Category Archives: Economic Development

– Pride and self-gain will be the end of us

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Considering the viciousness and divisiveness of our discourse today, we certainly do not exude the cooperative and increasing human development spirit that prevailed among ancient pioneers of deep thinking and knowledge such as that from Greek philosophy ranging from Thales, Stoics, and Skeptics, among others.

Those ancient philosophers and their scholars never subscribed to the “winner-takes-all” approach common nowadays. They were open to accept or build on the knowledge prior philosophers discovered. To them, it was never about self-gain primarily, but advancement of knowledge and human development.

We rarely see such interactions nowadays. If at all, the lines are drawn and people forced to be on polar sides of the debate, with no side willing to concede some aspects of truth from the other side to combine the best of both sides to develop better and useful knowledge.

Notwithstanding our divergent beliefs, but when considering even ancient authors of the canonical writings of the Old and New Testament Gospels, we can clearly see that those authors have demonstrated constructiveness in their knowledge and writings. None has ever criticized another author’s writings to advance theirs. We need not look further than topical discussions of today to realise that there is extreme divergence of views and hardening of hearts and attitudes towards those holding contrary views. Where did we lose it? By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 September 2021. Continue reading →

– What is to be done?

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Bakhithi, ziyakhala manje! Awukho umsebenzi! According to the latest StatsSA report, our economy is stubbornly shedding jobs. Kunakele!

Covid-19 issues and lockdown are still with us, and politically, there is too much noise and disunity among people. One wonders what the impact of all these concerns is to the mental health of the population. This is no time for finger pointing but helping to find a solution and lending a hand. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 August 2021. Continue reading →

– Make technology your friend

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In my garage is a classic I bought seventeen years ago. For the past few years, it has been parked and not used regularly, but taken out once or so a week to maintain the health of the battery and other moving parts for lubrication and rust prevention. I know many will criticise the soundness of my financial management in keeping such a vehicle. We possibly have a “drug” of some sorts we obsess about, enabling us to be children again. Mine is the love I have for this modern classic.

To avoid having ownership headaches, I have honoured all its annual service maintenance requirements through the dealership of the original-equipment manufacturer (OEM). The move has thus far increased my confidence to have it as an option for any trip I wish to undertake, whether around the corner or over long distance. That my family shares in my confidence is another matter, suffice it to say when the OEM dealership presents me with a bill, I feel like swearing at people in the building, including the state of our governance in the country.

These people are not playing. They do not hesitate to present you with a bill equivalent to a budget of PPEs for a small village of migrant workers! But that is not the main reason for my telling you this story. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 March 2021. Continue reading →

– Nothing lasts forever

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I strongly believe human beings are not designed to live in suffering. Mere loss brings unbearable discomfort to our lives. Just to see how we were not designed to endure suffering forever, just look at the amplified noise made when we suffer temporary losses as compared to praises and appreciation given to the bliss enjoyed for even much longer.

A brief mishap can easily feel like a lifelong disaster, while a lifelong good life may not even be felt but taken for granted and expected to occur by default.

If the biblical account of life is true, I’d argue trouble free life was before the fall of man. Thereafter, things went Topsy-curvy, and only life difficulties can bring development and advancement to our lives. Meaning, trouble, and suffering are generally default settings of life and goodness only obtained by grace and in other cases, earned. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 28 February 2021. Continue reading →

– Longer Support Hours are imperative for Basic Service Provision

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Notwithstanding the digital divide prevalent in our country, for many, voice and data connectivity are necessities of life along water and electricity far more important to some extent than food. I do not know about you, but I know many others like me easily losing appetite even, when having to face power, water and connectivity outages with no access to backup services.

What is more frustrating is having those outages occurring closer to or outside normal office hours, say from four in the afternoon on weekdays or twelve on a Saturday or any other time on Sunday. The frustration is owing to many service providers limiting their (onsite) support to office hours on weekdays mainly.

If ever you did not know you had comorbidities, wait until you have deadlines to meet and these outages occur outside those “normal” office hours, then assess your health afterwards. Living in South Africa means investing, not only in these primary services, but having backups too for all your needs to avoid having burst arteries. With these “basic” services already so expensive for many, who would have sufficient resources to invest even in backup solutions? By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 January 2021. Continue reading →

– Keep It Simple

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If you want to be dependable, effective and build long lasting profitable relationships, learn to keep “it simple”. Many technocrats make the mistake of trying to prove their sophistication by complicating simple matters. Perhaps they are not doing this to impress. Maybe they want to win by instilling fear and silencing opposition and those proud enough to ask for explanation of jargon used.

Business problem solvers must do their best to keep it simple, for having it any other way will result in strained relationships. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 July 2020. Continue reading →

– Know the implications of your role

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Not a day goes by without a user of a social network platform focusing on professional networking and career development posting or forwarding an article or two about what the difference between a leader and manager is, what modern progressive employers should do for their employees. All these are important, and wise and good employers would heed the message.

Taking personal responsibility and not deflecting the problem or issues elsewhere is the foundation of building success. That’s why employees too, should deeply reflect on their role in enabling the employer achieve goals and success. Many employees seem to think their employers are there to just give them “things” without them equally giving “something” back to the employer. An “Us” and “Them” tension will not create a conducive environment for excellence. It’s time for employers and employees to understand and deeply reflect on their roles. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 31 May 2020. Continue reading →

Giving ICT SMMEs a Chance #PostCovid_19Lockdown

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No doubt, our challenges are many and mounting as we speak. Indications from different perspectives and sectors show we have grave problems and are heading for even the worst of times. Government and big business alone do not have sufficient resources, capacity and even credit rating to resolve many of these challenges facing society. But these important role players can enable extensive socioeconomic development to occur rapidly, thereby reverse our current malaise sooner. Such progress is achievable if attitudes and behaviour are changed. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 April 2020. Continue reading →

– #COVID-19 #Lockdown – Don’t lower your guard

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With our country experiencing recession and having recently had a sovereign credit rating downgrade to subinvestment (junk) grade, the covid-19 induced lockdown will mean more economic woes for many SMMEs and ordinary people alike. Many already struggle to adjust to a new routine of staying put with limited contact with the outside world, and some are facing job-losses after the lockdown. And with our public-health facilities already taking strain, depression will be on the rise. It’s normal for many to feel helpless, demotivated and discouraged, while some, in the same vein, resorting to pursuing quick “feel-good” solutions that may be ruinous in the long run if not carefully managed. We need to be alert and watchful against becoming sidetracked and ignoring the importance of using this lockdown period to face and tackle our challenges head on so we can emerge stronger afterwards. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 30 March 2020. Continue reading →

– Get to #KnowYourCustomer

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For a long time, I had been a proponent of textbook styled strategies, methodologies and principles on business administration and leadership. In big corporations, no initiative would be approved or considered unless it has supporting business case and matrices to prove the viability of the opportunity. Quite often, inordinate time passes before the opportunity could finally and favourably be considered. Many a small business entrepreneur may be unable to spare such investment in time.

Having little time to spare doesn’t mean SMME entrepreneurs choose to be flippant about conforming to business administration “basics” and ascertaining viability of prospects. Many entrepreneurs are not always driven by accounting and economic matrices alone in their decision making, but other considerations too such as having and relying on a hunch and a little faith among others. SMME entrepreneurs are more agile than their corporate counterparts owing to their low overheads, fewer “touch-points” and division of work.

Though many SMME entrepreneurs may find it onerous and eventually stop compiling important matrices, they should at least do some informed study on their customers to improve their understanding and offerings accordingly. Every product design embodies inherent assumptions after all, whether deliberate or implied, about the target market. Such assumptions have a direct and significant bearing on the uptake of the product. By Nimroth Gwetsa, 29 February 2020. Continue reading →