Nation urged to ‘fix itself’ – Bonang Mohale

SHELL SA chairman and vice-president Bonang Mohale

» We must be explicit about the role of education in economic growth. Good education is likely to get one employed, thereby reducing poverty and inequality.

By hiring the correct teachers with the correct attitude to start first with the “who” then the “what”. By ensuring that they are well qualified, appropriately motivated, incentivised and recognised. Increase the time that they spend teaching in front of pupils.

Let us be crystal clear about the expected outcomes and find an easy system of monitoring for superior outcomes. By providing each pupil with an iPad with next year’s curriculum and all the textbooks preloaded (in the final analysis, it will be much cheaper than the inefficiency and wastage of trying to deliver textbooks).

» By consistently applying the more-than adequate number of laws that currently exist without any fear or favour, i.e. adopting a zero-tolerance approach.

By treating whistle-blowers as golden nuggets without which the war against corruption will never be won, and substantially strengthening anti-corruption agencies.

» Sending clear, unambiguous messages – both articulated and exemplary behaviours – about the serious threat, more than all the wars put together that South Africa has ever participated in, that HIV/Aids poses to the nation.

» Re-inculcating the good values of self-reliance, prudence, modesty, patience and living within our means versus conspicuous consumption and instantaneous gratification driven by debt that leads to implosion and self-destruction.

» Adopting fine macro-economic policies that encourage foreign direct investment, job creation, and small and medium enterprise development; and increasing business and rating agencies’ confidence to assume more risk in South Africa versus other emerging economies (as competition for the same happens to be on steroids).

» Ensuring that both our academic and technical education produces what our economy needs. Both inequality and poverty are direct results of unemployment.

» Recognising that we are headed for a skills, particularly technical skills, crunch as a variety of major infrastructure spend – government’s R1 trillion infrastructure spend, the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa and Transnet’s rolling stock replacement, Clean Fuels II, and so on – comes at about the same time.

By genuinely partnering with the private sector to get into the habit of delivering large projects on time, on budget and in full.

– Mohale is chairperson and vice president of Shell SA Energy Ltd