Press Statements

(A Talk by
Dr. Mosibudi Mangena at the
Black Management Forum Gala Dinner on
13 October 2017,
Gallagher Convention Centre, Midrand)

I have been asked to speak on the theme of your conference, which also doubles as the theme of this Gala Dinner, namely, The South Africa We Deserve. From the letter of invitation, it is clear that the BMF is far from being happy with the South Africa we live in presently; that we deserve better than this; that our levels of poverty are painful and unjustifiable and that we deserve to be better led.

Being a middle income country that we are, generously endowed with mineral wealth as we are, blessed with a geography that allows for different kinds of plant and animal husbandry and blessed with a fairly well-developed road, air, sea, electricity and water infrastructure, as we are, we should not be in this position.  

Indeed, we should not be, and all of us should hang our heads in shame. We have failed the vast majority of our people who had thought that their heroic deeds that defeated racist settler-colonialism heralded a new era of hope, opportunities and progress. But alas, 23 years later, we are not even stagnant, we are not marching on the spot, but are in reverse gear towards the abyss and possible ruin. There is consternation on the part of many in the country, some in our midst are scratching their heads, wondering how we arrived at this point.  

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