SA has done it again. In a move that has seen supporters vindicated and detractors perplexed, the country has once again transitioned from a free and fair election — to a representative government of national unity (GNU).
No doubt there will be challenges as ideologies clash and, yes, there is a cost to a bloated cabinet. Yet, the GNU has given renewed hope and some comfort to citizens, partners and investors. Still, citizens and the global stage will be watching for the good intentions to be turned into reality.
I want to reflect on how we — as a company — have learnt lessons from the divisive aftermath that we found ourselves in when we acquired Lonmin’s troubled assets in the wake of the tragedy at Marikana. And to offer some thoughts on finding a way forward at Marikana, essentially a “coalition of the willing”, much like the GNU.
The principles underlying our approach at Marikana are deceptively simple: honour, engage and create. We have needed to face our collective past, good and bad, even though we might have felt that we had not caused it. We needed to engage meaningfully with a broad range of stakeholders on an equal footing, and we needed to create a future that is different and worth looking forward to.
Just as we as a business have had to take a big step forward to re-establish trust, so too the GNU should act in the national interest to alleviate poverty and inequality. And the only way to do it is through economic growth. Without growth, nothing is sustainable.
Regarding honour, as a company and an industry we had to reflect on what transpired at Marikana. We had to do so respectfully, and redress harm. Lives lost could not be brought back. But taking responsibility for ensuring the widows of those who died at Marikana have homes; that at least a family member has a job; and that dependants have access to education was something we could do, and have done.
So too the GNU should acknowledge past mismanagement and corruption; it should bring wrongdoers to justice, and set aside petty party politics and point-scoring. We need to be frank and honest about where we are now, and we need to move forward.
Give voice
As a company we needed to set aside differences and engage. For the Marikana renewal process this meant engaging a third party to help support the process to give a voice to the unvoiced and unheard, and it needed to gather the “coalition of the willing”.
The national dialogue as proposed by the president is a critical step in building bridges between stakeholders and developing common goals for the GNU and the trust of civil society.
The Zambezi Protocol, developed under the watch of former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo in a dialogue on natural resource policy in Africa in 2016, is even more valid now than it was when it was developed. It has at its heart a pathway to chart a prosperous, minerals-rich future for Africa. As stated by Obasanjo at the time: “Overall, a new narrative of the value of the industry to Africa is necessary. However, one defined not by conspiracy and mistrust but instead by shared dialogue, dependency and endeavour, and underpinned by a clear belief that government needs investors and vice versa.”
In a world where citizens place great trust in companies, sometimes even more so than governments, media and NGOs, it is time for the players to come together with a collective voice and forge a common narrative.
Common good
But this should go beyond talk. There has been a blurring between the lines of business and the state. Many would say that is not a good thing. Others, like ourselves, would say we need to do what we need to do for the common good. That is the basis of stakeholder capitalism, and our intention to create share value.
The state remains under huge pressure and has often been denuded of capacity and to some extent even competence. But there is much capacity and competence in business, and when the state and business get together with resolve to find solutions, problems can be dealt with efficiently. Examples of this include our common approach to Covid-19 and vaccination, which would never have been possible without collaboration and a common goal.
Another is the approach to renewable energy. Within a relatively short time South Africans will have one of the most modern energy industries worldwide, built from the ground up. It is true that the mother of invention is necessity, and for the mining industry the dual challenges of an unreliable and costly electricity network and a need to decarbonise has meant the investment of almost R400bn by the mining industry in renewable projects, the largest contributor (about 70%) to renewables infrastructure in SA now.
And so too the partnership between government and business in resolving the country’s transport infrastructure crisis will yield a positive result.
South Africans delivered a clear message to our political parties in the recent national election: put your differences aside and work together to resolve the country’s problems. We need a robust, long-lasting response to crime and corruption. We need an economy that is growing, providing jobs and a prosperous future for all South Africans, especially for young people.
To grow we need to create an investor-friendly environment, and we need greater consideration of the impact of foreign policy. Without investment SA’s economy cannot expand, and without expansion we cannot create jobs.
To attract investment from local and international companies, government should send a clear, consistent message, backed by delivery, that we are serious about transforming SA into a thriving economy.
• Froneman is Sibanye-Stillwater CEO. This is the text of his address to the company’s fifth annual Marikana commemoration, held on Tuesday.
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