This is taken from today's Business Times, Business Opinion - Clewlow deserved to get the PIC boot. I'm not going to go into the story's details but I do think the PIC were right. The opinion piece concludes with this comment.
"Any business that does not have a management and ownership that reflects, understands and can take advantage of the opportunities created by empowerment, does not have a sustainable future in South Africa.
While Clewlow is taking the fall for the lack of transformation at Barloworld, the three black non- executive directors who served on the company’s board with him should also be asked about the slow pace of empowerment at the company. Until Molefe arrived on the scene, they seemed happy to let Clewlow run the show. Black non-executive directors should be doing more to drive transformation at companies, and should be speaking out more loudly if they find they are being sidelined and ignored by the traditional powers in big companies. They must begin to actively drive change in their companies, not only collect directors’ fees.
Companies in South Africa are already over-taxed and over-regulated by a government that sees shifting its responsibilities to business as a quick and easy solution for problems it is doing too little to tackle itself. Unless companies take the lead in fulfilling their social and political obligations, they cannot complain when their shareholders grab them by the scruff of the neck."
This paragraph makes two very valid points:
- Black executives must grab the proverbial bull and push for transformation. If they don't they run the risk of being perceived as puppets.
- The government is not doing enough to effect change in this country, it is up to business to make sure that this happens.
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