SA's bigwigs need to stay on brand

South African politicians, including government ministers, don't understand the negative impact of their utterances and behaviour on the country's image, nor the economic consequences, says Thandi Tobias, the newly appointed chair of Brand SA.

"It's very important that they understand that how they conduct themselves, and their messaging, should put SA in a positive light and help build the brand," says Tobias, who was an ANC MP for 15 years before being appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa late last year.

"Sometimes they don't understand this. Sometimes they play a very dangerous role in the markets.

"What they need to understand is that it's about economic growth. Any message that is going to hinder economic growth is a negative message."

Too often they indulge in ill-informed populism to curry favour with their local base, and damage the country's interests in the process.

"They must understand that they represent brand SA incorporated. In most cases they don't.

"They say as they wish and they don't understand the impact on our economy. They're like loose cannons, and they don't understand the damage this does," she says.

As a former deputy minister of international trade, she knows the importance of consistent messaging.

"Investors are interested in a stable country, in stable economic policies. Because they do long-term investments they want to invest in countries where there is stability and consistency.

"They want to understand your political and economic stance so that their investments will not be threatened by political instability and changes that come overnight."

When the messaging is inconsistent or contradicts the reality, it does "very serious" harm.

"And I speak from experience," says Tobias.

She says she has sat in too many long meetings having to "explain away what has been said by one ignorant individual about South African policies".

"They think they can speak off the cuff without doing the research or understanding the financial implications of what they say."

It is impossible to build a credible and positive national brand if politicians tell investors that SA is open for business while crime is rampant in the country and there's no electricity.

The most sophisticated and expensive global marketing campaign is ultimately of no avail if back home the lights are out, she says.

It needs more than spin to attract investors.

"We need to adopt a multifaceted approach to electricity where independent power producers are taken on board, because the capacity of the state to produce and distribute electricity has been found wanting.

"If you want the state to be the only source of energy production then it's a challenge."

Building a strong national brand is impossible if the crisis at Eskom and other state-owned enterprises persists.

"These are key issues that people who want to invest look at.

"We're going to work hard at the branding, but we must also make sure that what we say to investors is real on the ground.

"If we say to investors that SA is a peaceful country this should be reflected in its day-to-day activity. People must be able to walk safely in the streets, they must be able to access basic amenities such as electricity and water."

Policy statements need to be more closely co-ordinated with the work of Brand SA to avoid confusing investors.

"We need policy certainty for people to be able to invest in our country."

These politicians are like loose cannons, and they don't understand the damage this does

—  Thandi Tobias (Chair of Brand SA)

State capture has had "a huge impact" on the national brand, she says. Not only because of the billions that were allowed to leave the country but because there were seen to be no consequences.

She's "encouraged" by signs that the Hawks "have now started to look at key individuals. But we need to see this accelerated, so that we can say to the outside world, 'Yes, SA is dealing with crime, yes, SA is dealing with the energy situation, yes, SA is dealing with corruption.'

"When action is taken we'll be able to say to the world, 'SA is a stable country'. I'm optimistic we're moving in that direction but we need to speed up."

If SA wants to enhance its image then it needs to see more people being prosecuted, convicted and put behind bars, she says.

Only then will those trying to sell SA abroad be taken seriously, "because we'll be able to point to the action that has been taken to make SA a crime-free and corruption-free country".

Strong ethical leadership is "extremely important" to the building of a positive national brand, she says.

"Those who are elected as leaders should be clean.

"We should not have people who are criminally implicated sitting in important positions in parliament or in any other institution that serves the people."

She says politicians and government departments need to take Brand SA far more seriously because everything it does is ultimately about economic growth, which means attracting local and foreign investors.

"If you don't have investors you don't have economic growth, you have poverty and instability.

"This makes it one of the most important institutions in SA," says Tobias.

"Our job is to ensure that government attracts investors, and so in everything they do they must involve Brand SA."

Having been the chair of two important portfolio committees, whip of the finance committee and member of the standing committee on public accounts, Tobias brings an unusual level of government experience to the job, which she believes will give her more influence with government ministers than her predecessors had.

"I don't believe any politician will look at me as a junior. Especially when you have this young cabinet that has many ministers who are still on a sharp learning curve."

Her time as deputy minister of trade & industry responsible for international trade gave her an understanding of what it will take to "re-establish investor confidence by positioning SA as a business destination".

First, government messaging must reflect "where we actually are and what we need to do".

If ministers want investors to believe SA is open for business, "we need to be more business-friendly".

There's more to positive branding than telling whoppers, and she's going to make sure they understand that.

"I'm going to hold them accountable."