On Tuesday, the 21st of November 2023, I returned as part of a panel discussion on Power to Truth, a Frank Dialogue, with JJ Tabane, aired by ENCA, hosted by Dr JJ Tabane. It was a continuation of a discussion around what has been coined as the ‘Construction Mafia’. From the onset, I would like to set the context with what I said in the segment, around what my understanding of the ‘Construction Mafia’ is: “There is no construction…
“Artificial Intelligence is already everywhere. From Amazon product suggestions to Google auto-complete, AI has invaded nearly every aspect of our lives.” The article, published on Big Think, titled, Will true AI turn against us? Will AI become an existential threat to humans?, clearly highlights that in this age of the internet, artificial intelligence (AI) has been with us for some time. The future AI presents will be explored later. At this point, we are beyond the late twentieth century…
September marks the beginning of Spring in the Southern Hemisphere. With warmer days and the sense of increased optimism filling the air, the gloominess of winter should be well left behind. However, in South Africa, nothing is quite as simple. Being the month when we celebrate our rich heritage, our excitement for Spring was dampened by returning to stage 6 loadshedding, being without electricity for up to ten hours a day – despite expecting an easing of loadshedding due…
True equity is obviated by equal pay for equal work. It would never be acceptable in a free and equal society that taller people were paid less for their plumbing services than shorter people. So too, in a society where women are truly free and equal, like South Africa, we cannot accept that women are paid less than men for the same work. However, South Africa is yet to achieve the Constitutionally guaranteed equality in relation to sex and…
On Tuesday, the 18th of July 2023, Nelson Mandela International Day, I was part of a panel discussion on Power to Truth with JJ Tabane, aired by ENCA, hosted by Dr JJ Tabane. The panel was made up of Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Sihle Zikalala, Webster Mfebe, SAFCEC (South African Forum of Civil Engineering Contractors) CEO and me. We discussed the worrying phenomenon referred to as the ‘Construction Mafia’, on this auspicious day, as opposed to looking…
Business acumen is all too often associated with being a “hustler”, seen as a natural trait by those born with an entrepreneurial mind, naturally gifted with making money. The truth is that it is an acquired skill and more importantly should be possessed by more than the business owner, but by the employee as well. Also referred to as business savvy, business acumen is not the amorphous ability to just magically flip a profit. In an article on Bigthink.com,…
The 16th of June 2023 marked the 47th anniversary since the Youth uprising of 1976 in Soweto, which centred youth activism in the struggle for equality, against repression. The tragedy which marked the day was a moment where the youth of South Africa asserted their desire to craft a worthwhile future, filled with opportunity and a prosperous future. Nearly half a century later, nearly three decades into a constitutional democracy, this desire, this hope, still remains elusive. In an…
We are living through difficult times, and thus failure may be a likely companion. News24 reported on Tuesday, the 16th of May 2023 that: “The official unemployment rate increased by 0.2 of a percentage point to 32.9% in the first quarter of 2023, from the fourth quarter of last year, Statistics SA reported on Tuesday. The number of unemployed people increased by 179 000 to 7.9 million, the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) shows.” Retrenchments, failing businesses, inter-personal relationships…
In-flight magazines are an under-appreciated source of information. Many who criss-cross South Africa on domestic flights use mobile devices or laptops to respond to the innumerable emails which pile up, or quickly add the final finishing touches to presentations they are about to deliver in a city on the other side of the country. However, occasionally, one has the time to reach into the seat pocket ahead of you – or download an electronic version – and pass the…
It is an age-old cliché: ‘When life gives you lemons you should make lemonade’. This simple idiom simply conveys the notion that we should flip the script by: “making the harsh events one faces in life, positive.” South Africa has a surplus of proverbial lemons in reference to our economy at present. A little over a week ago, on the 7th of March 2023, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) gave us more negative news about South Africa’s declining economy:…
Tebogo Mogashoa
Chairman Talis Holdings
Connect On LinkedIn
