedures, cross country reporting and involvement in strategic operations.Ref: PM 01

FINANCE MANAGER:TourismUS$80k – US$120kFull responsibility for the management of nance and compliance functions.Ref: PM 03

Malawi SENIOR ACCOUNTANT:EngineeringUS$50k – US$70kA large group needs a Senior Accountant with solid experience in managing the full accounting function with import/export experience. Must have at least two years local tax experience. Ref: BC 02

MozambiqueFINANCIAL CONTROLLER: ManufacturingUS$80k – US$100kDevelop, monitor and review departmental and company accounting policies, procedures and processes. Complete nancial control role of the business including staff management. Portuguese mandatory.Ref: BC 03

Zambia CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER:AgricultureUS$140k – US$190kStrategically guiding the business from a nancial perspective this role involves controlling the nance function and ultimately supporting the CEO.Ref: PM 02

NigeriaFINANCE MANAGER:FMCGUS$110k – US$140kMinimum 5 years experience in FMCG. To establish and maintain nancial procedures for a fast growing business.Ref: BC 04

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER:MediaUS$80k – US$120kAfrican media and TV business requires experienced FC to manage Nigerian operations.Ref: PM 05

ZimbabweASSISTANT ACCOUNTANT:LogisticsUS$20k – US$30kCA with a minimum of two years post qualifying experience to assist Group CFO.Ref: KH 03

FINANCIAL ANALYST:Venture CapitalUS$24k – US$30kGlobal VC rm is growing rapidly and needs a CA with a love for analysing numbers.Ref: KH 04

FINANCIAL MANAGER:TourismUS$35k – US$45kManaging a team reporting into the MD and a dotted line to SA. You will have previous management skills, budgeting, annual reporting and reconciliation skills.Ref: KH 05

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER:MiningUS$24k – US$45kBlue chip organization requires a CA to manage full nance function. Ref: KH 06

FINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT:BankingUS$18k – US$24kRecently quali ed CA required to join a leading retail bank as part of the nance team. You will receive good exposure to the industry and will be trained accordingly.Ref: KH 01

MIDDLE MANAGER REPORTING:BankingUS$35k – US$50kLeading bank requires a three year post quali ed accountant to join their reporting team working closely with group head of ce in South Africa on delivering nancial results.Ref: KH 02

Opportunities in Africaantonapps is a leading private recruitment rm specialising in placing distinctive quali ed Accountants holding one of the following quali cations: CA, CPA, CIMA, ACCA. Based out of Johannesburg and Harare, we place these individuals across Africa and South Africa into Accounting, Finance, Tax and Banking opportunities. antonapps works across sectors including Mining and Resources, Telcos, FMCG, Manufacturing, Services, Hotels & Gaming, Construction, Motor, Retail, IT, Pharma, Banking & Financial Services and Professional Services.

Founded in 2003 by Anton Apps, a PwC-trained CA with 16 years’ experience in international nancial recruitment and executive search, antonapps has well-established relationships and access to decision-makers in leading blue-chip and private companies. Customised career management and company pro ling enables us to selectively connect quality individuals to career-building opportunities.

Thank you for Votingus Best Airlinein Africa for 10 Years Running.

With over 25 destinations in Africa, SAA is not only taking you more places more often, we’ve also been voted Best Airline in Africa for 10 consecutive years at the Skytrax Awards. This, coupled with the coveted Best Staff Service in Africa Award is a result of 18 million passengers voting for the airline that best exceeded their expectations. So we’d like to thank you for voting for SAA. The more we win, the more we strive to serve you.

South African Airways. Bringing the World to Africa and taking Africa to the World.

Thanks to you, we have been voted Best Airline in Africa for 10 years running.

Visit fl ysaa.com/Skytrax to fi nd out more.

fl ysaa.com

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