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Expatriate SA Magazine Winter Issue 2011
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Z e n z o L u s e n g o : T h e E v o l u t i o n o f A M B• T h e l e g e n d o f L e w i s P u g h • D r . E k w o w S p i o - G a r b r a h • Z a m b i a n A s s o c i a t i o n
i n S o u t h A f r i c a • T h e Re b i r t h o f R w a n d a i r • To p j o b s i n t h e r e s t o f A f r i c a !
w w w . e x p a t r i a t e . c o . z a
I S S N 2 2 1 8 - 7 5 7 X
R 29.95 S A P r o f e s s i o n a l s o f F o r e i g n O r i g i n & F r i e n d s
Issue . 3 2011
Pamoja Capital (Pty) L imited Ground F loor, B lock B, Pareto Bui ld ing Nanyuki Off ice Park 69 Nanyuki Road Sunninghi l l Johannesburg South Afr ica. Te l : +27 11 234 7641 Fax: +27 11 234 7643 E-mai l : info@pamojacapital .co.za. Kenya Off ice: Pamoja Capital L imited Execut ive Bus iness Su i tes 3rd F loor, K-REP Centre Wood Avenue, K i l imani P.O. Box 51718 -00200 Nai robi , Kenya Tel : +254-20-2386842/3 or +254711029100 Fax: +254-20-80114502 E-mai l : info@pamojacapital .co.ke
KELE
LE 0
01 If you’re thinking of taking yourbusiness into Africa, take us with you.
Expanding your business into Africa can be a very smart strategic move. Many of our clients have done the
same and achieved successful growth. We believe they approached us because of our financial expertise
and know-how combined with our knowledge of and network in Africa. Before you make your next move,
speak to Pamoja Capital. Let’s put our expert entrepreneurial team on your team. They can help you navigate
your way into Africa, providing necessary and sound advice on all your transactions and funding options.
Our Africa team is ready to embark on your next venture. For further information call Pamoja Capital.
CA P I T A LPA M O J AD e f i n i n g P a t n e r s h i p
ContentsContents4 Editorial
5 The Rentabox Story
7 Expat-tivities
14 Zenzo Lusengo - The Evolution of AMB
18 The Rebirth of Rwandair
22 Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah
25 The Terrible Twenties
26 The Legend of Lewis Pugh
30 Expat-travel : Ethiopia
34 Economic Value Chain for Africa
36 Kewberg Cables
40 Malawian High Commissioner
42 Edwin Mwitumwa: Chair of ZASA
44 Apollo Segawa: The Matoke Millionaire
46 Expatriates and SA Based Wills
47 The Rise of Multi-cultural kids
48 Zambia’s Paul - The Bachelor SA
51 Nightlife in Pretoria
52 The Last Word ZAMBIAN BORN PAUL IS THE
BACHELOR OF SOUTH AFRICA
Read more on Pg 48
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ZASA
Millionaire
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04 EXPATRIATE
I am an ardent follower, a sworn
fan and die-hard patriot of the
Boston Celtics Basketball team. The
C’s, as they are fondly known in their
American state of Massachusetts,
have just been eliminated from the
national competition. These C’s mean
a lot to me so this is a depressed man
typing.
C for content is important for our
readers. We have therefore delivered
an additional four pages of content in
this issue as we continue our Expat-
trajectory in shaping this publication.
Whereas quantity is always good,
quality is even better. With that in
mind, we have lived up to our in-
house policy of improvement with
every issue.
Given the popularity of travel
stories in glossy publications, we
venture into the unique city that is
Addis Ababa in one of two Expat-
travel stories in this edition. In the
other story, we take a look at the
rejuvenation of Rwandair.
We continue to profi le some of
the thousands of decision makers of
foreign origin in our midst beginning
with Zenzo Lusengo’s sixteen year
journey with African Merchant
Bank then Kaguchia’s introduction
to Kewberg Cables and fi nally
Apollo Segawa, our pick of Jo’burgs
entrepreneurs with his Simple
Natures fruit juice brand.
Our coverage of associations
provides a two page spread on
the Zambian Association in South
Africa while our “Know your envoy”
interviewee is Agrina Mussa, the
lady at the helm of the Malawi High
Commission who has a CV that is as
impressive as her eloquence.
British born environmentalist
Lewis Pugh is the subject of my
column this quarter while DJ Paul Phiri
is our Expat-tainer having recently
won the MNET version of popular TV
show The Bachelor. Finally, we chat to
current CEO of the Commonwealth
Technology Organisation Dr. Garbrah
and publish the well-penned writing
of our contributors.
We thank our advertisers for
continued faith in this product. They
care about C for circulation. It will
please them to note a 25% increase
in our print run this edition as well
as a new look website developed to
signifi cantly augment online traffi c.
KC Rottok, CA (SA)
Creative & Fin. Journalism (Wits University)
Managing Editor.
CELTICS, CONTENT AND CIRCULATION
Publisher:
The Expatriate Forum and
Magazine (Pty) Limited
Reg. Number: 2010/012428/07
P O Box 4935, Randburg, 2125
Tel: +27 11 7917484
www.expatriate.co.za
General Manager:
Carol Malonza – [email protected]
Managing Editor:
KC Rottok – [email protected]
Deputy Editor and Content Advisor:
Leah Maina – [email protected]
Advertising and Event Enquiries
[email protected] or 0822146421
Edition Writers:
Keith Kundai
Hannington Kasirye
Yaw Peprah
Christine Asiko
Sheila Lynn Senkubuge
Contributors:
Prof. Michael Kachieng’a
Hesta van der Westhuizen
Karabo Morule
Art Direction, Design and Layout:
Mike Obrien
Cover Photography:
Chris Moore (011 022 1597)
Website:
Drutech Media (0781121311)
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.
© THE EXPATRIATE SA 2011
NOTE FROM THE EDITOR
e has been featured in
Destiny Man and GQ
magazines. He has also
appeared twice on Talk
Radio 702: on John Robbie’s prime
time slot and on Redi Thlabi’s show
for The Green Tip Of The Day. The
buzz revolves around his inexpensive
solution to taking away the headache
of moving premises while aiding the
environment. In a world that has
no option but to go green, a simple
idea from Kenyan born Eric Njuguna
looks to make cardboard boxes as
uncommon as the typewriter.
“For me, it makes no sense
for people to add to the cycle of
chopping trees by using cardboard
boxes when moving premises,”
Eric says, “These boxes add to the
headache of the process by getting
torn and you have to use new ones
every time while risking loss of items.
My idea is therefore to provide a
secure and environmental solution
that ultimately saves people time
and money.”
And the idea is as simple as
it promises. When faced with an
impending change of location,
visit www.rentabox.co.za and
order online. Within 24 to
48 hours they will deliver
lockable sturdy plastic boxes
to your house which you use
to ferry your stuff to your new
site. They give you some time to
unpack everything and visit you
at your new location to pick up the
boxes. All this at the ridiculously low
price of R1 per box per day.
“A person with a two bedroom
fl at would spend about R475 in
total for the Rentabox service,” Eric
estimates, “This is based on the rental
of about 25 boxes for the move.”
Other than people moving
house, Eric believes that his product
is useful for corporate entities as
well given the option to buy the eco
boxes at a competitive price.
“Think of sales guys who carry
boxes of information to make pitches
or auditors who have to carry fi les
from offi ce to client,” Eric cites, “They
could acquire boxes from us which
will be used for about 400 times
on average, practically a life time.
In addition, so many companies are
currently using cardboard boxes for
storage that are subject to damage
from such elements as water. Our
boxes are not only durable, they
allow compartmentalisation for ease
of fi ling.”
The response to Eric’s solution
has been so good, he recently quit his
high paying IT job to focus on what
has become a passion.
“Using the Rentabox solution as
opposed to these horrid cardboard
boxes is an absolute no brainer!” he
concludes.
www.rentabox.co.za
or call Eric on: 071 199 4371
H O W T H I S E X P A T U S E S
R 1 T O S I M P L I F Y M O V I N G
ExpaT-TivitieS
PIC 1 - 3 TANZANIA NATIONAL DAY, PRETORIA APRIL 2011 PIC 4 - 5 UGANDA’S CHAMELEON AT TSHWANE CITY HALLPIC 6 - DRC’S PAPA WEMBA AT SANKAYI
04 01
05 06
0203
07WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA
Visit www.expatriate.co.za for more info and pics.
EXPATRIATE ISSUE 2 LAUNCH EVENT
08 EXPATRIATE
ExpaT-TivitieS
Visit www.expatriate.co.za for more info and pics.
- LONDON ROAD PLAY, OLD MUTUAL THEATRE
09WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA
ExpaT-TivitieS
Visit www.expatriate.co.za for more info and pics.
1 - Kenya Airways staff at the golf day. 2 - Eric Malonza represents Expatriate magazine at the event. 3 - Entertainment at the golf day. 4 - Kenyan
artist Leena Shah left and Ambassador Amolo at the launch of Leena’s Art in Rosebank, Johannesburg. 5 - Simba Ngoma hosts DJ Adrian at Capital Cafe,
Rosebank. 6 - Liz Ogumbo performs at Moyos Restaurant, Melrose Arch.
03
01
0405
02 06
KENYA AIRWAYS GOLF DAY AND KENYAN ARTISTS IN JO’BURG
10 EXPATRIATE
ExpaT-TivitieS
Visit www.expatriate.co.za for more info and pics.
Pics courtesy of Michael Bonsu
GHANA INDEPENDENCE DAY:SOUTHERN SUN HOTEL AND HUSH JOHANNESBURG
11WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA
ExpaT-TivitieS
Visit www.expatriate.co.za for more info and pics.
FRENCH FESTIVAL, ALLIANCE FRANCAISE JOHANNESBURG
12 EXPATRIATE
ExpaT-TivitieS
Visit www.expatriate.co.za for more info and pics.
Zenzo Lusengo: The Evolution of AMB
14 EXPATRIATE
was born and raised in Harare to
a Zambian migrant father and
Zimbabwean mother. I completed
a Bachelor of Business Studies
Honours degree at The University of
Zimbabwe and got into banking by
accident. A friend, Raymond Ndlovu,
who worked in the Project Finance
division of Standard Chartered
Merchant Bank (SCMB) put my name
forward as a trainee in corporate
fi nance where I spent four years. In
1990 when Nelson Mandela was
released, South Africa began to look
quite attractive to me. Zimbabwe
was a small economy with only
about 60 listed entities and I had
already interacted
with most of the
prominent ones.
I therefore felt
that it was time
to move on and
joined Standard
Bank’s corporate
fi nance division in
Johannesburg in
December 1992.
Around 1993, the fi rst Black
Economic Empowerment (BEE) deals
began to happen. Amongst these was
the formation and listing of New
Africa Investments Limited (NAIL).
Based on the work that we did for
them, in May 1995 NAIL approached
a few members of Standard Bank’s
corporate fi nance team with the idea
of forming an investment bank for
the new dispensation. This gave birth
to Pleiade Investment Corporation
(Pleaide). The company had a mere
seven million rand start-up capital
making it an incredibly risky move
for me. My family and friends were
concerned that I was making a
mistake - leaving a stable bank for
an unknown entity. But I was 28
and viewed it as an entrepreneurial
opportunity. It would be great if it
worked and if didn’t, I would have at
least learnt some valuable lessons in
life.
One of our fi rst deals was acting
as transaction advisors when an
American company Southwestern
Bell Corporation (SBC) decided
to invest in MTN. Soon after the
conclusion of the SBC transaction,
we made contact with an American
investment bank called Donaldson
Lufkin & Jenrette (DLJ) who were
interested in investing in South
Africa, and following extensive
negotiations, DLJ acquired a 51%
stake in the business which was
thereafter renamed DLJ Pleiade.
Things were going swimmingly and
in 1994, when African Bank went
into curatorship, NAIL and AMB were
involved in rescuing it. As a part of
the process, African Bank acquired a
stake in our company thus giving us
additional capital.
With that capital injection, we
now had more than the R50 million
in primary capital that was required
to obtain a banking licence, which
we acquired towards the end of
1996. After obtaining our banking
license we became known as DLJ
African Merchant Bank and in 1997
our trajectory continued as we listed
AMB Holdings on the Johannesburg
Stock Exchange (JSE). We grew very
quickly boasting a staff complement
of about 150 at our peak in 1998.
AMB was the place to be, we worked
hard and played hard. I recall one
occasion when after a particularly
successful year, we took some
members of staff and their partners
on a cruise off the east coast of SA.
In 1998 there was a bull run in the
fi nancial services
companies listed
on the JSE and in
one week AMB
had a market
value of a billion
dollars. We had
listed at R8 a
share but by mid-
1998 we were
trading at R83 per
share. Fortunately
for shareholders, there were lock
in provisions that ensured that
management could not cash in their
shares. A year later in 1999, we did
a rights offer at R30 per share and
listed AMB Private Equity Partners
which resulted in additional capital
for our private equity investment
activities. We had quickly moved
from a simple advisory fi rm to a fully
fl edged investment bank involved in
corporate fi nance, treasury & trading,
private equity and structured fi nance.
One downside of being a listed
company was that the remuneration
of directors was published and as
“When African Merchant Bank was listed, we had to publish directors remuneration. So whenever I visited Zimbabwe, people would
know whether it had been a good or bad year for me and ask what it was like being worth
X million rand?!”
15WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA
16 EXPATRIATE
such people in Zimbabwe would
regularly view my total remuneration
to establish whether or not I was
having a good year. I had to contend
with such questions as: “What’s it
like being worth X million rand?”
In 2000, things started to go
pear-shaped. We had a squabble with
NAIL our controlling shareholder
which precipitated a decision by
NAIL to unbundle their shares. From
having one strong solid shareholder
with good BEE credentials, we
suddenly had a shareholder base
of about 20,000. Then there was a
banking crisis when a number of
banks went under. Consequently, our
banking licence was not making us
money and we eventually handed it
back to the Reserve Bank in 2001.
This was followed by staff cuts as we
adopted a model that was limited
to corporate fi nance, private equity
and hedge funds. We also opened an
operation in Ireland which we retain
to date with a country manager and a
few staff. A change in the leadership
in 2002 saw the founding CEO Rob
Dow step down for the current CEO,
Andrew Sprague. There was poor
market sentiment in our share price
going below the original listing price.
At one point in time, our net asset
value was higher than our share price
which triggered discussions on the
merits of delisting from the JSE.
In 2003 Allan Gray controlled
a 30% stake in the company (on
behalf of its clients) and rumours
began to fl oat that a hostile takeover
was imminent. We called on an old
friend at Investec South Africa and
our discussions resulted in Investec
fi nancing a management buy-out
(MBO) of the business. The MBO
ultimately worked out well for all
parties and by the end of 2009 we
had repaid Investec’s funding.
Now some may look at this story
and view it as “The Rise and Fall of
AMB”. I think of it as “The Evolution
of AMB”. Whereas being a listed
entity gives you visibility and enables
the use of your shares as currency
and to reward staff members, I do
not see the point of remaining listed
just for the sake of it. When we were
listed management owned about
15% of the company. Now, we are
six partners who control 100% of the
business. It is a lean structure that
works and we are able to harness
its full potential. Decision making
is quick and easy and we have full
control of a solid balance sheet.
On a personal level, I have given
a third of my life – a whole 16 years
- to this company. I am the longest
serving executive and it feels like I
have worked for about fi ve different
companies given all the changes the
company has been through from an
exciting start up, to a registered bank,
then a listed company and its current
form as a privately owned investment
banking business following the
successful MBO. There have been a
couple of lessons learnt along the
way; fi rstly it is important to go into
business with the right partners who
will add value; secondly, you need to
be cautious when you are growing
too quickly; and thirdly, partnerships
don’t necessarily last forever. When
you come together, your interests
are aligned but at some point this
can change and you may outgrow
each other.
I cannot therefore say that I
will be at the company “until death
do us part”. I consider myself a
Zimbabwean who has settled in
South Africa and so I will be really
happy to close some lucrative deals in
my country of origin for AMB. I think
the dollarisation of the economy has
improved the situation there even
though I do not think that coalition
governments are the answer to
governance in Africa. I would prefer a
ruling party that wins a free and fair
internationally monitored election.
That said, the signs in Zimbabwe are
good and I would be very pleased
to see the establishment of an AMB
Zimbabwe.
EXPAT-TITBITS :
Age 45. Has a passion
for music (R&B and
jazz). Married to
Patience Lusengo. Has
2 Daughters, Farai
and Alinaswe and a
Son,Charles. “Looking
forward to charging
lobola!”
NOW WITH MORE SPACEIN ECONOMY CLASS.
Arrive relaxed and refreshed for that all important business meeting on our Airbus 340-200 from
Go to
AND, LIE-FLAT SEATS IN BUSINESS CLASS.
TT
G/100/28
THE REBIRTH
OF RWANDAIR
wandair Express began
operations on 1st December
2002 as the new national
carrier (passenger Air
transportation as the core activity)
for Rwanda with a concession to carry
out airport ground handling (ancillary
activity) at Kigali International
Airport, Kanombe.
In 2009, the airline rebranded from
Rwandair Express to RwandAir and
added the tagline “Fly our dream to
the heart of Africa” at the same time.
The rebranding has been matched by
an impressive expansion of its fl eet
and the number of destinations in a
bid to achieve its corporate mission
of “providing unsurpassed, safe and
reliable services in air transportation,
including strategically linking
Rwanda with the outside world, while
ensuring a fair return on investment”.
The airline now serves most East
African community capital cities with
daily fl ights and fl ies to Johannesburg
and Dubai three times a week. Its
fl eet comprises two Boeing 737-500,
two Bombardier CRJ200 and a Dash
8. A further two Boeing 737-800 are
set to join the fl eet in the course of
2011. The two Boeing 737-800 NG
will be the fi rst of their kind to be
owned by an African carrier since
they are fi tted with the “Sky Interior”
concept adopted from the Boeing
787.
In March 2011, the airline launched
direct fl ights from her operating hub
in Kigali to Brazzaville in the Republic
of Congo. The new route sees the
carrier undertake three weekly fl ights
on Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
In a statement to the press, RwandAir
CEO, John Mirenge, announced that
19WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA
ExpaT-Travel
the airline has been evaluating a
number of destinations west of Kigali
with a view to link Central and West
African cities with East Africa.
“We are looking at growing our
network to the west whilst at the
same time doing it in a way that will
support our existing routes especially
Dubai,” he said.
Brazzaville became the ninth
destination to be added to the
RwandAir network and its fi rst this
year. The city, which is home to over
one third of the Republic of Congo
population, lies just across River
Congo from Kinshasa.
To add to the strides made by
the airline in 2011, RwandAir
and Société Internationale de
Télécommunications Aéronautiques
R
(SITA) have entered into
various agreements that will allow
the national carrier acquire some key
travel solutions, which will improve
its service offering through better
distribution and customer retention.
These solutions include the SITA
e-commerce platform which will
allow for e-ticket distribution on
the RwandAir website with credit
card payment facility. The system
went live in the second quarter of
2011. The airline will also be getting
the Horizon FrequentFlyer system
as part of its customer relationship
management.
“We want to make it convenient for
customers to access our services by
taking advantage of the reach of the
Internet and emerging e-commerce
applications. The SITA e-commerce
platform will not only provide a
new booking option for customers
already familiar with our airline
and its services, but also help us
reach more international travellers
around the world.” said RwandAir’s
Head of Marketing & Corporate
Communications Michael Otieno.
“The prospect of having the miles
based reward program from SITA will
not only help us recognize and
reward our frequent fl yers but we
will also be better placed to learn
more about them and their travel
needs”, he added.
Late last year, the airline partnered
with local mobile telephone
companies in Rwanda and Burundi
to provide fl ight schedule services
on SMS. The airline plans to make
20 EXPATRIATE
ExpaT-Travel
mobile ticket sales and
check in a possibility for its
customers and is currently putting
up an in house call center facility to
help it manage better-inbound and
outbound calls.
Just like the country to which it is
affi liated, RwandAir has clearly been
reborn. With continuous changes
aimed at achieving its vision of
“being the airline of choice in the
markets we serve”, the only way is
up for what was previously a little
known player in the African Aviation
industry.
(SITA) have entered into
various agreements that will allow
the national carrier acquire some key “The prospect of having the miles
mobile ticket sales and
check in a possibility for its
t d i tl tti
LUNCHWITH DR EKWOW SPIO-GARBRAH, RECENT TELKOM SA DIRECTOR
22 EXPATRIATE
r. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah
is a Ghanaian national
who is currently the
Chief Executive Offi cer
of the Commonwealth Technology
Organisation (CTO) in London. He is
also the former ambassador of Ghana
to the United States of America and
served as a government minister
during the regime of Jerry John
Rawlings. I had lunch with the man
who until recently was a director of
Telkom South Africa and who some
believe will one day be the President
of Ghana. In the brief encounter at a
Johannesburg hotel, I only got to ask
four questions to which I received
loaded answers.
What is your opinion of what
is going on in Africa at the moment
with the rebellions in the North
and coalitions in the Sub Saharan
region?
Africa is going through another
phase of its political evolution. There
was the independence era when we
got rid of colonial masters. Then the
military rulers took over. They did not
have adequate knowledge of public
administration and economics and
so this was soon replaced by western
style democracy with civilian rulers.
The leadership in North Africa is
largely made up of 30 year old family
regimes which have over the years
proved not to be as uncorrupted as
people presumed. High food costs
have also caused people to take to
the streets. In Sub Saharan Africa,
democracy is also not working
particularly well as evidenced by the
situation in Cote D’Ivoire, Zimbabwe
and Kenya. The problem is the
winner-takes-all structure where
those belonging to the ethnic group
of the ‘defeated’ candidate feel like
they will be in the cold for fi ve years
and therefore refuse to accept defeat.
The challenge therefore is to fi gure
out how to let others feel like winners
even when they lose elections. We
need to structure it in such a way
that we are able to share benefi ts of
growth and development equitably.
What is the situation like in Ghana
and what is your view of Ghanaians
in the Diaspora?
In Ghana we have a winner takes
all set-up which works, but only on
a superfi cial level. More than fi fty
percent of the population is not
on board and those that fall in this
category are perceived to be enemies
of the state. We are therefore only
tapping into fi fty percent of the
talent pool and must fi nd a way of
tapping into the rest for growth and
development. One does not have
to be a minister to be a member of
government. Using
technology we can
turn brain drain
into brain gain
whereby someone
in Diaspora can
use the knowledge
and experience
gained in their positions to be part
of a government task force. We need
to know where these people are
and identify their skills set. Many in
Diaspora would like to contribute to
the economic development of their
home countries but may not be in
a position to physically move back.
The proliferation of ICT’s the world
over has made it possible for them
to make meaning contributions from
wherever they are. The onus now lies
with governments to fi nd a way to
tap into these resources.
We also need the right leaders.
As Minister of Education, I established
the Ghana Education Trust Fund
where a portion of the amount spent
on purchasing goods went to funding
education and the development
of expertise. We need leaders who
embrace new ideas. With so many
online groups, governments need
to use them to benefi t the country
rather than treating them with
suspicion.
My challenge to Ghanaians in
the Diaspora is that they should take
an interest in their country. They
don’t need to go back but they can
send ideas. The differences in per
capita income around the world is
the reason people migrate but the
desire to go back home may not
necessarily be economically driven.
I left a USD10,000 a month job at
the Africa Development Bank to earn
USD 500 a month as a government
minister in Ghana. Not everyone
believes in such a sacrifi ce when
going into government but they need
to understand that this institution is
not a dividend sharing enterprise.
What was your experience as a
director of Telkom South Africa and
what is your view of technology in
Africa?
I was appointed to the board by
the Mbeki regime when Telkom was
considering various opportunities
outside the country. I served for three
years during which I was perhaps too
independent minded and adhered
too strictly to the principles of
corporate governance. Some months
before my tenure was over, I was
asked to invite myself to pursue
other things and that was that.
Africa is very behind in
technology. We barely invent or
manufacture anything. Even in South
Africa, manufacturing in say the
vehicle industry has to be done under
licence from abroad. In terms of
original research and development,
we barely invest anything here.
There should be policies to force
manufacturers from abroad to spend
a certain percentage of their revenue
on research and development. A lot
of work needs to be done to make
Africa not just
a consumer of
foreign technology
but also a part of
the global value
chain. As minister
for education,
I banned the
importation of chalk which spurred
the local industry. But soon after,
the regime changed and the new
government recommenced the
importation of chalk. We talk about
making the right change and when
you get into government, people
push a few envelopes your way and
you forget what you are there to do.
Given your extensive life
lessons, what would be your advise
to young professionals?
First, try and discover your
purpose on earth early. We all have
different talents and some people
only fi nd out when they are too old
to do anything about it. They are
still sorting their destinies out in the
“I left a USD10,000 a month job at the Africa Development Bank to earn USD 500 a
month as a government minister. Not everyone believes in such sacrifi ce....”
23WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA
cemetery. Do not end up like that.
Secondly, invest in developing
your skills by pursuing education
hopefully with the support of those
around you.
Thirdly, be as entrepreneurial as
possible so as not to be too heavily
dependent on others. Learn about
business development, accounting
and marketing so that whatever
00 EXPATRIATE
business idea you pursue can
withstand.
Finally, as an individual,
you should have strong values
particularly integrity. At one point
you will have to assume a position of
leadership and you should therefore
be able to represent other peoples’
interests and not just your own.
- KC Rottok
THE TERRIBLE TWENTIES“It’s the period where you make the decision to no longer be the person who
falls asleep at work because you partied until 4.45 a.m. the previous night.”
he Terrible Twenties”, a
rollercoaster era whose
ups and downs make you
realise how little you know
about life. This era is characterised by
the pursuit of excellence, the desire
and determination to set up your
own company and be the next African
on the Forbes list, the planning of
a trip to Mauritius (with a one way
ticket ) where you ‘relax’ on the
beach and waitress to make enough
money to get back as you fi gure out
how to make it through the rest of
this life, because the hustle, bustle
and rat race are really not for you…
or are they?
It’s the period where you make the
decision to no longer be the girl/guy
who falls asleep at work because you
partied until 4.45 a.m. the previous
night. Where you vow that you
are done with clubbing - that’s for
university students, you are now a
professional - to which end you meet
for a series of coffees with ‘sensible
friends’ at decent hours, attend
gallery openings, go to expensive
poetry sessions paying tribute to
Yeats, Shakespeare and Wordsworth.
It’s about getting home after your
‘night of culture’, fi nding yourself
bored stiff and proceeding to plan
a clubbing session for the following
night. So much for the vows.
The crux of the Terrible Twenties
though, is the “It’s time to move
out phase”. You proudly announce
your decision to the family who
obligingly accompany you on the
hunt for the perfect cosmopolitan
apartment (which turns out to
be a tad more cramped than you
anticipated) and you sign the lease.
You are after all doing this on your
own aren’t you? Inevitably, the time
comes to buy furniture, groceries
and other decorative titbits in a bid
to making your new ‘cosmopolitan
apartment’ as cosy as your room at
home. Slowly, you begin to realize
that things are not adding up and,
with your tail between your legs, you
‘borrow’ a TV from home, crockery
from your sister, petrol card from
your elder brother…before you
know it, you fi nd yourself moving
back home, and realize that you are
surprisingly happy to do so! Surely
independence can wait another year
or two?
Decisions about life partners are
an eternal fi xture during the Terrible
Twenties, today the theme song of
life could be “ Independent women”,
but after meeting that friend of a
friend’s friend…well, tomorrow,
number one on the play list could be
“I am nothing without you’. *sigh*
Determined to be respected at all
costs, we quit our jobs because we
refuse to be dictated to and would
rather starve than not be true to
ourselves. It is however not long
before we cringe at the thought
of being unable to pay our gym
membership after two months which
prompts us to quietly crawl back
to the same position, in a different
organisation where we are suddenly
convinced that we are fulfi lling our
life’s purpose.
In spite of this, the Terrible
Twenties are not so much Terrible as
Triumphant. They truly are (excuse
the cliché) about “fi nding one’s self”.
People say that 30 is the new 20. That
at 30, things get better, more exciting
and more fabulous. Independence
is no longer an illusion but a reality,
a solid and well maintained one.
The confusion and uncertainty are
lessened and that Mauritius trip now
includes a return ticket. Best of all, by
30, you have usually “found yourself”
and are unapologetic about it. As for
that life partner? Well, by the time
30 arrives, you usually have a much
clearer idea of what it is that you
are looking for and that makes the
search more enjoyable.
So, here’s to a few more years on the
rollercoaster. Fortunately, according
to very reliable sources, the real
fun has yet to begin. To those in the
Terrible Twenties, enjoy the ride and
to our close counterparts, the Thriving
Thirties, you make it look good. We
look forward to getting there!
Sheila Lynn Senkubuge is a communication
pathologist based in Pretoria.
Email [email protected]
ExpaT-TalK
THE LEGEND OF LEWIS
RAWTALK BY ROTTOK
received an invite to attend a
presentation by British born
South African long distance
swimmer Lewis Pugh at the
Sandton Convention Centre late last
year. You may have seen him in the
Investec TV ads immersing himself
in the icy waters of the North Pole
as, in the background, a narrator with
a strong British accent talks of the
“Out of the Ordinary”. The fact that
the organisers had to change from
a smaller venue to one that could
accommodate a couple of hundred,
is testament to the public interest in
the man.
Lewis takes the stage. He is the
picture of simplicity dressed in an
un-tucked light blue shirt, an old pair
of blue jeans and a pair of all stars.
“A normal indoor swimming pool
is about 27 degrees centigrade,” he
opens and immediately gets down
to business assisted by a projected
photograph of him diving into the
North Pole waters, “11 for the cold
sea off Camps Bay and fi ve for
the water that killed the Titanic
passengers. Fresh water freezes at
zero. This salt water here in which
I swam a kilometre is about minus
one point seven degrees. It’s freaking
freezing!”
Laughter greets this introduction
and Lewis goes on to tell the tale of his
many ground breaking swims across
the world. After the presentation, I
bought a copy of his book “Achieving
the Impossible” which was on sale
and it proved to be a delightful read.
The well written paperback is
a life story that begins with his
description of his journey into South
Africa. Probably every expatriate
remembers their fi rst encounter
with this beautiful country. Pugh’s
description of his is fantastic.
“I had read about the Statue of Liberty
standing guard and welcoming
immigrants to America as they sailed
into New York,” he writes, “Table
Mountain had the same effect on me
as RMS St Helena slowly steamed
past Robben Island into Cape Town
Harbour. If this was Africa, I wanted
more of it.”
His introduction to South Africa
as a child was not a very pleasant
one with most kids who had a
‘general antipathy towards England’
regarding him a “pom”. From the
book, you gather that his British roots
have remained strong. He reveals in
seventh chapter that the fact that
he still felt British drew him back to
England to work at a London law fi rm
and attempt to become an offi cer in
the British Army.
Ironically, when he was
retrenched, he worried that it was
because he was South African. Later
in the book, he discusses that as he
becomes famous, the question of
whether he is South African or British
comes to the fore. He writes: “South
Africans regarded me as one of
theirs.... though I loved South Africa,
26 EXPATRIATE
I felt more British. The question of
what nationality you feel yourself to
be is an evolving one and relates to a
degree on where you are living.”
The identity issues aside, the
book is largely about his love for the
water and his determination several
times to achieve what no man had
achieved before. It is written in a
manner that encourages others
to drive themselves. The reader
is likely to identify with much of
the content as it centres on taking
on challenges which is part of any
human experience. The quote on the
back cover sums it up very well: “Each
one of us, however ordinary we may
appear, is capable of extraordinary
acts. When you believe in yourself,
you can achieve the impossible.”
I particularly identifi ed with
his story about the very beginning
of his adventures when the many
nay Sayers said he would not join
the ranks of the few people to ever
swim from Robben Island to Cape
Town. He says proving them wrong
made this swim the most exalting
one. Another highlight for me was
the way in which he brings out
the dilemma that many face; be
miserable in a well paying career or
pursue something less lucrative that
makes you happy. Page two fi fty nine
tells you what choice he made: “I was
rich in experience but penniless....my
three years of full-time swimming
had been vastly more rewarding than
the years I’d worked in maritime
law.”
Whereas he had not excelled on
the monetary front, Lewis emerged
as a champion for the environment.
The main reason for risking his life
swimming in sub zero water was to
draw the world’s attention to global
warming. As he put it: “You shouldn’t
be able to swim across the North
Pole. It should be frozen over.”
As a result of that swim, he got
to speak to highly placed people
about climate change including the
likes of Tony Blair and appeared on
highly rated American TV shows such
as Jay Leno’s Tonight Show.
Although the book is not a-laugh-
a-minute, there are moments that
“The main reason for risking his life
swimming in sub zero water was to
draw the world’s attention to global
warming. As he put it: “You shouldn’t
be able to swim across the North Pole.
It should be frozen over.”
will make you giggle such as his
anecdote of swimming in a semi-
circle in Lake Malawi due to his fear
of hippos.
Overall, it is a good and inspiring
read. The sixteen page pictorial in
the middle of the publication adds a
handy visual account to a compelling
story. It also has several good quotes
which I think years from now people
will refer to. “...the power of a made
up mind. You don’t plan for defeat
and success at the same time,” was
one that stood out for me.
My only criticism is that the
page numbers on the contents
page are incorrect, a minor
fl aw that you can ignore. That’s
just me being an editor.
KC Rottok is Technical Partner at RSM
Betty and Dickson (Johannesburg)
email [email protected]
RAWTALK BY ROTTOK
NEED TO SEND GOODS TO KENYA? CONTACT US FOR A QUOTE
Freight Forwarding, Logistics and PackagingReg. No. 2002/009367/23
P.O Box 2707, Houghton 2041 • Cellphone: + 27 83 321 2853 • Fax: 086 514 0128No. 5 Sim Road, Pomona, Kempton Park, 1619 • Email: [email protected]
28 EXPATRIATE
E T H
y boss recently
instructed me to travel
to Ethiopia. Hoping
to be better prepared
by conducting some ‘pre-travel
research’, I emailed my well travelled
friend Ohanga for some information.
A couple of hours later I received this
reply:
“Well, there’s some good food at the
Zebra Grill on Bole road in the capital
Addis Ababa. They do have a sour
tasting thing called ‘injera’ -which I
doubt you will enjoy-and even
m o r e
bizarre, is that uncooked meat is a
delicacy there. Their best beer is St
Georges and there are a couple of
good nightclubs like Memo.
The price for most commodities
will be quoted in dollars when
they actually mean birr, their local
currency. The local scenery is also
worth a mention, Ethiopian women
are drop dead gorgeous. English is
scarcely spoken and when done,
connectors are largely superfl uous.
Please don’t forget to carry some
Axumit wine back as a gift for your
friends; it’s indigenous and very
sweet. Stay away from Saba
Tej, the local brew, we were
told it is the medicine for real
men.
Have a Safe trip.”
My research done, I
boarded a comfortable
Ethiopian Airlines
fl ight for Addis
Ababa a few days
later. It was quite
an eventful trip
and as soon as I got
back, I eagerly wrote
back to Ohanga letting
him know how it went.
“Ethiopia was very much like you
promised. When I arrived, I befriended
a toothless cab driver called Chernet.
His box-shaped “Lada” was a Russian-
made excuse for a car that was so
old it had surpassed the maximum
kilometre reading. He was however
quite resourceful so despite fearing
that the car would fall apart at any
moment, I decided to retain him for a
drive around town that evening.
He arrived at about 10pm, white-
less smile in tow. English, or more
appropriately the lack thereof, is as
you described – not a conjunction
in sight. “We go
music and woman”
is what the man
thought I wanted to
hear.
We headed to
Memos club which
initially played
American music
but as midnight approached, the
monotonous din of Amharic tunes
began to rule without interruption. To
the untrained ear, it sounds like one
very long song that never ends so I did
not last very long on the dance fl oor.
Instead, I sat close by and watched the
locals engage in a very entertaining
dance.
You were right about the women.
One would not be blamed for thinking
that entrance for ladies was limited to
those who prevail upon the barometer
of beauty. I am yet to see a bigger
collection of angelic faces outside of
a carefully casted TV show. Sensing
I was foreign, a number of ‘working
girls’ approached me with steep
“It was a great privilege to visit what is perhaps the most
unique country on this continent.”
31WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA
H I O P I A 1 3 M O N T H S O F G O R G E O U S W O M E N
ExpaT-Travel
32 EXPATRIATE
demands. I fi nally discovered a place
where dark skin is actually the colour
of money. Man to man, all I can say is
that this is most certainly a city with
plenty of A Dis and A Dat for a Baba.
I decided to call it a night and headed
back to the hotel.
The following morning, Chernet
took me to Haile Selassie’s tomb which
is placed next to that of his (Selassies)
wife at the back end of a historic
chapel. The tomb is made of beautiful
grey marble and is placed upon four
creative platforms in the shape of a
lion’s paws. This is fi tting as the former
emperor wielded power similar to
that of the king of the jungle and not
only locally. Years after his death, he
remains a kind of messianic fi gure in
Rastafari culture, a relationship that
persists as evidenced by a group of
Jamaicans living in Shashemene, a
village south of Addis Ababa.
My visit to the museum thereafter
was quite informative as a trail up and
down the massive hall documents the
various empires of the only country
in Africa never to be colonized. The
archaeological remains of a famous
fi gure in the timeline of human
evolution christened ‘Lucy’ can also
be found here.
At lunch, I indulged in some
‘injera’ with ribs and contrary to your
initial assessment, I loved it! It was so
good I demolished it in seconds. I also
managed a sip of the near-blinding
Saba Tej which made me instantly
dizzy and induced a high two minute
fever. I spent the afternoon in the
Mekhato which I came to learn is a
leading contender for the title of
Africa’s largest market. Gold items,
Ethiopian clothing and wine were
all sold at what seemed to me to be
throwaway prices. I also purchased
their unique calendar that has thirteen
months and is written in their ancient
alphabet.
My fl ight out of Ethiopia was mostly
uneventful. I slept most of the way
only to be woken up for landing by a
sweet smelling goddess shouting in
her broken English “Give it to me!”
It’s a pity she was only referring to the
blanket.
All in all, it was a great privilege to
visit what is perhaps the most unique
country on this continent.”
- KC Rottok
iiiiirrrrtr eeeeeeeeeeeeeennn
ncncncnccccccnccieieieieieieieieiennntnttt
mostttttlylylylyly
eeeee eee wwwawwwwww y yyyyy
g g ggg bybybybybybybybyby aa
inininining ggg ininininininnin
mmmmmmmmmee!e!eeeeeeee ”
tttttooooooo ththththththththeeeeeeee
egegegegege tototototo
uuuuninininin quququuqueeeeeeee
ExpaT-Travel
Sub - Saharan Africa:
N e w E c o n o m i c Va l u e - C h a i n f o r J o b C r e a t i o nince the start of the global
fi nancial crisis, job creation
has been the main focus of
all governments especially
those in the emerging economies of
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This need
has triggered a nearly convulsive
political response in Africa, given
that the majority of elections are
won and lost on the back of the state
of an economy
and the mindset of
the wage earners.
The SSA’s
t e c h n o l o g i c a l
assets and human capital must
facilitate the transformation of
national resources into globally
marketable products and services.
The problem in SSA is that corruption
of epidemic proportions in both
the public and private sectors has
increased the cost of doing business
resulting in uncompetitive and
curtailed growth of the Small Medium
Enterprises (SMEs) which are the main
sources of new job creation globally.
SSA governments
can do little in the
short-term to
g e n e r a t e
permanent jobs. Infrastructure
development will always create
some seasonal jobs. The underlying
economics of job creation is deeper
than a government’s periodic
investment in infrastructure
expansions. Long-term job creation
depends on smart policies which
promote economic competitiveness.
Global experience has shown that
the job creation machine has
always been private enterprise.
The good news is that SSA
has become the most competitive
investment destination in the world.
In the course of the next two decades,
Africa is likely to see high growth in
the private sector driven by private
equity capital. Both the World Bank
and IMF have predicted that
Africa will be the epicentre of
global economic growth but to
generate new jobs, we need to create
new demands in the economy as
this is a sign of economic prosperity.
However, the African population
has been over-indebted and under-
employed. The New SSA must not
be good for tourism only but also at
manufacturing export products and
services. The economic dynamics
of the export
trade normally
s t i m u l a t e s
domestic demand
leading to jobs
creation. The
most positive economic sign for
SSA is that the global economy
is pulling out of recession and
therefore promoting the movement
of investment capital to Africa.
Professor Michael Ogembo Kachieng’a is a
Biomedical Engineering Scientist and Professor
of Technological Entrepreneurship at the
Graduate School of Technology Management,
University of Pretoria. He is a member of
New York Academy of Sciences.(michael.
“Both the World Bank and IMF have predicted that Africa will be the epicentre of global economic growth but to generate new jobs the region needs to
create economic demand.”
ExpaT-Talk
“We have improved our value added business and increased capacity...”
36 EXPATRIATE
ranscentury is one of
the most respected
organisations in East Africa
given the immense success
of the group in various industries
in the region. The most well known
subsidiary of Transcentury is leading
cable manufacturer East African
Cables (EAC). Hence it was not
surprising that when they sort to
widen their investment portfolio, the
result was the acquisition of Kewberg
Cables in South Africa among other
initiatives on the continent. The
manufacturing entity in Alberton
in the south of Johannesburg was
acquired in late 2007. In the beginning
of 2008, Kenyan James Kaguchia took
over as CEO and recently he took
time off a busy schedule to discuss
the enterprise with us.
Tell us about yourself and
your personal experience with
Transcentury, particularly the
transition to heading Kewberg
Cables?
When I arrived, the corporate
environment struck me as different
to what I was used to. It was a
very mixed group of employees
with a largely white management
which we retained. I experienced
a bit of culture shock in the work
environment as there appeared to
be a serious lack of urgency here.
On a personal level, I was far away
from the shareholders and my family
who only joined me six months
later. I was also in a remote area
of a new city and not accustomed
to getting around. However, I am
more settled now having befriended
a number of people. I have also
become accustomed to my position.
My management style varies seeing
as I pay attention to detail when it
comes to administration and fi nance
but I am willing to just look at the
big picture when I am on the factory
Kewberg Cables, Transcentury’s Entry into SA
fl oor. You can always tell how things
are progressing by going down to
the fl oor rather than looking at the
paperwork so I make a point of going
there about three times a day.
What are the core products of
Kewberg and who are your key
clients?
Kewberg has certifi cation from
the South African Bureau of Standards
for the manufacture of specialised
cables. Contractors and engineers
discuss what type of solution the
client is looking for and we then
design the cable according to their
requirements. Our main product
lines are cables for instrumentation
and control used by mining and
petrochemical entities such as the
National Refi nery, Sasol, Anglo
platinum and Anglo gold. These relate
to different products such as pull key
cables for deep mine communication
and the miners helmet cables. We
are actually market leaders in this
37WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA
area and export to India, Poland and
Australia. Another major client is
Eskom through subcontractors for
whom we manufacture specialised
cables. We are also leading
manufacturers in cables for the
security and safety industry. Other
sectors we serve include the airline
industry and military who we supply
a whole host of cables including
defence specifi cation cables and
runway lighting cables.
In your view, what are the
challenges that Kewberg faces?
Our main raw material is copper
which we import from Zambia, Dubai
and India. There are issues here with
supply logistics as well as managing
the price. Skills are also a problem in
our industry as entities are mainly
run by apprentices rather than
engineers who are diffi cult to fi nd. :
We remain committed to improving
our Black Economic Empowerment
(BEE) credentials and continue to
make signifi cant strides in this area.
38 EXPATRIATE
The largest manufacturer in South
Africa manufactures low voltage
cables based on longer lengths. We
on the other hand are short oriented
and are therefore a more value-
added manufacturer.
How has Kewberg performed
since acquisition by Transcentury?
Subsequent to the acquisition, we
received the ISO 9001 certifi cation.
We have also improved our value
added business and increased
capacity if you consider our tonnage
per month. Our instrumentation and
control cables used to be 23% in
terms of product mix which we have
pushed up to approximately 40%.
This has insulated us from the harsh
effects of costly imports as well as
competition. Our margins have also
improved.
In 2009, we had a loss of revenue
arising from changes in metal
price in that year. The recession
resulted in reduced purchasing
power from the customer but this
neither led to restructuring nor did
it stall our expansion plans. Overall
the improvement in fi nancial
performance and capacity has been
over 42% since taking over. From
2008, we have spent a signifi cant
amount on expansion and the
benefi ts of this are expected to be
seen in this fi nancial year.
What plans are in place for the
company going forward?
Well the board has approved measures
to improve our BEE compliance. We
intend to relook procurement as well
as do extensive enterprise support.
We have plans to increase spending
in social development and improve
our employment equity score
through training.
Additional capital expenditure
has also been earmarked for
the building of new production
facilities and we have put aside
funds towards our plan to expand
our product offering. We will bring
in new equipment so as to offer a
full basket as we have realised our
customers are also buying low and
medium voltage cables. We would
like to also partner with providers
of fi bre optic solutions and in this
respect we are in discussions with a
leading manufacturer in Asia.
A G R I N A M U S S A , M A L A W I H I G H C O M M I S S I O N E R N e w E c o n o m i c Va l u e - C h a i n f o r J o b C r e a t i o n
“I concur with the notion that the problems being experienced in Africa are as a result of women being excluded from decision making in spite of being the majority.”
escribe your background
before coming to South
Africa?
I served on a number of
Boards including holding the position
of the chair of the Electricity Supply
Commission of Malawi (ESCOM)
and chair of the National Food
Reserve Agency. I am still a director
of the Foundation of International
Community Assistance, a large
micro-fi nance institution whose
headquarters are in the USA.
Is it challenging to be a female
diplomat?
Having been the fi rst female
President of the Malawi Confederation
of Chambers of Commerce, I am
aware that the challenge as a woman
decision maker is to work extra hard
to prove your potential. As an envoy,
you have to cover more than one
area and be on top of both economic
and social matters. It helps being
a woman as we are natural multi-
taskers. I have learnt a lot in this role
including having to smile when you
don’t feel like smiling!
What do you perceive to be your
biggest challenge as envoy to
South Africa?
SA is our major trading partner
and we signed a Joint Commission
of Cooperation in 2007. It is
my responsibility to enhance
collaboration within the framework
of this agreement as well as woo
investors to Malawi. These bilateral
relations are the focus of the High
Commission while the consulate
in Johannesburg is responsible for
attending to the needs of expatriate
Malawians such as the renewal of
passports.
What can you tell us about the
Malawians living in South Africa?
Malawians have been coming to
work in South Africa for over 70 years
now so it is not surprising that there
is a large community here. Migration
to South Africa is particularly easy
for us given the relative proximity.
They were affected during the recent
xenophobic attacks and we were
very grateful for the support of the
South African government. Our own
government also stepped in and
provided buses to repatriate some of
those affected back to Malawi.
Tell us about your family.
I am married and have four children;
Esnat, Moi, Grace and Henry Junior.
Unfortunately we lost Henry Junior,
my youngest son, in a tragic road
accident in 2004. I have a daughter in
law Kondanani and a grand-daughter
Agrina Junior. My husband is still
based in Malawi and visits from time
to time. Some of my children joined
me here which is a blessing. It is a
lonely affair for those diplomats here
who live in big houses without any
members of their family.
What are you passionate about?
I am passionate about the
empowerment of women because
when a woman is empowered
the whole family is empowered.
The major responsibilities in the
African household are managed
by the woman hence the need to
economically empower her. I concur
with the notion that the problems
being experienced in Africa are as a
result of women being excluded from
decision making in spite of being
the majority. Major socio-economic
issues cannot be effectively solved if
women are sidelined.
What do you do in your spare time?
I love reading which is a hobby I
credit my father for nurturing in
me. As a teacher and preacher, he
always encouraged his children to
read. I am so passionate about books
now that whenever I have excess
luggage it is because of carrying
heavy books. I am particularly
passionate about educational and
inspirational material. I like the
Expatriate magazine in this respect.
I fi nd it inspiring from the point
of view that it has a positive angle
to it which is a welcome break
from all the demoralising things
we see about Africa in the news. I
think it is a wonderful idea and
is very professionally done.
- Carol Malonza
Know Your Envoy
40 EXPATRIATE
No one plans to fail, but many fail to plan
Karabo Morule, Strategy and Marketing Executive at Old Mutual, explains:
Interest rate and infl ation rate fl uctuations as well as the volatility of the market play an integral part in achieving your fi nancial goals and dreams.
It is critical that your disposable income is allocated wisely – whether to reduce household debt or to commit to disciplined contractual savings to benefi t of compound interest. Compound interest is when you earn interest on the interest already earned by your money. High infl ation lower the purchasing power of the rand – when infl ation is high the cost of bread will increase. Therefore, you need to save more than the current infl ation rate to grow your wealth.
If you don’t get your fi nances right, you can’t get your future right. And because this is so crucial, fi nancial decisions cannot be taken lightly.
A fi nancial plan is unique to each person as everyone’s goals and dreams are different. Good advice for your neighbour is not necessarily good advice for you. The critical take out is that it is not about the “right advice” – it is about “advice that is right for you.”
Crafting a fi nancial plan requires a partnership between you and your fi nancial adviser, and its success depends wholly on your commitment. The advice process is structured to ensure that your needs are analysed and understood, shortfalls are identifi ed, and recommendations are made to address the shortfalls that are in your best interest. A fi nancial plan also creates the platform to review progress towards goals on an ongoing basis as your circumstances change.
Current market volatility puts pressure on you to stick to your plan. This can lead to you making emotional decisions which could have detrimental impacts on your fi nancial plan. It is therefore crucial to speak to your adviser fi rst, so that he or she may help you to live within your means today and still plan for the future.
“We want to enable our customers to have a positive future and be the best they can be by utilising the wisdom that we have gathered over the last 165 years. With a myriad of solutions available, we encourage you to seek the advice of an accredited fi nancial adviser who will assist in developing a fi nancial plan. The fi nancial plan provides you with the framework to maintain control over your fi nances and achieve fi nancial freedom and security,” says Morule.
Developing a fi nancial plan and accepting the counsel of a fi nancial adviser as coach and partner is a commitment to making dreams a reality.
For more info on getting expert fi nancial advice, contact Karabo Moleke , Manager: Regional Marketing, Personal Financial Advice: Johannesburg Region, Tel: 011 217 1316, Mobile: 082 758 3196, Email: [email protected]
NEPAD’S EDWIN MWITUMWA: THE CHAIR OF ZAMBIANS IN SA
eet Edwin Mununga
Mwitumwa, Head of
Administrative Services
at the New Partnership
for African Development (NEPAD).
Mwitumwa arrived in South Africa
from his home town of Lusaka
Zambia in 2005 to take up a position
as the Regional Finance Offi cer at
the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP). He moved to
his current post from the UNDP in
2007. This after having decided to
stay in South Africa in spite of the
culture shock he initially experienced
when he arrived.
“Many things are different here if
compared to Zambia,” he notes, “For
example, when I fi rst arrived, I tried
to purchase a car and offered the
dealer cash assuming this would
get me a better price as this is
customary in the rest of Africa. He
laughed loudly before informing
me that he preferred a fi nance
transaction as the bank would give
him a commission. I realised that
he was not really a salesman but an
agent for the bank.”
Mwitumwa is still a bachelor which
he says made the decision to
relocate an easy one.
His stay here
has been
further enhanced by his election
to the position of Chairman of the
Zambian Association in South Africa
(ZASA).
“I was briefl y vice chairman of
the association before my elevation
at the elections which happen once
every two years. There was a feeling
within the membership that there
was a need for change. There is a need
to integrate the community and stem
current fragmentation. There was an
amorphous aspect to ZASA such that
even the High Commission viewed us
as just another social grouping that
came to life when there was
need for
funeral arrangements or to welcome
a Zambian musician who is in town,”
Mwitumwa reveals.
He says that he asked himself
what the drivers of the Zambian
Society so as to turn ZASA’s attention
to the key focus areas. This includes
the desire by many members to
invest both in SA and back in Zambia
which they have catered for through
the establishment of a Diaspora
Investment Fund. In addition, there
are the ZASA organised events that
enable its members to network.
“Given the relative proximity of
our country to SA, there is another
section of the community that we
have to bear in mind. These are the
vulnerable lot who arrive here mainly
by bus and are doing a number of
low end jobs which unfortunately
includes prostitution. They are in
need of many things including bank
accounts and social security. We
are seeing what we can do to assist
them including the creation of a
benevolent fund,” he adds.
Hosting the current Zambian
president in Pretoria alongside
the Zambia High
Commission
has been
one of
t h e
achievements of the current
committee. They enabled members
to meet the Head of State and pose
questions. Another plus has been the
establishment of their new website
(www.zambians.co.za) through
which members register and keep
abreast with developments in the
community.
Mwitumwa indicates that he is a
Pan Africanist and strongly believes
that Zambians and foreigners
in general should do their bit in
infl uencing perceptions about them
in SA. He suggests that expatriates
should be seen to be engaging in
charitable projects in disadvantaged
areas so as to show locals that we are
not here just to “pick the cherries”
of this great country but to make a
positive contribution. This he believes
will reduce incidences of xenophobia
which he fi nds strange as there is
a lot that we have in common. He
adds that the connection between
Zambians and South Africans is
particularly strong.
“If you study history, you will
note that due to migration our
languages are very similar. I was
involved in a project by Google to
develop a translation for certain
African languages and my ethnic
group was asked to work with the
Sepedi group from SA. A number of
our surnames are similar if not the
same as those you fi nd here. Beyond
that, you will note that Lusaka was
the headquarters of the ANC during
the struggle. Both President Mbeki
and President Zuma lived there for
long periods. It is disappointing for me
that we have not played that trump
card to connect with the veterans
of that time who are now in key
positions so as to advance the status
of Zambians in South Africa and on a
higher level to foster good relations
and strengthen trade between the
two countries,” he concludes.
- Keith Kundai
“Lusaka was the headquarters of the ANC and both Zuma and Mbeki lived there. Zambians should use this trump
card to advance their status in SA”
43WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA
Apollo Segawa: The Matoke Millionairenaughty mind would
misunderstand the
business objective of a
company called Exotic
Banana. But there is nothing untoward
in the name. It is the food processing
brainchild of Apollo Segawa, a
food scientist who is turning over
millions using the knowledge he
gained from postgraduate studies
in this discipline at the University of
Johannesburg (UJ). In Uganda where
he hails from, a banana based meal
called matoke is very popular and
it is fi tting therefore that the fruit
forms the main ingredient for his
range of juices called Simple Natures.
“I studied the process of making
food last longer at Makerere
University,” Segawa explains, “It was
a natural choice for me because I
noticed that the capacity for this in
Africa is very low. When a product
is in season it is very cheap. In other
periods, it is generally unavailable
and hence if you can learn how to
make food last longer you could sell
it during these times at a good price.”
Segawa started teaching at UJ part
time in 2005 and soon after started
growing bananas in Mpumalanga
and doing food processing at a small
factory in this South African province.
The operation grew and in 2008, he
left the university to focus on the
business on a full time basis.
Segawa is a short gentleman who
seems to be constantly smiling. He
even speaks with a tickle of laughter
lacing every second word. But times
have not always been joyful for the
35 year old entrepreneur.
“With anything new, it is always
challenging because the market does
not know your brand,” he explains
with a slightly more serious tone,
“The fi nancial constraints in this
particular business are also a concern
because as you can see it is quite
capital intensive.”
As we walk around his single-
building factory in Midrand,I take
sight of the high start up cost.
Large silver metallic cylinders are
surrounded by a few of his twelve
employees. This was all made possible
by the assistance of his brother
and UJ who are both shareholders
in the business. Another big boost
was winning a capital injection in
a competition for entrepreneurs
conducted by an organization known
as Enablis.
The achievement got his name
into several publications including
Food Review, The Star Newspaper
and The Daily Sun. He has also been
featured in Ugandan dailies New
Vision and The Monitor. I ask him
how it is being a celebrity.
As we sit down once again, a
hearty laugh precedes his response.
“I am not really a celebrity. But the
publicity is good for business. I do a
bit of consulting in the food industry
as well so it helps in this respect.
It has also helped in growing the
business. Only when I presented one
of the articles to Shoprite did they
open their doors to our products.”
We get interrupted by his wife
Patience who is sitting a few metres
away from him and needs help with a
computer application before leaving
the room momentarily. I ask him
what he thinks of having his wife as a
colleague.
“We work well together. She
assists with the administration side
of the business. I think I am under
employing her as she has a Masters
in Management so she will probably
move at some point,” he concedes.
His plan for 2011 is to begin
exporting to Swaziland and Botswana.
And within the next fi ve years, he
hopes to enter into partnerships
that will increase the hectares they
are using for banana juice so as to
double the company’s production.
There are also plans to increase
the variety of the product line
which currently stands at eight
juice fl avours. As I enjoy the guava
fl avour, Segawa explains that unlike
other products in the market that
use apple or pear juice to blend
their juices, Simple Natures uses
banana juice. The plan in future is to
introduce ancillary products such as
concentrated fruit, purees, jams and
marmalades.
His wife returns and this time I
direct the questions at her by asking
what type of man her husband is. She
sums him up in three adjectives.
“Caring, innovative and very
hardworking.”
- Keith Kundai
“He has been featured in The Star, Food Review and Daily Sun as well as Uganda’s Daily Monitor and New
Vision newspapers.”
“He has been featured in The Star, Food Review and Daily Sun as well as Uganda’s Daily Monitor and New
Vision newspapers.”
Expatriates and South African based “Wills”“Having a will here and another in your country of origin poses a great danger.”
he economic opportunities
in South Africa enable
many expatriates to build
a substantial second asset
base here in South Africa, in addition to
their assets in their country of origin.
SA assets could include a car or two,
a house and a portfolio of South
African shares, with their potential
for capital growth. Often overlooked,
a considerable asset could be a
person’s pension or provident fund.
But in the event of your death,
what happens to the assets you
accumulated since being resident in
South Africa? Would a Last Will and
Testament signed before you moved
to South Africa be valid here? What
taxes and duties will be payable?
What is the process before the estate
can be fi nalised and the money paid
to your dependents or benefi ciaries?
The most important issues one has
t o consider include:
• Will
Any will drawn up in another
country before you moved to South
Africa would be valid in South Africa,
if it complies with South African law.
This includes how the will has been
signed, the age and competency of
witnesses and who may inherit the
assets.
However, to ensure your non-South
African properties are allocated
according to your wishes and the
estate can be fi nalised appropriately,
it is advisable you have a Will for
your South African’s assets and
another for your assets in the rest
of the world. But a word of caution
– the danger of having two wills is
that the last one might inadvertently
invoke the wishes of the other
will if it is not worded correctly. For
example, most wills have a standard
clause whereby any previous wills
are cancelled. If both your wills
include this clause, then the most
recent one will nullify the other
one.
South African legislation allows any
person the ‘freedom of testation’.
This means that everybody has
the right to leave their property to
whoever they want. However, some
countries might have forced heirship
and certain types of properties have
to be given to your heirs according
to that country’s hereditary laws. In
this instance it becomes necessary
to have a separate Will for one’s
South African estate.
• On which assets will you pay SA
inheritance taxes?
If you are living in South Africa, all
your assets in South Africa and the
rest of the world would be part of
your estate – and therefore attract
SA estate or inheritance taxes. The
only exclusions are assets which
you acquired before moving to
South Africa or inherited from any
person who has not been a South
African resident.
• What if you do not have a
valid will?
In the absence of a valid Will,
your assets are allocated to your
spouse, children and other relatives
according to a specifi c formula as
per South African intestate
(“without a will”) legislation.
Your spouse will get a minimum
of R125,000 from the estate, the
rest is divided equally between the
spouse and children. Children born
in and out of wedlock and all legally
adopted children are all included.
• How much are inheritance taxes
in South Africa?
SA estate taxes are 20% on your
estate. This is the value of your
assets less liabilities. The fi rst R3,5
million is tax-free.
• How long before your
benefi ciaries can inherit?
In practice it takes about two years
before an estate might be fi nalised.
Your dependents could suffer a lot
of hardship if your fi nancial affairs
are not organised correctly.
The aftermath of a loved one’s
death is usually very traumatic, but
by organising one’s affairs one can
relieve some of the stress of the
event. To ensure your loved ones
can maintain their lifestyle in the
event of your death, your assets are
allocated according to your wishes
and death taxes are minimised, put
it on your to-do list to speak to a
certifi ed fi nancial planner.
Hesta van der Westhuizen, BCom Adv Post
Grad diploma in Financial Planning Law
is a fi nancial planner at Consolidated.
www.consolidated.co.za
ExpaT-TalK
The Rise of Multicultural Kids!“With tweeting and texting, these kids have real time conversations
with their ‘best friends’ who are in a totally different part of the world.”
igh up in the hierarchy
of shocking occurrences
that I am dealing with is
the cultural gap between
myself and my children. They have
taken on a culture that is far from
traditional to the family. What’s
worse is that their culture shifts
consistently- they have become
multicultural kids (MCKs)! The gap is
widened further by the technological
advancement that my MCKs possess.
But I am consoled by the fact that
this experience of bringing up
children in a profoundly culturally
mixed environment is becoming
increasingly common even if a child
is living in their passport country.
Let’s discuss the future of our
global MCKs and society. The truth
is that MCKs are the most dynamic
and fastest-growing unconscious
movement in the world today, simply
by the fact that there are more
young people interacting within two
or more cultural environments for a
signifi cant period of time than there
ever was.
Here is a story of one MCK called
Mo. His parents belong to the same
race but have been brought up
within different cultures unlike his
cousins whose parents share the
same culture but belong to different
races. When Mo’s family lived in their
passport country he was sent to a
school with a different cultural base
and student mix from his traditional
home culture. Mo has fond memories
particularly of his neighbours who
were refugees because their country
was at war.
When Mo turned six, his parent’s,
chose to pursue careers in another
country on a different continent.
After ten years they opted to be
permanent immigrants so the
families’ nationality and citizenship
was no longer the same. In his new
school he made friends with students
who had various backgrounds; one of
them crossed borders daily to come
to school while another was an
International adoptee. The father of
Mo’s closest friend belonged to the
military. He had lived in four to fi ve
different countries when growing up
and with time it was clear to Mo that
the military subculture was quite
different from that of the civilian
population.
In order for MCKs to thrive and
fl ourish they have turned to the
internet technology. Today, it has
become so much easier to Skype. My
MCKs often meet their friends and see
each other face to face on the screen,
at any time, for free. They are able to
play computer games with friends
across the world, as if they were just
down the street. Their phones are
constantly in their hands even during
meals and most of the time I tolerate
it because these social networking
sites offer the opportunity for MCKs
to keep in touch by posting photos,
celebrating each other’s successes,
exchanging information and talking
over problems. With tweeting and
texting, they literally can have
conversations in real time with their
friends anywhere in the world.
Revolutions are often perceived
as threatening, however peaceful
and popular they are particularly
by those that appear to be losing
control- in this case me! The
incredible passion and intensity in
which my MCKs participate in their
internet community is deemed as
amazing or disconcerting depending
on which side of the fence one sits.
Given this power shift, few indeed
are the parents that aren’t trying
to lure their MCKs back into family
conversations to say the least. But
for a teenage MCK, seducing them
is not a trivial matter. Teenagers
have a weapon they haven’t had
before: online social networks. These
networks have given MCKs the kind
of muscle that can be a blessing or a
veto for those it’s fl exed upon.
What are parents supposed to do?
Should they ban all gadgets in the
home or join in by playing games
with them on the internet? Are MCKs
playing in a ‘Global Village’ or are MCKs
changing the balance of power in
relationships to the detriment of all?
Whatever the outcome, for all of us
— the rise of the MCK community
will be vast and profound.
Christine Asiko is the principal consultant of
Strive Consulting,
ExpaT-TalK
ZAMBIAN BORN
PAUL IS THE
BACHELOR –
SOUTH AFRICA
ExpaT-TainerS
he show “Rivals in
Romance” on MNET Series
early this year (now on
Vuzu) was similar in
concept to the American reality series
“The Bachelor”. An eligible gentleman
spends a number of weeks with a
bevy of attractive single ladies from
which he eventually chooses a ‘bride’.
The main difference in the South
African version was that instead of
one man, there were two guys -Paul
Phiri and Jonathan Klopper - fi ghting
for the affection of 16 women . The
fi nal three girls -Shoneez, Terry and
Tebogo- voted two to one for Paul to
be the remaining
bachelor. In the
fi nal episode, Paul
picked Jo’burg
based banker
Shoneez Sidat as
the winning lady.
Here is our chat with Paul after the
show wrapped up.
What can you tell us about
yourself?
I was born in Lusaka, Zambia
in 1983 as the fi rst born child of
a Malawian father and Zambian
mother. We moved to South Africa
two years later. I grew up in both
Hillbrow and Soweto and found
the fi rst few years here tough as
I felt like I was being judged for
being a foreigner. Kids would say
nasty things based on what they
heard from their parents at home.
Nevertheless I made the best of my
experience here and pursued my
dreams in entertainment. I used to
be a professional dancer for Loyiso
and Thembi Syete and also ventured
into fashion by making ladies bags
and jeans. I was later involved in
marketing for such brands as Cartoon
Network and most recently was a
Customer Relationship Amplifi er for
British American Tobacco (BAT).
How did you get to take part in
Rivals in Romance?
I saw the advert on TV and
actually thought it would be
good for some of my friends and
recommended it to them. I don’t
have a six pack or anything so I didn’t
think it was for me. However, some
people encouraged me to apply and
I thought what the heck; I was single
and the publicity would also be good
for my career as an entertainer. After
the auditions, I was called in for
medicals and then informed I had got
the role. I prayed and fasted about it
and settled into the idea. I had done
some modelling as a child so I knew I
would be comfortable in front of the
camera.
What do you have to say about
those who think you are a ‘player’
because of having kissed so many
of the girls on the show?
When I was told I had the role,
all my guy friends were telling me to
go out there and ‘do my thing’, but
that isn’t me. I wasn’t about to go
out there and start having sex with
a whole bunch of girls. Kissing is not
a big deal really and I feel that the
whole bad boy image is the way they
(the producers) wanted to take the
show. I only found out afterwards
that I was perceived to be a bad boy.
People who see me in that light don’t
really know me the way my close
friends and family do. I am really a
very chilled guy. Perhaps the fact
that I have a lot of confi dence and
know how to charm the ladies is
what caused that misconception.
With a white ‘co-bachelor’ and girls
from different backgrounds, was
there any ‘race’ angle to the show?
Well with Jonathan
there was. He
made it clear that
he wanted to stick
to his race and at
some point even
associated our
African food mogodu with dog poo. I
would never be friends with that guy
and beating him in the competition
was the biggest highlight for me. I
was raised not to see colour and my
options when it came to the girls
were very open. When my mum came
onto the show, she spoke most highly
of Terry who is white. I also loved
her attitude and did not give much
thought to her European descent.
What has been the impact of the
show on your life?
It has been a roller coaster.
People now recognise me in malls and
clubs. My facebook and Blackberry
messenger invites have substantially
increased enabling me to grow my
database. Girls seem to love the
bad boy image and do crazy things
to get my attention. I have since
“Girls seem to love the bad boy image and do crazy things to get
my attention.”
49WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA
ExpaT-TainerS
left BAT and am doing well with my
entertainment career, working with
the likes of Liquideep and managing
a few DJ’s. I am also an ambassador
for DC Shoes.
Finally, tell us about your chosen
girl Shoneez, how are things going
with her?
After the show, I did not see her
for four months due to contractual
obligations relating to the show.
That was diffi cult. I feel like she has
been the same person during and
after the show. I think highly of her
and believe the feeling is mutual. I
have helped her be a more confi dent
person because I want her to know
that fi rst and foremost, she won
and doesn’t have to compete with
anyone anymore. We are building
our friendship slowly and I think it is
going well although it is too early to
talk about anything serious.
And this is what Shoneez thinks of
the experience:
I did not come onto the show looking
for a relationship. I was really bored
with my job and wanted to do
something exciting. Being a part
time model, I thought it would also
help my career in entertainment.
And it was worth the risk as I am
now a well known face. I frequently
get recognised in malls and I am
scheduled to feature in music
videos and a couple of TV Ads. I was
attracted to Paul and his bad boy
image but I don’t really think he is like
that in real life because at the end of
the day it was a show. He is a great
guy and I think in the future we can
be really good friends and business
partners. I had a long relationship
with Maurice Paige (Calvin on
Isidingo) and we were going through
a rough patch when I entered the
show. Since then he has come back
into my life and it is quite possible
that we will resume dating.
Carol Malonza
ExpaT-TainerS
Nightlife in Pretoria: My take on Stones Night Club
ot all garbage pits are
created equal. In fact
some are cleaner than
others while others are
more inviting and intoxicating. But
there is one in Hatfi eld-a small
University of Pretoria called Stones
nightclub.
And for some reason, this dingy
spot, offers the best attraction to any
night-owl that is willing and ready to
party hard regardless of the age. It’s
an all-season’s joint with a blue-room
ambiance probably fi t for another
movie shoot of the Godfather series.
It’s popular with varsity students
with a big chunk from University
of Pretoria while others are from
the nearby high-rise slums. Once
here, they are mandated to check-in
like it’s an extension to one of the
faculties.
But many others are grown
people (like me) who have failed to
fi nd the evidence that life is serious.
They suffer from Peter Pan Syndrome,
so to say!
There is something jolly
interesting about this faculty of
Stones.
To begin with; courses are cheap
with shooters being the biggest draw
card. Other subjects on offer are Pool
Table, gold digging and lifting (the art
of picking young girls for takeaway!)
For those who have never visited
this spot, just picture a farm with a
pigsty, a pen and a paddock all in one
spot. Yes, a game farm with all sorts
of animals. Young girls roaming like
free-range chickens playing hide and
seek from muscular cocks.
Then the late night seasonal
Serengeti migration across to Zanzu
night club begins. With the worst bar
service any night reveller can fi nd,
Stones is crude, ghettoish and behaves
like a thunderous factory mill. And if
you are the kind who derives some
meaning in disorganisation, chaos
and don’t mind about bad odour, this
is your place.
Bathrooms are ridiculously busy
with Hunters Dry wetting the fl oor
like the Nile River. Most girls there are
almost ready to give out their exact
phone numbers until you realise
the second last digit is deliberately
wrong. You go home excited only to
later on collapse on your bed trying
out all permutations.
Also because of the smell of
cigarette smoke and bad breath
that sits thick in the air, be ready
to discard your underwear, belt and
socks afterwards. A few girls have
confessed to me that with such an
environment, it’s futile to put on
underwear and one went as far as
wearing a disposable nappy.
But the government should
intervene on the way we are searched
at the entrance. Burly smiling men
run their thumbs all over our sacred
bodies like we are their Al Qaeda
wives. Granted a security check is
vital especially if you have patrons
from West Africa, but we plead for
some moderation.
I know of a guy who once was
asked repeatedly by these bouncers
... ‘’what is this?” He couldn’t explain
because there were hotties in the
queue. The chap kept mumbling
while this bouncer kept hitting his
zip. Not until later I saw the bouncer
open his fl y. Visibly disturbed, he let
out “ummh! Gosh! Sorry, I thought it
was a gun!”
Yes, brother, it’s his gun...that’s
why there are girls inside waiting for
the massacre.
Hannington Kasirye.
“With the
worst bar
service
any night
reveller can
fi nd, Stones
is crude,
ghettoish
and behaves
like a
thunderous
factory
mill....”
Hanging on with Hannington
he last quarter has been
pretty signifi cant in the
history of the world. On
Friday the 29th April, most
of the world was on a go slow in order
to witness a rich guy born into a
fortunate family marry a pretty lass.
Yes, I think it was a pretty massive
non-event in my life not because I
am a hater, but because I failed to
see the relevance of the Royal family,
theirs or any other. What value do
they add other than preserve some
archaic order that in my mind has
no real relevance in today’s world?
But if that’s your thing, I hope it was
fantastic!
Kate’s sister is quite hot though.
Then on the 1st May, the ‘Big
One’ Osama Bin Laden was killed.
We all remember where we were
when we heard about the falling of
the twin towers on September 11th
2001. Roughly 3,000 lives were lost.
In 1998, there were the US embassy
bombings in Kenya and Tanzania
and approximately 225 people were
killed. The blame for both events
was placed on this man Osama. So
for 3,225 lives or so, the Western
World set on a ten year hide and
seek with this perceived terrorist.
The adventure cost billions of dollars
with many more lives being lost in
Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
I tuned into the news stations to
watch the sensationalism going on
regarding Osama Bin Laden’s death.
To be honest when I heard of his
death, I think indifference is the word
I can use to describe my emotion.
Osama, dead or alive is all the same
to me, not because I feel nothing for
those lives that have been lost, but
more because his death will make
no difference. Before him there
were others and after him there will
be more. I guess you can call me
skeptical.
For me though the saddest
pictures I saw were the jubilant
celebrations at ground zero and all
over America over his death. The
death of Osama will unfortunately
not restore the lives that were lost
nor the millions that were spent
during this ordeal of terror. The
world is also not a safer place. This
doesn’t mean that now when I fl y I
can leave my laptop in its case, have
a can of deodorant in my bag
so the person sitting next to
me doesn’t have to smell my
pits, leave my shoes on and
not have to go through
stupid x-ray machines. Au
contraire, security needs
to be heightened now
because all these scenes of
jubilation just fuels the hate.
For me to be truly satisfi ed,
I would have loved to have
seen him have his day in court
to at least answer for some of
his alleged crimes.
Finally, I think
democracy is
the future. I
mean look
at what is
happening in the Middle East, the
people are tired and the people are
speaking! Some might argue that
it is all West induced, but I don’t
buy that one. The West did not get
hundreds of thousands of people to
risk their lives in the hope of a better
life; to fi ght against a machine that
has ruled their lives and the lives of
their parents for many a year.
Yaw Peprah is a self employed entrepreneur
pursuing interests in business advisory, consultancy
and commodity brokering. www.mondaymail.
blogspot.com
OH, WHAT A QUARTER!“Unfortunately the death of Osama doesn’t mean that now when I fl y I can leave my laptop in its case and have a can
of deodorant in my bag so the person sitting next to me doesn’t have to smell my pits.”
52 EXPATRIATE
The Last Word
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ZambiaFINANCE MANAGER:MiningUS$NegkBased on the copper belt this role will be full nancial control of an internationally operated mine.Ref: PM001
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