Get Started

Author: Editor

The significance of King V

King V

In October 2025, the Institute of Directors in SA launched the fifth iteration of the King Codes of Good Governance. King V is a voluntary, principles-based guidance on corporate governance, not formal law. So what is its significance for corporate SA?

BASF in South Africa: Driving inclusive, sustainable impact at scale

Sponsored Content Who is BASF? At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. With 161 years globally and 60 years in South Africa, our portfolio spans chemicals, materials, industrial solutions, agricultural solutions, and nutrition and care, serving industries across the value chain. In South Africa, our role goes beyond products. We deliver innovative, sustainable solutions that enable customers to grow responsibly, while actively investing in local talent, supplier ecosystems, and communities. This ensures that economic success is not only delivered but also shared across society. The “Winning Ways” strategy BASF’s “Winning Ways” strategy is built on a clear ambition to drive profitable growth while creating sustainable value for society. Shaped by a 161 year global legacy and 60 years of local presence, the strategy focuses on: In South Africa, these priorities are deliberately aligned with national transformation goals. We bring this strategy to life by: This is executed through an integrated model that connects: Our Level 1 B-BBEE achievement reflects how this strategy translates into real impact, delivering transformation that is inclusive, investable, and sustainable. At its core, “Winning Ways” ensures that business success and societal progress remain inseparable. What sets BASF apart from the competition? What sets BASF apart is our investment led, outcomes driven approach to transformation, built on decades of global expertise and local commitment. Our achievement as the first non-South African multinational chemical company to attain Level 1 B-BBEE status reflects years of deliberate, sustained action. We create impact across three key areas: Through the BASF South Africa Trust, we have implemented 30% black women ownership, while supporting more than 60 female students in STEM, building future talent pipelines. Through graduates, apprentices, interns, and learners with disabilities, we provide hands-on experience and meaningful career pathways Our ESD programme invests R2-million to R6-million per enterprise, combining capital, capability, and market access to building sustainable businesses This integrated approach enables BASF to deliver lasting impact through jobs, ownership, and economic participation. Congratulations on being a Bronze Impact Sponsor for the Top Empowerment Conference. What does this opportunity mean to you and BASF? Being a Bronze Impact Sponsor reflects BASF’s commitment to actively shaping the transformation agenda in South Africa, building on 60 years of local impact. For BASF, this platform enables us to: Winning the Socio-Economic Impact Award affirms that our work is delivering measurable and scalable outcomes. Please share a message of inspiration with our readers. Transformation is built through consistent investment over time. For BASF, this journey is grounded in the belief that: As highlighted by our leadership: “Through investing in people, empowering suppliers, and advancing opportunities for women, we are shaping an inclusive and sustainable future.” Ultimately, real progress comes from turning access into opportunity, opportunity into ownership, and ownership into lasting impact.

The partnership taking tourism in the Western Cape to the next level

Tourism

By Jessie Taylor The Western Cape’s tourism sector continues to gain momentum as international connectivity, strategic partnerships and destination marketing drive strong visitor growth across the province. At the centre of this success is Wesgro, the official tourism, trade and investment promotion agency for Cape Town and the Western Cape, which has emerged as a critical player in strengthening global tourism links and positioning the province as one of Africa’s most competitive destinations. Wesgro recently announced a major new partnership with Emirates to increase inbound tourism to Cape Town and the broader Western Cape. Signed at the World Travel Market Africa, the memorandum of understanding will see the airline and Wesgro collaborate on destination marketing campaigns, trade engagements, and promotional initiatives targeting key international markets, including the Gulf region, India, the Far East, and Europe.  Partnering to build tourism The partnership is the latest example of how Wesgro is leveraging air access and global connectivity to grow tourism numbers and stimulate economic activity across the province. By working closely with airlines, tourism operators and government stakeholders, the agency has helped transform Cape Town into one of the best-connected cities on the African continent.  Tourism remains one of the Western Cape’s most important economic sectors. According to the provincial government, international tourists spent approximately R25.9 billion in the Western Cape during 2025, underlining the sector’s significance to the regional economy. Tourism supports thousands of businesses across accommodation, restaurants, retail, transport, events and attractions, while also sustaining employment opportunities in urban and rural communities alike. Wesgro’s approach recognises that air connectivity is one of the strongest drivers of tourism growth. The easier it becomes for travellers to access Cape Town and the Western Cape directly, the more competitive the destination becomes internationally. Through its Cape Town Air Access initiative, powered by Wesgro, the agency has spent the past decade securing new international routes and expanding airline partnerships to boost visitor arrivals. The results have been substantial. Cape Town International Airport recorded a historic 11.1 million two-way passengers during 2025, the highest total ever achieved by the airport. International passenger growth continued to accelerate, with December 2025 alone recording almost 364,000 international two-way passengers, reflecting year-on-year growth of 10%. These increases are translating directly into higher tourism activity and broader economic participation across the province. Increasing access for tourists Wesgro’s strategy extends far beyond simply increasing flight numbers. The organisation has focused on identifying high-value source markets that can deliver long-term tourism growth. The Emirates partnership, for example, provides the Western Cape with enhanced exposure to the airline’s extensive global network spanning more than 140 destinations. This creates opportunities to attract travellers from rapidly growing outbound tourism markets such as the Middle East, India and Asia, while strengthening existing European visitor flows.  While international arrivals remain a major focus, the agency also supports initiatives aimed at dispersing tourism benefits more widely across communities and regions. By encouraging visitors to explore smaller towns, cultural experiences and nature-based attractions, tourism growth can contribute more directly to local economic development. The success of the Cape Town Air Access initiative has increasingly attracted international recognition. Over the past decade, the programme has helped secure dozens of new routes and route expansions, strengthening connectivity with North America, Europe, South America, the Middle East and Africa. These achievements reflect strong collaboration between Wesgro, the City of Cape Town, Airports Company South Africa, the Western Cape Government and private sector partners. Ultimately, the agency’s success demonstrates the importance of strategic collaboration in building a globally competitive tourism economy. Through initiatives such as Cape Town Air Access and partnerships with leading international airlines, Wesgro is not only bringing more visitors to the province – it is helping unlock investment, create jobs and strengthen the Western Cape’s position as one of the world’s leading travel destinations. Wesgro’s successful air access partnerships Over the past decade, Wesgro has transformed international connectivity to Cape Town and the Western Cape through its Cape Town Air Access initiative. Working alongside government, airports, and airline partners, the programme has secured numerous international routes, significantly boosting tourism and economic growth. Among the most notable successes has been United Airlines’ expansion of flights, which launched direct seasonal services between Newark and Cape Town, dramatically improving connectivity between the Western Cape and North America. The route helped stimulate high-value tourism from the United States, one of the province’s fastest-growing international markets. Delta Air Lines also strengthened connectivity through direct flights linking Atlanta and Cape Town, while Air France expanded services from Paris to Cape Town, increasing European access to the destination.  Cape Town Air Access also supported the announcement of a new direct LATAM Airlines route between São Paulo and Cape Town, scheduled to launch in 2026. Collectively, these partnerships have contributed to record passenger growth at Cape Town International Airport, which handled more than 11.1 million two-way passengers during 2025.  The expanded connectivity has strengthened tourism, supported exports, increased conference tourism and enhanced Cape Town’s position as one of Africa’s leading international gateway cities. Sources: Emirates  |  IOL  |  Bizcommunity  |  Wesgro  |  Western Cape Government  |  Wesgro

How we can get digital transformation right in the public sector

Digital transformation public sector

By Prof. Linda Meyer, MD at Rosebank College When a government digital project fails, the post-mortem rarely points to the software. It points to the people — or more precisely, to the absence of decisive, visionary leadership at the helm. Across the public sector, from municipal councils to national agencies, a pattern has emerged: organisations that successfully harness technology to better serve citizens aren’t necessarily those with the largest budgets or the most sophisticated tools. They are the ones led by individuals who understand that digital transformation is, at its core, a human endeavour. The leadership imperative It has become fashionable to frame digital transformation as a technology problem. Procurement cycles are scrutinised, platforms are debated, and vendors are evaluated with painstaking rigour. Yet the uncomfortable truth is that most public sector digital initiatives don’t stall because of the wrong software, they stall because of the wrong leadership posture. Effective public sector leaders in the digital age are not administrators who happen to oversee technology budgets. They are strategists who understand how to align technology with public value, ethical accountability, and long-term societal outcomes. They ask not, “what can this system do?” but “what do our citizens actually need, and how does this get us there?” This distinction matters enormously. The public sector operates under constraints that private enterprise rarely faces: political scrutiny, limited budgets, entrenched legacy systems, union agreements, and a mandate to serve everyone — not just the digitally literate. Navigating this terrain requires leaders who are as comfortable in the boardroom as they are in the community hall. Setting a vision that goes beyond efficiency One of the most significant leadership contributions to digital transformation is articulating a compelling, user-centred vision. Too many public sector technology projects are sold internally as efficiency drives, cost-cutting exercises dressed in digital clothing. While efficiency matters, it is rarely sufficient motivation to carry an organisation through the inevitable turbulence of large-scale change. Leaders who succeed in digital transformation frame it differently. They connect technology adoption to a broader mission: faster access to social services, more transparent governance, better health outcomes, safer communities. When staff understand why the change is happening, and can see themselves as participants in something meaningful,  resistance softens, and momentum builds. This is not idealism. It is a strategy. Purpose-driven change management is consistently more effective than top-down mandate alone, particularly in public institutions where staff are often mission-motivated rather than incentive-driven. Championing change from the inside out Even the most visionary leader cannot transform an organisation single-handedly. One of the most underrated leadership skills in digital transformation is the ability to identify and cultivate internal champions, the mid-level managers, frontline workers, and IT staff who become advocates for change within their own teams. These champions serve as cultural translators, bridging the gap between strategic ambition and operational reality. They surface the friction points that leaders in senior roles never see, and they carry credibility with colleagues who might be sceptical of directives from above. Smart leaders don’t just appoint champions,  they create the conditions  for champions to emerge naturally by fostering psychological safety and rewarding experimentation over compliance. Sustaining momentum through bureaucratic headwinds Executive sponsorship is not a formality, it is a lifeline. Digital transformation projects in the public sector face a unique set of institutional pressures: budget cycles that don’t align with technology timelines, ministerial changes that reset priorities overnight, and procurement rules written before cloud computing existed. Leaders who maintain visible, active sponsorship of digital initiatives signal to the organisation and to external partners that this work matters and will not be quietly shelved when things get complicated. Without that signal, projects drift. With it, teams push through. Research from the OECD and the UK’s Government Digital Service consistently shows that the single biggest predictor of digital project success in government is sustained senior leadership commitment. Not the technology stack. Not the vendor. Leadership. Building the capabilities that technology demands Finally, no digital strategy survives contact with a workforce that lacks the skills to execute it. Leaders must make deliberate, often difficult decisions about where to invest not just in platforms and infrastructure, but in people. This means budgeting for digital skills training, recruiting specialist talent, and, critically, creating career pathways that make the public sector competitive with private industry. It also means being honest about what the organisation can build internally and what it needs external expertise to deliver. That judgment call, made well or poorly, can define the outcome of a transformation programme. The bottom line Digital transformation in the public sector will always involve technology. But it will always be decided by leadership — by the clarity of the vision, the courage to champion change, the discipline to sustain momentum, and the wisdom to invest in people as much as platforms. Governments that grasp this will build services their citizens deserve. Those who do not will continue buying technology they cannot use. Prof. Linda Meyer, MD at Rosebank College