The deadliest African cyclone, to date, tore through
Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique in March, leaving a trail of death and
destruction. The worst is yet to come for survivors.



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The deadliest cyclone to ever hit Africa, Idai, overnight,
ripped through Mozambique and then tore into Zimbabwe and Malawi, leaving a
long trail of destruction in its wake. 



Trees were uprooted, so were people, in the millions. 



Roads were washed away, houses destroyed and bridges torn
from their edifices. Worst of all, the raging muddy waters killed at least 847
people, affected about two million and destroyed several hundreds of thousands
of crops. The devastation caused by the cyclone is almost unimaginable as, in
these three countries, bodies could be seen floating in water where there used
to be villages. 



“This was unimaginable. I am in the military but I have
never seen such. People are desperate for help and have lost everything,” says
Brigadier General Joe Muzvidziwa, who is helping survivors in Zimbabwe. 



For those who did survive, the worst is yet to come. Many of
them will mourn the deaths of their loved ones on empty pockets and growling
stomachs. 



The drive to Zimbabwe’s hardest hit district, Chimanimani,
is long and painful. A mere six days after the furious waters swept away most
parts of the villages in the area, the ground is dry but the pain and
destruction still palpable. 



We struggle to drive into the villages as trees and debris
still block the roads and bridges have been decimated. 



We continue our journey on foot and meet many with no place
to call home. One of them is Tsitsi Mungana. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="918" height="610" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Tsitsi.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40646" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Tsitsi.png.png 918w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Tsitsi.png-300x199.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Tsitsi.png-600x399.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Tsitsi.png-768x510.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 918px) 100vw, 918px" /><figcaption> Tsitsi Mungana in the aftermath of Cyclone Idai. Picture: </figcaption></figure></div>



As we meet, she is trying to climb over a tree blocking the
road, to make her way to aid agencies for her first decent meal since Cyclone
Idai. She is walking barefoot and is wearing the only dress and doek (headwrap)
she now owns. She mutters a few words to herself as tears stream down her
cheeks. 



“It’s been the worst time of my life. I don’t know how I am
going to move on from this. I don’t have anything else left. My husband was
swept away by the floods and was found about 10km away&#8230; We spent hours
looking for my grandson. The rocks which fell off the mountain due to the heavy
rains and wind covered his body and it took many people to find him. All our
belongings and livestock are also gone,” says Mungana as she begins to weep
uncontrollably. 



She is one of hundreds of families who have lost loved ones,
and thousands who are most likely going to starve this year. 



According to Wandile Sihlobo, Chief Economist of the
Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa (Agbiz), Mozambique, Zimbabwe and
Malawi will collectively have to import over a million tons of maize this year
to feed its people. 



He says Zimbabwe’s maize imports could reach 900,000 tons in
order to meet the annual needs of roughly two million tons a year. 



“Meanwhile, Mozambique will most likely double the typical
maize import volume of about 100,000 tons a year,” he says.



It’s going to be hard to find suppliers of maize because the
key suppliers, South Africa and Zambia, are expecting low harvests this year. 



“If we assume that South Africa’s expected production of
10.6 million tons materializes, then the country could have about 1.1 million
tons of maize for export markets. A large share of this will, most likely, be
destined to the BNLS countries (Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and Eswatini), thus
leaving a small volume for Zimbabwe and Mozambique,” Sihlobo says. 



There is also very little to be expected from Zambia as the
International Grains Council forecasts the country’s 2018/19 maize harvest at
2.4 million tons, down by 33% year-on-year. This will be enough only for
domestic consumption. 



Cyclone Idai also affected trade. 



In its wake, according to the UN Economic Commission for
Africa Executive Secretary, Vera Songwe, the cyclone cost Africa infrastructure
worth more than a billion dollars. 



Port of Beira, the main corridor for Zimbabwe, Zambia,
Malawi and Eastern DRC, closed its doors. 



“We closed the port two days before the cyclone hit to allow
us time to prepare for it by reorganizing and removing all potential hazards.
There was a lot of damage to the port. It took another two days to clean up
and, at least, make the port accessible. The damage was several millions of
dollars. We are currently in talks with insurance to know how much exactly. It
will take time and money to fix everything up. We are currently improvising
just to make sure business goes on,” says Jan de Vries, Managing Director of
Port of Beira. 



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="884" height="609" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Jan.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40647" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Jan.png.png 884w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Jan.png-300x207.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Jan.png-600x413.png 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Jan.png-768x529.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 884px) 100vw, 884px" /><figcaption> Jan de Vries, Managing Director of Port of Beira. </figcaption></figure></div>



Before this disaster, Beira port controlled 60% of the
country’s imports and 40% of its exports. 



“We handle about 300,000 containers per year and about three
million tons of general cargo per year and a lot of fuel but we had to put
services on hold&#8230; On the first day, it was tough to go around. Nearly all the
roads were blocked, to some extent, with trees, electricity cables and many
things. There was a lot of destruction. A lot of roofs damaged, buildings
completely collapsed. This place looked like a warzone,” de Vries says.



He says at the port, roofs, doors and warehouses were
destroyed but they are lucky because it is currently low season. 



“Electricity supply had been cut off but we are very
impressed by the government because power is being restored. Technicians from all
over the country are working hard. Major industries have been reconnected and a
few residential areas are now being connected. Rail and road infrastructure is
also being fixed. Although we have to struggle a bit, we have opened the port
and business continues,” he says. 



The president of the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries
(CZI) Sifelani Jabangwe says Beira is one of the major ports for the SADC
(Southern African Development Community) region and its closure, no matter how
short-lived, affected trade. 



“Zimbabwe imports fuel and wheat through the Port of Beira.
The closure caused a strain on the supply of these two commodities. We had
trucks that were stuck in Beira for a number of days. The bigger impact is also
on businesses located on the eastern sides of the country, like timber estates,
fruit and tea producers, and even the diamond company, in that area, is now
revising its targeted output because of the flooding,” Jabangwe says. 



Henry Nemaire, the Chairman of the CZI Trade Development and
Investments Promotion Committee based in Mutare, says most businesses have been
severely affected and are looking for funding to rebuild.



“Some businesses are in areas that can’t be accessed with
30-ton trucks which they used to move their goods like timber&#8230; Power lines
are cut off and there are issues around water supply systems which have been
damaged. Smaller businesses were the most affected. Most of them are now trying
to apply for loans to get new trucks and rebuild so they can get back on
track,” Nemaire says. 



Jabangwe agrees with Nemaire. He says it will be a long and
harsh road to recovery. 



“We are still waiting for reports from various companies
affected by the cyclone which should start coming in soon so we can understand
the actual loss that has occurred&#8230; there are already teams working with
government to import the required maize to feed the country. We need additional
support to make sure that people are catered for. We would need to feed people
in that area for at least 12 months, which means a full-fledged program has to
be put in place,” he says.



Cherukai Mukamba, a local smallholder farmer, says he relied
on farming to make money. “I would sell maize and chicken, and sometimes cows,
to make money to be able to take care of my children. A week before the
cyclone, I had hired people who were going to help me with harvesting when the
time came,” he says.



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="463" height="617" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Cheru.png.png" alt="" class="wp-image-40648" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Cheru.png.png 463w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Cheru.png-300x400.png 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Cheru.png-225x300.png 225w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 463px) 100vw, 463px" /><figcaption> Cherukai Mukamba, a local smallholder farmer.</figcaption></figure></div>



Like many in this area, Mukamba spent the night fearing for
his life and that of his family. 



“I was asleep and was woken up by very loud winds that I
have never heard before. I went outside to look and right in front of me, was a
bus rolling down the mountain. I could hear people scream and it crushed them
before my eyes. I tried to go help but it pouring and I could see rocks fall
off the mountain right into the fields and I had to go back in the house and
say a prayer.” 



The next day, Mukamba says he woke up to the biggest horror.




“Everything was destroyed; all my crops, livestock and part
of my house. I went to check on the bus but didn’t find anyone inside. I heard
that there had been three people in the bus and their bodies were found over
100km away. I couldn’t believe it. It is the worst thing to ever happen to us,”
he says. 



Mukamba’s story is one of thousands of stories in Zimbabwe,
Malawi and Mozambique. 



These countries have weathered many storms over the years
like Cyclone Leon–Eline and poverty, but this massive natural disaster will go
down in history books as the worst and southern Africa will bear its scars for
generations to come.

cyclone1

Cyclone Idai Aftermath: No Maize, No Money, No Future

The grandeur of the Victoria Falls is in stark contrast to the rest of Zimbabwe.



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It is eight days before Christmas. We take the
1,300-kilometer drive from Johannesburg to Victoria Falls for a short vacation.
As we arrive in Beitbridge, the border connecting South Africa and Zimbabwe,
the sun is shining its warm golden light over the bridge. There are no birds
chirping over the Limpopo River. It seems like a peaceful morning, until you
get closer.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 



There is pandemonium as hundreds of cars line up to be stripped and searched before proceeding into Zimbabwe. Most here are Zimbabwean nationals working in South Africa traveling home for the holidays.  



They are bringing with them many supplies like cooking oil, fuel, stationery, furniture, clothing, drinks, building material and even Christmas trees. These items are scarce and overpriced in Zimbabwe. 



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Some want to sell them to hurried customers and others want to use them at home. The problem is, most of them require as much as 40% duty and others can’t be imported. 



“Is your friend here today? I would like him to help me
cross with my goods,” I overhear a man in the autumn of his life say over the
phone. 



He isn’t the only one trying to smuggle goods into Zimbabwe. According to local reports, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) loses over $1 billion due to smuggling each year. With hundreds trying to make their way across, a journey to Victoria Falls is delayed by at least five hours. 



As we drive into Beitbridge, we can see and almost smell
struggle. This place is seized by an oppressive gloom. Our first stop is an
Engine Garage that now operates almost like a tuckshop. Here, fuel tanks are
dry and the shop inside has only bread, water, cold drinks, biscuits and chips.



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Outside, it is filled by a crowd of people pushing, shoving,
shouting, buying and selling. There is dirty water flowing down the street and
litter fills the potholes. Yet, this grubby place is seeing more trade than
Zimbabwe’s biggest banks. Here, the black market is king and the bond notes are
pawns.



In 2016, the government introduced bond notes in hopes to
ease the cash crisis that saw the US dollar become scarce. The Reserve Bank may
say bond notes are 1:1 to the US dollar; the free market says no.&nbsp; The black market traders are selling 1 US
dollar for three bond notes.&nbsp; 



“I used to be an accountant with a good job but our company closed down and now I am jobless. I have to make a living somehow so I rather sell cash on the streets to put food on the table,” says Bongani Moyo.



&nbsp;As we drive further
into Zimbabwe, the situation gets worse. Stores are packed with imported goods;
roads and buildings are dilapidated. One of the biggest problems is fuel. 



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“I just came out of a two-day fuel queue.&nbsp; The situation is bad. People can’t go to work
and sometimes people hire [other] people to spend the day queueing for them,”
says Given Mwale, as he directs us to a garage that sells fuel in foreign
currency so we can continue our journey to Victoria Falls.



“That is the only garage that doesn’t get many queues and
doesn’t run out of fuel. It is a private garage. They import their fuel from
Botswana and they only sell in forex,” he says. 



Shocked by the scarcity of cash, we drive towards Victoria
Falls. On the way, many businesses are boarded up, their paint peeling and
doors closed. As we arrive in Victoria Falls, there are jaw-dropping scenes. 



The place looks nothing like the rest of Zimbabwe. Fueled by
the tourist economy, the streets are clean and the business district&nbsp; buzzing. People are relaxed in summer
clothing and look like they have no worry. It is a true holiday destination. 



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At Victoria Falls, the Zambezi River plummets over a cliff and into the boiling pot before flowing through a series of gorges. It has a width of 1,708 meters and a height of 108 meters, making it the world’s largest sheet of falling water.



 As nature lovers, we experience the falls while walking through a rainforest and playing with monkeys. We also get to watch the sunset while drinking champagne in an open boat. 



For a few hours, we forgot the troubles that belie Zimbabwe;
until we drove out of Victoria Falls, back to Bulawayo. There may be laughter
and foreign currency near the smoke that thunders but the rest of the country
continues to cry for an economic breakthrough.&nbsp;

Aerial view of Zambezi River and Victoria Falls. Livingstone. Zambia

Zimbabwe: Two Realities In One Country

The 1970s are known for political scandal while the 1980s are known for pop culture. They are also known for South Africa’s boom in the mining economy. I write this article from Johannesburg dubbed eGoli (the city of gold) for its once rich gold mines. 



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At the peak of those glory days, for every R100 the economy produced in 1980, R21 was from mining. In fact, during this boom, in 1987, the industry employed 760,000 people.   



&nbsp;Today, the story of
South Africa’s mining sector makes for grim reading. The once mighty sector is
a shadow of its former self as precious metals continue to struggle. Statistics
South Africa (Stats SA) reports that gold has lost ground over the last three
decades. The annual production index for gold is now 46% lower than it was in 2007.




In 2016, the industry contributed only 8% to the economy.
That is R8 for each R100, which is R13 less compared to the 1980s. The problem
is in 2019; the mines are old, deep and lack investors.



According to Stats SA, “mining production decreased by 5.6%
year-on-year in November 2018”. 



The largest let-downs were the once flourishing gold and
diamonds.&nbsp; 



“The bulk commodities and base metals have performed in line
with the global industry. Metals like coal, manganese and chrome have performed
very well for South Africa. Unfortunately precious metals haven’t performed
that well,” says Andries Rossouw, partner at PwC South Africa.



In its 2017 report, PwC revealed that gold and platinum had
witnessed devastating dips in market capitalization. Gold, for instance, saw a
dip of a shocking 52%, which translates to R114 billion ($8 billion), while
platinum’s market capitalization dropped by 21%. Last year, the market
capitalization for gold dropped by 4% from 25% while platinum dropped 5% to
29%. 



Rossouw, however, stresses that it is important to note that
other commodities are performing well. 



Coal is among them. 



“The coal industry has been performing well in the last year
at the back of higher coal prices. Eskom still demands a large number of coals
for their coal-powered plants. So, it is important that our coal industry
delivers that demand from Eskom. We are also exporting big quantities of coal
mainly to India because they also need quality coal for their power
generation,” Rossouw says.



The good performers helped “mineral sales increase by 8%
year-on-year in November”. It’s not enough. Even so, most companies are facing
a painful drop in rankings and profits. 



For instance, “Impala Platinum and Sibanye-Stillwater
dropped by two and four positions respectively in the top 10 companies in the
country,” according to the PwC report.&nbsp;&nbsp; 



In fact, Impala Platinum dropped from R27 billion ($1.9
billion) in June 2017 to R15 billion ($1.06 billion) in June last year. It is
forcing the company to restructure and cut jobs.



“The only option for conventional producers today is to
fundamentally restructure loss-making operations to address cash-burn and
create lower-cost, profitable businesses that are able to sustain operations
and employment in a lower metal price environment,” says Impala Platinum CEO,
Nico Muller. 



Over the next two years, the company will downgrade from 11
to six operating shafts, reduce future production from 750,000 platinum ounces
per year to 520,000 and cut jobs from 40,000 to 27,000.



Gold Fields is another company facing challenges. 



Its South Deep mine, one of the biggest gold mines in the
world, continues to make losses. It lost R4 billion ($283 million) over the
past five years. Last year, it retrenched 1,082 employees at its South Deep
mine.



“South Deep is a complex and unique mine, that has faced
persistent issues that need to be addressed in a holistic manner which include,
rising operating and overhead costs, consistent failure to meet mining and
production targets; poor equipment reliability and productivity impacted by
poor maintenance practices and operational conditions,” said the company in a
statement released last year.



The problem is so big that according to a report by the
Department of Mineral Resources, there are about 6,000 abandoned mines in the
country and massive job cuts. 



“We have about 454,000 people now employed in the industry
compared to 532,000 employees when the industry was performing well. In the
2018 calendar year, it dropped about 3,000 employees and that is despite shaft
closures,” Rossouw says. 



This is a far cry from the industry’s heyday. 



Due to global conditions, mining production reached a record
low in 2016 in South Africa, but since then, other countries have enjoyed
growth, while the domestic mining industry shrinks. It seems the bigger problem
might be the relationship between industry and government.



Regulation is one of the major hold backs for the
sector.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 



Until recently, the Mining Charter, which addresses the
distribution of mineral wealth more equally to redress the racial injustices of
apartheid, has caused courtroom battles between government and industry.&nbsp; 



First issued in 2004 and amended in 2010, many agree the
Mining Charter was a hastily and poorly written document, full of oversight,
compiled without consultation with the industry. Industry heavyweights and
unions disputed it, lawyers and economists argued over it and investors stayed
away as a result. 



“For investors to invest in the country, they would want to
see a track record&#8230; We have had about 10 years of under investment,
especially in our platinum sector and that will show in our lack of supply
coming out of that sector in the future. Given the long-term nature of the
mining investment cycle, it will impact our ability to supply in the future,”
Rossouw says.



Last year, in fact, in terms of its overall investment
attractiveness for mining companies, the Fraser Institute, a Canadian public
policy think-tank, ranked South Africa 48 out of 91. It ranked 74 out of 104
destinations in 2016, yet in 1980, mining accounted for almost 50% of the world
mining market capitalization. 



“What has dropped us down the rankings in the last couple of
years is the uncertainty and regulation environment largely due to the Mining
Charter. Investors are cautious. They judge the government on past performance
so there is still a bit of caution out there,” says Andrew Lane, Africa Energy
&amp; Resources Leader at Deloitte.



In February last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa appointed
Gwede Mantashe — a former leader of the biggest union in Africa, the National
Union of Mineworkers, as Mineral Resources Minister. With vast experience and
trust from industry, Mantashe swooped in at the 11th&nbsp; hour to save the day and negotiated a new Mining
Charter acceptable to industry and government. 



“It was bad in 2017 and then we got a much positive outlook
in 2018 when there was good interaction between industry, labor and all the
stakeholders including government which culminated in the publication of the
new Mining Charter which has gone a long way to address some of the concerns
raised in the previous versions of the charter. 



“It doesn’t mean that it has been completely resolved but
there is good engagement between the various stakeholders that only means
positives for the future in terms of the regulatory environment,” Rossouw says.




Lane believes the industry has welcomed Mantashe and it has
a more positive outlook. 



“The issue we have here is that most of the mines are deep
and quite old. A lot of our remaining resources and reserves which are left are
not safely or profitably minable with current technology. We are looking to
technological advances to bring a lot of what remains in those commodities into
a decently profitable environment,” Lane says. 



At February’s Mining Indaba in Cape Town, President
Ramaphosa, a mining man to the core, said significant work still had to be been
done to remove the uncertainty that held back the development of the industry.



“As part of the package, government is reprioritizing
spending, within the existing fiscal framework, towards initiatives that are
aimed at driving economic activity, including financial and non-financial
measures to turn around the economy,” Ramaphosa said. 



Lane says there is a trust deficit which makes the investors
adopt a wait-and-see attitude.&nbsp; 



“We have further recognized the challenges raised with us by
investors, among other things, administered prices for ports, rail and
electricity, as well as infrastructure bottlenecks&#8230;We are working in earnest
to address the constraints that were raised with us as we implement the
Stimulus and Economic Recovery Plan. 



“We are addressing issues that are of concern to companies
such as visa regulations, reducing the cost of doing business, eliminating many
bureaucratic constraints and making it a lot easier to conduct business,”
Ramaphosa said.



There has been positive movement in the regulatory
environment but, for companies, the cost structure is, by far, the biggest
challenge especially with labor and electricity prices and shortage. In
February, investors and credit rating agencies flagged Eskom’s rolling power
cuts which weakened the rand. The power cuts also cost the mining industry
productivity. 



“We have the deepest mines in the world here. Certainly, the
energy costs going up over the years have impacted productivity. Our mines are
quite expensive to operate. We are not the most attractive destination for
mining investment right now,” Lane says. 



Ramaphosa said the government would announce its plans to
stabilize and improve Eskom’s financial, operational and structural position
and to ensure security of energy reserves in the country.



“Eskom’s contribution to the health of our economy is too
great for it to be allowed to fail. It is too important and is too big to fail;
and we will not allow it to fail. Restoring and securing energy security for
the country is an absolute imperative,” he said. 



Lane says government needs to continue to send a message of
regulatory stability, act on Eskom and reliability of energy to start shifting
the sector towards a more investor-friendly option. 



There is also inadequate transportation in the industry.
Some economists have said improving the costs related to exports such as port
tariffs and railway costs would make the sector more profitable. 



“Last year for example, we had to truck manganese to Durban
which is inefficient. We should have freight rail in place to take care of
those commodities,” Rossouw says. 



Another concern is the socioeconomic conditions around
mining companies.



“Mining companies are quite often the main providers of
employment in rural areas and that means it creates expectations by community
and when our economy is struggling as it is at the moment, it means the
pressure of the communities around that mine provides pressure on the mine
environment. We have seen mines being closed down by communities and not by
employees in the last couple of years,” Rossouw says.



Minerals Council CEO Roger Baxter says the council has
engaged extensively with government and other stakeholders on the challenges
that have prevented mining from reaching its true potential. 



“A collaborative approach is needed to develop and implement
solutions that will see our industry grow and thrive in the future for the
benefit of all. We need to get investment back in mining. We, as the industry,
are fully committed to play our part,” he says. 



There is also a push for green coal to boost the industry
and according to Rossouw, however, the green economy won’t replace coal in
developing regions like Africa, Southeast Asia and India. 



“There is still a big increase in coal-fired power plants
and generation capacity&#8230; The challenge the coal industry is facing, as a
result of the green economy, has to do with the holding of new projects. A
number of banks said they won’t fund any new coal projects and therefore some
of these projects,” says Rossouw. 



“There is potential for clean coal going forward and we need
to invest in research and development to make coal work for us to provide
cleaner energy from the vast coal resorts we have.” 



Just over two in every three gold mining jobs in 1995 no
longer exist. However, mining remains an important earner of foreign exchange
for the country and employs one in every 40 working people according to
Statistics SA. Love it or loathe it, if government and industry play the ball
right, South Africa may reclaim a large slice of one of the world’s richest
cakes.

Precious Metals Excavation And Mining Operations At Northam Platinum Ltd Booysendal Mine

South Africa’s Precious Metal Mining Industry Is On Shaky Ground

There is something admirable about those who buck the trend,
and with a deep commitment to a cause beyond just profit.



Daniel Kibel is one such example. He wants to build the
biggest trading company in Africa, but in an era when most businesses are going
online to make profit, Kibel has gone offline. 



He says he wanted to help people make smarter investments, so in 2012, he founded CM Trading, a brokerage firm helping people invest on various trading platforms, from cryptocurrencies to commodities. 



Soon after, he discovered word-of-mouth is king. While other trading companies were investing hugely in online advertising, CM Trading went offline. 



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“We were simply being recommended by our business referrers
in South Africa and then all around the southern African area. Since then, we
have added online advertising, but still word-of-mouth is our largest business
generator,” Kibel says.



It has paid off. In just six years, CM Trading has grown to
operate in Africa, the Middle East and Asia; employs 140 full-time staff and
many part-time staff and was named the best performing broker in Africa by
Africa Investor in 2017. 



“The most important path to success is through learning. The
market in Africa has changed drastically over the last few years – so we need
to constantly evolve and constantly do better&#8230; We saw a gap in the market.
All the foreign brokerages were trying to impose their own way of working onto
South Africa. To us, it was clear, you needed to understand the country, to
understand the people and give them a different experience,” he says.



Kibel spent more than a decade as an employee in the
industry until he decided to build a business of his own. 



“It seemed like the natural progression and the right time.
My partner and I began working together in 2001 and have held various senior
management positions at some of the largest online financial trading
companies.”



The good thing is Kibel has always wanted to be an
entrepreneur. 



Partnerships are one of the biggest cornerstones of a
successful business, he says.&nbsp; 



READ MORE | <a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/investment-guide/2018/12/24/cryptocurrency-simplified-by-market-leader/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Cryptocurrency for Africans (opens in a new tab)">Cryptocurrency for Africans</a>



“We work with partners everywhere and we listen to them –
let them lead us rather than the other way around&#8230;” 



Kibel has also faced difficulties in the business that
steeled him for future growth. 



“Being owed money and not being paid, not having enough cash
to pay the bills but, somehow, getting through numerous sleepless nights.
Otherwise, running a business is very often putting out fires.” 



Hard work and good relationships helped them keep their
doors open. 



“To make sure we succeed, we keep up with reporting. You
have to know your numbers at all times,” he emphasizes. 



He has also made some mistakes. 



“I think sometimes we can be so engrossed in day-to-day work – we don’t always see the wood for the trees. Because we are so busy, we may have taken our eyes off the ball regarding certain trends. We were late into the crypto market, for example. 



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">“We really work hard and for us, this is personal – so sometimes I may have been too involved in the small details rather than looking at things on the macro level.” </blockquote>



Kibel says his biggest lesson from 2018 has been to always
listen to his instincts. 



“When I get a gut feeling about someone I should act
immediately, and not say ‘ok, let’s give this a chance’. There were a few deals
and activities with people that didn’t sit right from day one&nbsp; and, more often than not, my fears on the
scruples of these individuals were proven correct.” 



When adversity and doubt knock on the door, Kibel advises
entrepreneurs to always act through their moral compass. 



“I truly believe that even in the most difficult moments,
this moral compass pushes us in the right direction&#8230; 



“There is always doubt, but assuming things have been
thought through properly and the right feeling is there, you have to jump in
the water. Even if it is really cold at first,” he says. 



Cold or hot, this entrepreneur isn’t about to give up.

Kibel

How this brokerage firm makes its money through word-of-mouth

Zimbabwe: The State Of Crisis

Under 30 alumni, born on the same day and with similar stories of entrepreneurship, are collaborating to disrupt industries and shape the future of Africa.

The road to entrepreneurship is cold, lonely and riddled with potholes. It helps if you are walking it with someone else.
Millennials Siya Beyile and Thato Kgatlhanye are doing just that.
Together, they are redefining business and shaping the future
of Africa.
“Entrepreneurs always talk about collaborations but we don’t do it enough. We want to resource Africa’s future. Resources go beyond natural resources, which is where the world has been focused. Our ideas, our people and the way we do things has value, so we must take advantage of it,” says Kgatlhanye.
Beyile and Kgatlhanye have big dreams, but a year ago, they were strangers, treading a path of hardship and pain.
At just 25 years old, Beyile has a resume most would envy.
In 2013, he founded The Threaded Man, a fashion blog for men, inspired by his mother, who often called him “umfana othungiweyo”, the ‘threaded man’ in isiXhosa.
He worked with major brands such as Adidas, Stuttafords, American Swiss, TITAN watches, H&amp;M, SAB, Hugo Boss and Pandora. He styled stars like Nomuzi Mabena, MsCosmo, Khuli Chana, AKA, DA LES, Amanda Black and Somizi Mhlongo.
At the age of 22, he was appointed Fashion Director of the South African Music Awards and MTV Africa Music Awards, he was named one of the seven leading voices of African men’s fashion by GQ and he graced the cover of GQ Style.
Beyile was adored by many, but beneath the stylish exterior was a story that was less flattering.
A slew of bad business decisions saw him lose money and his credibility, and the setbacks almost cost him his life.
“I had to shut the business down because of depression. I tried to commit suicide many times. I had made a lot of money but I had not touched it. It had gone to pay loans and also buy my company back. I never got to enjoy it. I shut down,” he says.
It took a toll on his confidence. He tonsured his head and spent six months in a rehabilitation facility, where he worked on rebuilding himself.
“I lost a lot of public value. People started unfollowing me [on social media] and just didn’t like me. People in the industry that I respected even turned on me. I would go to places and people would whisper around me and look at me with shame. It was embarrassing. I would go home and cry.”
He closed his business and moved back home to Cape Town to rethink and rejuvenate.
With a new attitude towards life, he relocated yet again to Johannesburg to start over. In February, he connected with Kgatlhanye, a FORBES AFRICA 30 Under 30 alumni and award-winning entrepreneur.
“When we met, we realized we had the same vision of disrupting. She was tired of being known as a bag entrepreneur and wanted to make sustainable luxury and wanted to get into fashion and I wanted my fashion to be sustainable and wanted to run a factory but didn’t know how. She had the experience of running a factory and I knew all things fashion,” says Beyile.
<div id="attachment_37746" style="width: 693px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37746" class="wp-image-37746 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-683x1024.jpg" alt="" width="683" height="1024" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-300x450.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-600x900.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-200x300.jpg 200w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712-768x1151.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Thato-n-Siya-712.jpg 1366w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px" />Thato Kgatlhanye and Siya Beyile. Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla.</div>
<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2016/02/01/ceo-rethaka/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: CEO, Rethaka</a>
Kgatlhanye is the founder of Rethaka Group, which started in textile manufacturing and waste management. She became known for collecting and recycling plastic waste into solar-powered school bags for poor children.
“We started like that so we could get an understanding of the nuts and bolts of manufacturing. Most of the time we don’t own the value chain of products. Take clothes, for example, people just go somewhere to buy things but don’t know the suppliers of zips and buttons and you end up cutting into your margins by virtue of not understanding the value chain. So we collaborated to form a new company, where we bring in the ability to build and make things in a sustainable way and then sell them on our platforms,” says Kgatlhanye.
Beyile and Kgatlhanye founded 712 Group, which now houses both their brands. The company is named after their birthday; they were both born on December 7.
“We are building a global powerhouse with African brands. Those brands will be spread across technology, manufacturing, fashion and sustainability. Africa right now has become a focal point but a lot of the brands we consume on a daily basis are not African. We have a lot of talented people in these spaces but we don’t see them opening stores around the world and disrupting. We feel like our market has been hijacked. There is no corporate structure that supports our brands,” says Beyile.
The pair agree there is more power in collaborating than working in silos.
“Working together helps. We know our strengths and weaknesses. For example, I know that I can’t be CEO. In the last five years, I have been in business, I have learned I am not capable because there are certain things I don’t think about. However, I have also learned I am a visionary.  I am good at coming up with concepts and connecting people but I am not good at implementing. However, Thato is good at taking the idea and having it live in the world, which is a nice balance,” says Beyile.
Kgatlhanye concurs: “There were a lot of loopholes in our individual businesses that we were struggling with. It would have taken us longer to try togrow our businesses individually than it will take us now as a combined unit. I was a master in something he needed and he was a master in something I needed.”
Beyile says they have both learned not to rush, but rather to build a solid foundation, generate cash reserves and work on growth.
<blockquote>“A lot of businesses led by young people will ‘grow’ but when you look at their growth metrics, staff turnover and profitability, those things are not solid,” says Kgatlhanye.</blockquote>
Beyile agrees.
“The biggest lesson from my journey is that business is not a friendly sport. If you have ambitions to be a billionaire and to be on the cover of FORBES AFRICA magazine, to get there, you will suffer.”
Given the current market, Beyile says their business structure is different.
“When I look at media companies, their staff turnover is low. This is because young people are frustrated. They don’t want a nine-to-five. They want to build their own businesses and have their own lives. We can’t expect to hire young people full-time and expect them to be happy and to work for us for 20 years… Young people need to be put in positions of empowerment, so we work with freelancers and businesses owned by young people on a project-by-project basis.”
They say the additional benefit of collaborating is it helps them save money on office space, speeds up project turnaround times, ensures quality work and gives them faster and more effective growth and team results.
It is true: teamwork makes the dream work. The future is bright for these young entrepreneurs born on the same day in the same year and with the same vision for Africa.

Thato-n-Siya-733

Two’s Company; 30 Under 30 Alumni Collaborate

Gar Lippincott and Daniel Ryan of Atlantic American Partners were in South Africa recently looking for high net-worth individuals wanting to invest in the US.

It’s a warm spring day in Johannesburg in September, and Gar Lippincott and Daniel Ryan are in formal corporate attire. It is Lippincott’s first time in the country, and he is jet-lagged.
A little over two months ago, he was booked to fly to South Africa from the United States (US) but was turned back at immigration. A complete irony for a man who helps people move to the US.
“At Atlanta airport, the lady looked at Daniel’s visa and let him through and she looked at my visa and she said ‘I am afraid you can’t get on the plane because you have to have a blank page on your passport’. I said ‘I have three blank pages’ and she said ‘no, it’s supposed to be the one that says visa on it’. She said it’s the rules in South Africa so I had to sadly go back home… now when I was coming, I was told that’s not an issue anymore so I am happy they have made traveling into the country easier,” says Lippincott.
With a brand-new passport, he’s here looking for people who want to invest in the US in exchange for a green card. Lippincott says he has always been interested in South Africa for its growth prospects.
<a href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/investment/2018/10/02/investing-in-memories-not-material/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: Investing In Memories, Not Material</a>
“From what I understand, the things that are causing short-term decline in the economy in South Africa are set up to provide long-term growth and hopefully people will understand this,” he says. 
Ryan agrees: “I lived in Malawi for 12 years and South Africa is still considered the shining one throughout the continent. Even with all the problems, everyone still wants to come here because of the opportunities.”
According to an AfrAsia Bank report, South Africa comes second to Mauritius in having the highest number of high-net-worth individuals. These are the kind of people Ryan and Lippincott target through their work at Atlantic American Partners. The company has real estate investors and professional private equity fund managers that manage money for banks, insurance companies, and pension funds. In addition, they help people get US green cards and ultimately US citizenship through the US government’s EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program.
“Basically we look for people who want to move to the United States and we help them do so legally by investing and the nice thing is, with our program, they are also able to get a nice return on investment,” he says.
According to Lippincott, for a $500,000 investment that creates 10 jobs for American workers, you could get a green card in about two years and be a US citizen in about six or seven years.
“Twenty seven countries have an investor visa program but with most of them, it’s essentially a fee you pay. For example, you pay $1.5 million in Australia… The fee is a one-time fee and you never get it back. One of the biggest advantages with our program is you actually invest the $500,000 into a fund. We act as a trustee of that money and within five to seven years, they get that money back with a bit of return on investment and you are a permanent citizen in the US.”
Atlantic American Partners invests the money in real estate developments like hotels, apartments and student accommodation.
“What’s nice about the programme is it doesn’t only cover the investor; it covers the spouse and children under 21. Our biggest family was a Hungarian family with seven children so they got nine green cards for $500,000,” says Lippincott.
The company says it has had a positive response in South Africa.
“Two months ago, we were here and we had scheduled six presentations for 100 people and we ended up speaking to 450 people. Most were business people, people worried about the economy, people worried about the political future of South Africa and people concerned about the education future of their children,” says Ryan.
According to Lippincott, despite the news on the clampdown on immigration, the US economy is booming and will perish without immigration. In the era of Trump, that’s heartening news indeed.

online-edit

Offering The American Dream To African Investors

Post-Office-388

The Sub City: What Lies Beneath Johannesburg

Gar Lippincott and Daniel Ryan of Atlantic American Partners were in South Africa recently looking for high-net-worth individuals wanting to invest in the US.
It’s a warm spring day in September, and Gar Lippincott and Daniel Ryan have just arrived in South Africa. It is Lippincott’s first time in the country, and he is jet-lagged.
A little over two months ago, he was booked to fly here from the United States (US) but was turned back at immigration.
“At Atlanta airport, the lady looked at Daniel’s visa and let him through and she looked at my visa and she said ‘I am afraid you can’t get on the plane because you have to have a blank page on your passport’. I said ‘I have three blank pages’ and she said ‘no, it’s supposed to be the one that says visa on it’. She said it’s the rules in South Africa so I had to sadly go back home… now when I was coming, I was told that’s not an issue anymore so I am happy they have made traveling into the country easier,” says Lippincott.
With a brand-new passport, he’s here with Ryan looking for people who want to invest in the US in exchange for a green card.
Lippincott, the Managing Partner of Atlantic American Partners, says he has always been keen on South Africa for its growth opportunities and prospects.
“From what I understand, the things that are causing short-term decline in the economy in South Africa are set up to provide long-term growth and hopefully people will understand this,” he says. Ryan, the company’s Managing Director of Emerging Markets – Africa, agrees: “I lived in Malawi for 12 years and South Africa is still considered the shining one throughout the continent. Even with all the problems, everyone still wants to come here because of the opportunities.”
According to an AfrAsia Bank report, South Africa comes second to Mauritius in boasting the highest number of high-net-worth individuals.
These are the kind of people Ryan and Lippincott target through their work at Atlantic American Partners. The company has real estate investors and professional private equity fund managers that manage money for banks, insurance companies, and pension funds. In addition, they help people get US green cards and ultimately US citizenship through the US government’s EB-5 Immigrant Investor Visa Program.
“Basically we look for people who want to move to the United States and we help them do so legally by investing and the nice thing is, with our program, they are also able to get a nice return on investment,” he says.
According to Lippincott, for a $500,000 investment that creates 10 jobs for American workers, you could get a green card in about two years and be a US citizen in about six or seven years. “Twenty seven countries have an investor visa program but with most of them, it’s essentially a fee you pay, or you need to be actively engaged in the day-to-day operation of a business. For example, you invest $1.5 million in Australia, but you need to hire employees and generate a certain amount of revenue. One of the biggest advantages with our program is you actually invest the $500,000 into a fund. We act as a trustee of that money and within five to seven years, they get that money back with a bit of return on investment and you are a permanent citizen in the US.”
Atlantic American Partners invests the money in real estate developments like hotels, apartments and student accommodation.
“What’s nice about the program is it doesn’t only cover the investor; it covers the spouse and children under 21. Our biggest family was a Hungarian family with seven children so they got nine green cards for $500,000,” says Lippincott.
The company says it has had positive response in South Africa. “Two months ago, we were here and we had scheduled six presentations for 100 people and we ended up speaking to 450 people. Most were business people, people worried about the economy, people worried about the political future of South Africa and people concerned about the education future of their children,” says Ryan.
According to Lippincott, despite the news of the clampdown on immigration, the US economy is booming and will perish without immigration. In the era of Donald Trump and his anti-immigrant views, that’s heartening news indeed.

AAP-Logo-Centered

Offering The American Dream

Nompumelelo (Mpoomy) Ledwaba is the darling of social media. In a mere 12 months, she has grown her Instagram following to close to 100,000.

The 24-year-old was first introduced to the media-crazy masses when she married South African Idols finalist and recording artist, Brenden Praise (Ledwaba). It intrigued thousands and generated quick clicks, likes and follows. She is today an influencer in her own right.
It is a warm Friday afternoon in Melville, a hip suburb in Johannesburg, South Africa, when we meet Mpoomy and Brenden at their nail and coffee bar located on the bustling 7th Street. The salon is packed with women getting their nails done for the weekend. The room is painted grey and decorated in white and spurts of pink and yellow.
Stars such as Mapaseka Koetle-Nyokong, Mmatema Moremi, Jessica Nkosi and Thickleeyonce come here for nail pampering.
This is a world away from where it all began in Middelburg, a farming and industrial town in eastern South Africa where Mpoomy was born. She moved to Johannesburg to study accounting at the University of Johannesburg (UJ). In her second year, she took on a job as a banker at Investec to pave the way for a career in corporate.
“It was a busy year. I worked from 4PM until midnight or from midnight till 8AM. In between, I had classes to attend. It was fun at first until I got bored and frustrated,” says Mpoomy.
It marked the beginning of a journey that broke and built her.
First, she quit her job.
“I didn’t diagnose it as depression but now because I understand what depression is, I know it could have been that,” she says.
Then, she did something no one thought she would.
It was in one of UJ’s exam halls where she was scheduled to take her finance exam. On this day, she says she was well-prepared. The examiner gave students 10 minutes reading time before the exam started. During this time, students plan their answers to the questions but Mpoomy says she was planning a business.
“When the examiner said ‘you may start’, I hadn’t read through the exam questions. I tried to page through it but I just couldn’t start. I stood up and I left the room and I never went back,” she says.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/woman/2015/04/01/the-man-in-the-beauty-business/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">READ MORE: The Man In The Beauty Business</a>
It was a brave move. She had no money, no experience and she knew her parents would not be impressed.
“I went home to my parents immediately. I think my mom knew this could happen. She wasn’t shocked but she was hurt… My dad was upset. I stayed home for a day and my mom told me to go back to Johannesburg to write my exam and I refused but still went back to Johannesburg.”
Her father cut her off financially. It was time for Mpoomy to fend for herself. The road to entrepreneurship was cold, lonely and frustrating.
“I didn’t even ask my dad why he wasn’t sending me money anymore. I knew I had lost the right to do so because I had decided to be an adult by making that decision. He didn’t owe me anything. I was hurt and upset but I’m grateful that happened because it gave me the push to hustle. I even tried to borrow R10,000 ($703) from my mother to do a nail course and she refused,” she says.
Although the plan was not clear and everyone around her said she was making a mistake, Mpoomy says she had faith her dream to open a nail business would one day come true.
<blockquote>“I spent my days crying and praying. It was a tough time. I knew I had made the right decision but everyone and everything around me tried to break me,” she says.</blockquote>
According to Mpoomy, Brenden, her then boyfriend and now husband, is the only one who shared the same faith.
“He was there with me all the way no matter what. He supported me and told me everything will be ok,” says the now-pregnant Mpoomy.
While trying to find her way, she joined a modeling agency. Her first job was a billboard and a TV advert that paid her R22,000 ($1,546). Following in her father’s footsteps, she invested it in a cleaning business.
“My dad’s business started as a cleaning company. He was a hustler trying to figure things out. Now, he manufactures various cleaning products and has a safety line…one day, when I was home, my mom was reading a magazine and came across an article that listed 10 businesses that require no startup capital and she showed it to me and I knew I had to start,” says Mpoomy.
She made a flier of her new-born cleaning business and posted it on WhatsApp groups. She found her first customers. She ran it for a year until she had to clean client homes herself.
“In December, all my helpers went home for the holidays and I had to clean for our clients. It was tough and I learned you can’t start a business in something you don’t know or you are not passionate about,” she says.
In January 2017, she got married and Brenden gave her R15,000 ($1,054) to go to nail school.
“He had just paid lobola and we had just gotten married which didn’t come cheap and now he had just invested in my education. Although my fees were paid, we didn’t have money for transport. At our wedding, someone gave us an envelope with R2,000 ($140) and that is what we used,” says Mpoomy, her eyes watering.
Life got tougher.
“We sacrificed everything we had to get started. We had financial problems at the time. It was the first year of our marriage and we had so many things to do. We just worried about getting through the day. I remember there was one time I didn’t know if we were going to have food for the rest of the month,” she says.
After three months, she was ready to get working experience but no one would hire her. She then mounted a poster on her car advertising her services and started a mobile nail salon.
“I did my nails every three days. We would go to a restaurant every week because they have a lunch special for R50 ($3) that comes with unlimited wifi. We would download videos so I learned how to be better.”
The mobile salon grew and she started making about R1,000 ($70) a day. She knew it was time to grow, open a shop and employ staff. With the help of a mentor, she opened Aneno Nail &amp; Coffee Bar.
<div id="attachment_37613" style="width: 750px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-37613" class="wp-image-37613 size-large" src="https://www.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mpumi-153-1024x683.jpg" alt="" width="740" height="494" srcset="https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mpumi-153-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mpumi-153-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mpumi-153-600x400.jpg 600w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mpumi-153-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.forbesafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Mpumi-153.jpg 1654w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" />Mphoomy Ledwaba. Photo by Motlabana Monnakgotla</div>
“A week before our opening, I asked a family friend, who is a celebrity, to help me by coming to my nail bar and have her nails done for free and advertise on social media so I can get clients, but she undermined me. I could tell from the way she looked at me. She told me she works with big brands…I was hurt but I understood that you don’t need anyone to make something successful. God is the one who makes things happen.”
Today, she employs six people and plans to get into the hair industry, create a nail product line and then franchise the business. This is definitely not the last time you hear about this small-town girl with big dreams.

Mpumi-182

The University Drop Out Who Built A Beauty Business

Land-024

The Complex And Contentious Land Reform

Caucasian businessman standing on wrist watch

You Only Live Twice

TLH_2018

The Two Faces That Mean Business

Eleven years of CNBC Africa…on a personal level, what has the journey been like for you? 
They have been 11 very good years. Looking back to when we first moved to South Africa to establish it, we had challenges from a regulatory point of view and a distribution point of view. But all that is now behind us. We are looking at business confidence picking up in South Africa and the rest of Africa. We are looking forward to the future.
What is the future of the media industry in Africa? 
There are challenges in emerging markets. I sincerely believe universities and educators look at the curriculums across Africa. The whole environment is changing. We have digital coming in a big way globally. Print media is dying and how you give birth again to what was print on digital is quite a challenge even for television stations. There are challenges for media moving forward. The owners, from the management perspective, also have to consider what they would do with digital.
With that in mind, what are your plans for CNBC Africa? 
Luckily, we are a niche channel. Niche channels, up to now, have been alright. Whether you have a food channel or a fashion channel, music channel or news channel, you will have to look at how you mix both the digital part and TV part moving forward. Having a business channel depends on how the economies are moving. I believe Africa is on the verge of explosion as far as investment is concerned. There are not many places in the world that have the resources Africa has. People are looking at these things.
How are you looking to growing the company in the near future? 
When I started off [in the Middle East], we did the whole of Arabia, which was 37 countries, I did Africa and I did Pakistan – these are the three CNBC franchises, and we learned from each of these franchises, and we have an excellent relationship with CNBC. Moving forward, we are looking at various ways to grow. You need to target your demographic. On the digital side, it has to be millennials. Forget about the over 50s, and mobile is the way to go if you want to target the millennials.
<a href="http://www.forbesafrica.com/30-under-30/2018/06/04/under-30-technology/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read More: 30 Tech Entrepreneurs Under 30 </a>
What advice would you give young people trying to break into the media space? 
Go digital. Take advantage of the technology and keep your costs down when you start. You don’t have expensive cameras because you can use mobile. Also use citizen journalism, stick to quality and concentrate on demographics.
Should we be following global trends in the media space as a continent? 
People want things to drop from the sky. You have to market yourself well, make sure there are transparent rules and regulations for foreign investors who want to come in and make sure you have a level playing ground in the countries that make up the African Union…
How significant is the power of networking for young entrepreneurs? 
Networking works but remember to be yourself and be original. That’s how you succeed. Originality comes through. We know when a young person is trying to ‘network you’.
What lies ahead for CNBC Africa? 
We are looking forward to the next five years. We are positive both in Nigeria and South Africa. We might be going more digital and taking advantage of other niche channels we are thinking of partnering with outside of Africa.

Zafar-Siddiqi-559

How CNBC Africa Plans To Go Digital

The date has been set for the much-anticipated Zimbabwe general elections: July 30. This will be the first time, in 38 years, the southern African nation will cast its ballot without former President Robert Mugabe on the candidate list.
“We are very excited for these elections because finally we can cast our votes with high hopes they will count,” says Zibusiso Zonke, a Zimbabwean living in South Africa.
It all began when Emmerson Mnangagwa, Mugabe’s former right-hand man, surprised Zimbabwe, and the world, last year, when he orchestrated the resignation of Mugabe, one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders.
Mnangagwa, also known as ‘crocodile’ for his politically cunning ways, took over as President of the ruling party, Zanu PF, thereby becoming the president of the country. He hopes voters will trust his leadership and vote for him to lead Zimbabwe to its former economic glory.
On the other hand, the country’s major opposition party, MDC-T, for the first time, will be led by Nelson Chamisa who took over as head of the party when its founder, Morgan Tsvangirai, died February 14. 
The shocking fact is 133 parties will be contesting for President, MPs and councillor positions. This is also a first.
“I think this is symptomatic of an economy no longer employing people. People think if they get into politics, they might end up in parliament or government meaning they would have a job. I don’t think many of these people have particular conviction; they are just looking for employment. Most of these parties disappear after the elections,” says Mordecai Mahlangu, partner at Gill, Godlonton &amp; Gerrans, an alliance firm of Norton Rose Fulbright.
Some Zimbabweans say they are unsure who to vote for. The ‘crocodile’ they know or 40-year-old Chamisa.
“Look, not that I&#8217;m for Emmerson Mnangagwa, but this is my problem, for Zimbabwe to re-emerge we will need the international community. Besides economic mismanagement, our problems have been due to that we had become a pariah state. Mugabe had severed many of our international relationships with his banter and behaviour. Now, we have Emmerson Mnangagwa whom the international community is engaging quickly. On the other hand, we have Chamisa whom the international community is already questioning…Morgan Tsvangirai was loved by the international community, Chamisa is being ridiculed instead and he is the source of that problem. Who do I then vote for?” asks Zimbabwean lawyer Tichaona Moyo.
<blockquote>&#8220;It&#8217;s a new system which has not been tried in this country&#8230;&#8221;</blockquote>
Moyo admits he used to be a big fan of MDC-T but now believes the party has become elitist.
“In the party, there aren’t many students, workers, and farmers anymore. The very labor movement which spearheaded its formation has been abandoned. So, l have to ask myself whose interest will such an outfit serve? Which constituent outfit does such an outfit care about?”
This is a debate among many. Lungile Mlambo says he is most likely to vote for MDC-T but worries because when Zanu PF was causing the destruction of the country, MDC-T was there and complacent.
“For me, Chamisa and Emmerson Mnangagwa are on the same footing. The former from an opposition party which has failed and the latter from a ruling party which has failed,” he says.
Over the years, there have been rumors Mugabe and Zanu PF stole the last two elections as they were rigged and people were threatened and abused into voting for the ruling party. So is this election going to be any different?
“The first thing is to debate the likelihood of a free and fair election&#8230; The concerns are the integrity of the system itself. It’s a new system which has not been tried in this country and we don’t know how it will turn out,” says Mahlangu.
It is Mahlangu’s opinion that if the election is free and fair, MDC-T might surprise the ruling party by winning.
“I get the sense that if the trend we are observing is anything to go by, the opposition might just surprise the ruling party. We have had 37 years of unhappiness. People attributed that to the ruling party. If the ruling party has been responsible for all these years of difficulty, why would anyone freely vote for them?”
The jury is out until August 4, when the winner will be announced.

Ancillar Mangena

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA