Reflecting on the urgent need to fill the global leadership vacuum

I had the honour of speaking at the South African Youth Economic Council (SAYEC) 4th Annual Mining Indaba Business Dialogue in Cape Town, attended by some of our country’s brightest young minds, along with government dignitaries and business leaders. In my speech, I addressed the kind of leadership required to take the world forward, reflecting on ongoing revelations about the Epstein case in the US as an example of what society must reject.

Those of us who have been exposed to snippets of information from the Epstein files will never be able to return to life as it was before. The images of tortured children that we witnessed, along with the cries of children pleading for their mothers, will be forever etched into our memories.

Today, we realise a haunting truth: an island full of deviants was dominating the worlds of politics, finance, technology, and even art. We have been struggling to remain human in a world governed by an organised network that kidnaps, tortures, rapes, and murders children.

That island might be gone, but those impulses and influences have not vanished. Similar operations are surely being carried out elsewhere, by others with limitless wealth and power.

“We are greater in number, yet we lack their concentrated power. Nevertheless, as good people, we must act in unison to overturn this world order.”

South Africa, acting as the conscience of the world, speaking out when others remain silent, and taking decisive action, must hold a seat of honour at the head of the table if a new world is to be built.

But to achieve this, we must first put our own house in order:

• We must take a stand to protect our women and children from gender-based violence and femicide
• We will not surrender our cities to gangs.
• We will strengthen our police and military forces.
• We will stop the brain drain from our shores to the West.
• We will have the confidence to attract the brightest minds from across the globe.

The robust economy required to achieve all of this can only be realised through political leadership that operates with the vision and efficiency of a CEO.

But we need to draw the difference between the old way of doing things.

The CEO of yesterday was driven primarily by profit. However, the modern CEO must be guided by a sustainable approach embodied in the triple P’s bottom line. Success is no longer measured by financial performance alone, but by the balanced consideration of People, Profit, and Planet as core pillars that must inform every CEO’s decision.

I want to remind you of the 2010 World Cup slogan:
“This time for Africa.”