Zuma and the SA Elections

Here's an update on the Zuma situation from the NYT. Of particular note is the use of the term "rot at the top," which is a more clever way of describing the issue I described in an earlier post.

The mullet trip ("Business up front, party in the back")

Up to this point I've neglected to discuss much of the primary purpose for our journey, which was to understand how business is done in South Africa (and Southern Africa). The first nine days of our trip was spent meeting with a number of South African businesses and multinational corporations operating in South Africa. The schedule kept us very busy. We were in Jo'burg March 8th - 10th, Gabarone, Botswana March 10-12, and Cape Town March 12th - 17th. The most difficult day of traveling had us listen to a panel of four PhD's and political party representatives in Botswana, and then off for curio shopping at Botswanacraft, snapping a few photos at various Botswana architectural sights, and then off to the airport. We flew back into Jo'burg that afternoon (1 hour flight) to go through SA customs, and then boarded a flight (2 hours) to Cape Town. We arrived into Cape Town around 11:30 and then turned around and had three company meetings the next morning beginning at 8:30 AM and then lunch with Chevron. It was a whirlwind.

The list of companies we meet with while we were there includes Dell, Coke, Rand Merchant Bank (Investment bank), SAFA (South African Football Association), Wits Business School, Jo'burg Stock Exchange, the US Embassy, Global Carbon Exchange, Mothers2Mothers, Ethical Co-Op, Chevron, Investec (another Investment bank), WOSA (Wines of South Africa), Delheim Wines, and Backsberg Wines. In addition to the company meetings we would also take cultural tours/events and do group dinners each night. I'll go ahead and admit it - towards the end of the "business portion" of our trip I was getting pretty cranky. I wanted spend more time exploring and doing some of my favorite things such as sitting at the pub or at a a coffee shop and chatting with the locals. The busy agenda did serve a greater purpose though - I learned a ton. I learned that the political situation is a big deal over there and the country is also facing several other issues including a "war for talent," a "brain drain" of their best and brightest to the UK and the US, along with education issues and of course HIV. The other issue we discussed quite a bit was BBBEE, or Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment, which is essentially Affirmative Action on several rounds of steroids.

I was also part of a group of five who did a consulting project related to strategic planning for the Baylor International Pediatric Aids Initative (BIPAI). We visited their Center of Excellence in Botswana and got a chance to meet with several physicians, nurses, and administrative staff. It's amazing what their dealing with, Botswana is the hardest hit by AIDS of any of the African nations. It's incredibly sad, but the COE provided world-class care that rivals anything that we'd find here in the US.

Cape Town

Overall, I would have to rate Cape Town as one of my favorite cities on the planet. It's gorgeous. It's located right on the Atlantic Ocean and has the oh-so-impressive Table Mountain towering over the city. It looks and feels very much like San Francisco (my former home of eight years prior to moving to Austin, TX to attend the University of Texas). The weather felt very similar to San Francisco, which makes perfect sense as both climates are moderated by their location right on cool ocean waters.

The people of Cape Town seemed very friendly too. Actually, as far as my experience goes South Africans in general tend to be very friendly people. Everyone at the hotel and in our interactions tended to be warm, friendly, exceedingly helpful, and happy to offer a smile. Sadly however I have been told that crime in the area is growing. According to the gentleman (dude) sitting next to me on my flight home from Africa, much of the crime interest from Jo'burg is moving down to Cape Town because Cape Towners tend to be "unsuspecting" and therefore "easier targets" for criminals.

I did come across some sketchy activity while in Cape Town actually. It was the morning of our shark dive and we were loading up the van at around 5:30 AM. I was one of the first people to meet the van. I knew I would need cash for the day and so after dropping my bag in the van I told the driver that I wanted to hit the ATM right across the street. As I started walking towards the ATM however I noticed several young black africans take notice of me. Things got a bit sketchy when I noticed that three or four of the bunch begin to walk towards the ATM. I got about halfway across the street before thinking to myself, "Self, this just doesn't feel right. I think you're about to get mugged if you keep walking towards that ATM." In any case, I made the call to retreat back towards the safety of the van with its enormous south african rugby player for a driver. I've never felt so cowardly in all my life, but it was probably the right call given the crime levels in South Africa.

HIV/AIDS

It's impossible to keep a journal of my experiences in South Africa and Botswana and not mention HIV/AIDS. The figures are simply staggering. The HIV prevalence amongst adults (15-49) in SA is 18.8%, with an estimated 320,000+ AIDS deaths per year. The figures are even more staggering for Botswana, where an estimated 24.1% of the adult population lives with HIV/AIDS, and there are an estimated 120,000 AIDS orphans in the country alone! The size and scope of the problem is staggering, obnoxious, and saddening. The positive news in Botswana is that the government recognizes the problem and is taking solid steps to confront it. Moreover, the Botswana government is stable and, from what we heard, pragmatic. One can only wish the same from the South African government, where as recently as 2003 the health minister advocated a diet of garlic, lemon, and olive oil to cure the disease. Frankly, the level of ignorance is astonishing. The world, and certainly Africa needs a strong and competent South Africa to lead broader Africa out of its troubles. The recent SA leadership has failed to live up to promise or necessity.

Reflections on South Africa

I've just returned home to Austin, TX from South Africa and Botswana this past Monday, March 23rd. Overall, it was an exceptional trip. As I've mentioned in a prior post, South Africa offered much much more than I ever expected. I was expecting to spend two weeks traveling dirt roads, visiting companies in buildings with exposed electrical wires and plumbing, composed of shotty construction material, and with problems keeping the lights on. Mostly, I was expecting to visit a third-world country. This was not what I experienced though. I found South Africa to be a beautiful, industrialized, and well-developed country, albeit with some major problems. There is a clear division between the "haves" and the "have nots" in South Africa. When visiting and traveling amongst the areas of the "haves" I find it easiest to compare South Africa to cities like San Francisco and Pasadena/Los Angeles. The streets, toilets, restrooms, and offices are clean, the views are beautiful, the food is delicious, and the people are friendly. Much of our trip felt like I was right back here at home in the States. The "have nots" live a far different life, however. The shanty-towns we visited and viewed reminded me much of the Mumbai-slum scenes from the movie 'Slumdog Millionaire.' It became immediately clear that a significant portion of South Africa's population struggles to survive, including finding work, clean water, safe accommodations, and keeping clear of HIV.

Outside of general perceptions, my other interest is the politics of South Africa. The world needs a strong South Africa to lead the African continent out of 50 years of general decline. South Africa has loads of potential with it's stable (thus far) political system, natural resources, and infrastructure. My fear however is that South Africa seems to be regressing. Even thought it is a democracy by definition, in reality it is a one party system with 60+% of the country supporting the ANC. Now, Mandela was an ANC president and we all know just how successful and wonderful he was. That said, this latest guy Zuma seems like a train wreck and a criminal. He's been investigated in a corruption scandal that was only recently (and suspiciously) dropped, plus he seems at a total loss on HIV/AIDS with his "I took a shower so I'll be fine" after having alledgedly raped an HIV-positive woman. IMHO, Zuma is in no way fit to lead South Africa, or no country for that matter, given his ignorance on HIV/AIDS, an issue that plagues Southern Africa and is perhaps the greatest challenge of our time.

Dropping in on South Africa

We arrived into Jo'burg South Africa on Saturday, March 7th. Having been to Africa before I was expecting to see rows of slums and shacks from the airplane window as we dropped into Jo'burg and landed. This was not the case though. I was shocked to find rows of manicured track-like homes and neighborhoods as we approached. It became immediately clear to me that South Africa was much different and more developed than what I experienced in Tanzania, Zanzibar, and the few parts of Kenya that I witnessed.

Jo'burg itself also offered much more than I expected. It was far more modern and "westernized" than I had ever imagined. As we drove to our hotel I was amazed by the modern electronic billboards and the rows of office parks with corporate names like Dell, Sony, Coke and many others. The familiar corporate names were less interesting than the unfamiliar ones, however. It was immediately apparent that this was a modern and entrepreneurial city and culture. Our next few days in Jo'burg would continue to surprise me. This was not the crime-ridden shanty-town that I had expected upon boarding the plane back at home in Austin, TX.