The One Thing: Small Ideas, Big Outcomes, A Brighter Future for South Africa

By Bruce Whitfield

If South Africa were a cat, it would be rapidly running out of its nine lives. In 2024, voters sent a clear signal to the fractured ANC that they had run out of patience. It lost its majority and was forced to enter a difficult multi-party coalition.

Broadcaster, author and public speaker Bruce Whitfield consistently looks for opportunity in times of uncertainty. The author of the 2020 bestseller The Upside of Down, and Genius (2022), now brings you The One Thing, which draws on his unparalleled access to a network of business leaders, founders and deep thinkers.

Bruce challenged his contributors to identify ‘One Thing’ that, if they were president for half an hour, they would order to be implemented so it could have a catalytic effect throughout the economy. You will hear from a host of people, including:

• Sean Summers, tasked with turning around Pick n Pay, on the first step he would take to turn around the country;
• Mining CEO Mike Teke on what he learned playing football on the fields of KwaThema, and how he would apply that to the country;
• Wits Chancellor Judy Dlamini on the power of education; and
• Chair of the Businesswomen’s Association Mandisa Nkwanyana about harnessing the power of women as a catalyst for change.

You will also hear from those who inspire us to be more than we think we can be, such as maestro Ralf Schmitt, who took the raw talent of a group of children from Limpopo to the finals of America’s Got Talent, plus a range of money managers, editors, CEOs, academics and founders of some of the country’s most successful startups.

Bruce also challenges readers to define their ‘One Thing’ and yes, he offers his own ‘One Thing’, too. Probably the simplest and most achievable action of all, it requires just one behaviourial change.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pan Macmillan South Africa
• Release date: Oct 1, 2024
• ISBN: 9781770109452

Bruce Whitfield

BRUCE WHITFIELD is a bestselling author, sought-after business speaker and broadcaster. He interprets the noise at the murky intersection where business, politics and society collide. His fresh perspective and ability to demystify complex concepts shines a light on how we can fix the future. Today. Bruce is an award-winning journalist, whose daily Money Show on 702 and CapeTalk is compulsory listening for anyone who wants to better understand the world of money and business. His podcasts regularly top the listenership charts. Genius is his second book, following on from The Upside of Down (2020), which focuses on how chaos and uncertainty breed opportunity.

Book preview

Genesis

This book has its origins in a single quote drawn from a speech by South African Reserve Bank Governor Lesetja Kganyago given in Stellenbosch in July 2021.

‘When everything is a priority, nothing is a priority,’ he said.

South Africa is the country where the wheels have come off and someone has stolen the jack, and the spare.

The governor, named the year before by his global peers as the best among them, was responding to the incessant populist pressure for the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank in the belief that its shareholders somehow held sway over monetary policy, and that by simply keeping rates artificially low and printing money, the country’s ills would be resolved. There was of course the undertone of state capture where the ultimate prize was control of the country’s finances. But his many years of training and self-discipline meant he was able to hold firm on one thing: fulfil the mandate from the National Treasury to constantly target an inflation rate of 3% to 6%.

But global inflationary pressures were building, and the US Federal Reserve dismissed early signs as ‘transitory’ – the governor and his Monetary Policy Committee were among the first in the world to start raising rates after a period in which they had been slashed during the Covid pandemic as an emergency measure to the lowest levels in living memory. But inflationary pressures mounted at their fastest rate in decades in most parts of the world as a series of complex interconnected events would eventually see rates rise at their speediest pace since the 1970s. Some countries tried less conventional strategies at enormous cost. Turkey saw its president overrule the central bank and it led to devastating inflation, severely harming the buying power of the local currency. Kganyago knew too well that even if the inflationary pressure the South African economy was facing was due to disparate reasons linked to supply chain collapses, first in the pandemic, and later further complicated by geopolitics including the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the retaliation against Hamas in Gaza by Israel and a global shift in political sentiment, there was no way that he could bow to the pressure he faced.

Instead, he started to point to failures in policy and implementation and he was clearly exasperated by the country’s political leaders with regard to taking decisive actions that would make a real difference in the economy. Real actions were needed, from fixing Eskom, ensuring trains ran and ports ­facilitated trade, and roads were well maintained and safe. But those things are hard, expensive, don’t capture headlines and take time to demonstrate their value.

There are no quick wins in an economy, especially one as damaged as South Africa, but imagine if each state-owned company and government department had focused on one core project at that time, how much better off the country would be. Imagine we could forego the quick fixes and the box-ticking and focus in on what really is important to ensure that the country recovers from its decade-and-a-half malaise in a way that by 2040 it is the powerhouse it has the potential to be. What actions would we take with the luxury of time and the power of compounding if we were not constrained by the election cycle and the very real desperation of a growing number of people who cannot get a job, even if they were prepared to do it for just food and a roof over their heads?

The first half of African National Congress (ANC) governance between 1994 to 2008 was nothing short of miraculous and put paid to the fears of those who stocked up on candles, baked beans and ammunition in anticipation of feared doomsday scenarios playing out in the aftermath of the first democratic vote. (They would have been well advised to hang on to the candles.) The recovery in the aftermath of one of the most vulgar and oppressive political regimes of the second half of the 20th century created the scope for a miraculous new beginning. For a while it all seemed the impossible was happening as its investment grade was regained, growth neared 5% and millions of jobs were created. Yes, there were serious gaps in governance, but the groundwork was being laid for a political, social and economic miracle. That ended abruptly with the simultaneous arrival of the three horsemen of the economic apocalypse who all rolled in at about the same time: the global financial crisis; South Africa running out of cheap and plentiful electricity thanks to government inaction on new power supply; and the emergence of the one-man wrecking ball Jacob Zuma as president of the republic. Not only was he wholly inadequate for the magnitude of the task that was required, but he allowed the future to be hijacked on his watch and there is plenty of evidence that he willingly aided and abetted the process.

Justice must be done. Our focus, however, needs to be on the repair job. We know what needs to be done: fix education, crush corruption, drive growth, bring investment, support small businesses, invest in infrastructure, and a plethora of other actions.

But it doesn’t happen.

Why?

Because talk is cheap, and action is hard and knowing where to start after years of neglect has led to a compounding of issues. It means making politically unpalatable trade-offs that invariably will be hard to sell to an electorate already past the point of believing that better days lie ahead. The problems are so urgent, deep-rooted and serious, that speed is of the essence, and very often the scale of the problem is so considerable that even those with the best intentions can be overwhelmed by complex systems failure.

So how do you begin?

If a journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step, then you start to fix a country by doing one thing.

But which thing?

Here is the brief: ‘You are president for half an hour and can take one decision, no matter how small, that will have a compounding effect for the country. Its impact should be so profound that when you look back ten years from now, you will be in awe of how that one small thing had such a big impact.’

Now, before you read any further, take a pen, and write down your ‘One Thing’.

It’s okay. I know you were taught to not write in books, but this is the exception. Keep it tight and neat so that someone who picks this book up after you has room for their contribution.

Do it now, in the space provided over the page and understand how hard it is.

This will help you appreciate the challenge I put to scores of people in my contact book.

Tough, isn’t it? Now, don’t look at this page again but consume the plethora of ideas shared here. And when you reach the end of the book, you will be given another chance to rethink your ‘One Thing’.

Then, compare what you wrote here, and see the magic of how when sharing great ideas, better solutions emerge.

We truly are, as the Springboks have demonstrated: ‘Stronger together’.

Have fun.

A Quick History Lesson about

Some Small Things

If South Africa were a cat, it would be rapidly running out of its nine lives.

How long can you expect people in one of the most un­equal countries on earth to continue to be placated by a mix of hollow promises and vacuous platitudes, while living with the consequences of the sheer incompetence of public officials, whose only job is to make life better for citizens?

This is neither a blueprint nor a manual on how to fix a country.

As the originator of this project, I fully accept that you will be infuriated by some of the ideas, bemused by others, but hopefully inspired by more of them to think differently about the future and feel the need to do your ‘One Thing’.

It is abundantly clear that what got South Africa to this point of its economic, social and political development is not going to get us to where we need to be, so we do need to think boldly and differently about the future.

South Africa sits on yet another opportunity to reinvent itself, and despite squandering many chances before this, the sheer volume and level of the response of my correspondents demonstrates the awful realisation that we dare not continue to delay making the decisions, however tough and politically unpalatable they might be.

In the aftermath of an extraordinary election result, and the creation of an unlikely alliance of democrats connected via their shared belief in the values embodied in one of the finest constitutions ever created, South Africa has been gifted yet another chance to resurrect itself from innumerable missteps and failures of the past.

There is a West African proverb: ‘If you think you’re too small to make a difference, try spending the night in a closed room with a mosquito.’

While one small action can lead to significant and speedy changes, so too can individuals influence history.

How different would South Africa’s emergence from nationalist tyranny to democracy have been had Nelson Mandela emerged from prison with a different state of mind, rather than the extraordinary self-control to use his influence to bring a largely peaceful transition with all of its flaws and missteps, and avoid a Rwanda-style cataclysm, which played out at roughly the same time, and the horrors of the Balkans, where political leaders chose violence to conquer those they believed inferior or a threat to their future security.

History has also shown the power of individuals to have considerable economic influence on entire societies.

The emergence of Taylor Swift as a global star sparked a revolution of a different kind as she upended a voracious music industry and took back control of her career, music catalogue and earnings. Her success has led to theories such as the Taylor Swift Effect or Swiftonomics – the belief that a single pop star is so influential that the arrival of one of her spectacular stadium tours in a country can shift GDP. Spoiler alert: It’s not true, despite the hype that suggests Swift’s shows bring economic windfalls in their wake. That she is a superstar whose astonishing popularity causes fans to spend large parts of their disposable income on attending her concerts is not in dispute. However, the only economies she markedly impacts on are those of Taylor Swift Inc. and those of her hardworking crews, whom she famously rewards generously for their efforts.

Economies are vast and complex ecosystems that require more than a brief series of high-visibility events to alter their growth rates. The same goes for global sporting or cultural events, which have increased cashflow benefits to the cities visited and boosted tourism, as well as bar and restaurant takings – they are not of themselves ever going to be big enough to change the economic trajectory of a city, let alone a nation.

Reuters quoted the chief economist at the Stockholm Chamber of Commerce following Swift’s three-show tour in the city in May 2024, where a massive 180 000 fans attended her concerts. About half were thought to have flown in especially for the event and the ensuing entertainment extravaganza generated about $81m for the city. Most of the money went on ticket sales, which, after expenses and some taxes, accrue to Taylor Inc.

The theory behind big-scale events is that countries that host the Olympics, or any one of the more popular World Cups from rugby to football, see an economic benefit if the infrastructure created to host the big event is developed with a long-term view and continues to benefit society as a whole.

Individual events in themselves do little. But for a country with ambitious growth goals, hosting an Olympics or a World Cup can be the catalyst needed for expensive infrastructure spend that is easier to sell to voters because it is attached to a high-profile event. It in turn makes it possible for the likes of a Taylor Swift to put on the events and earn some income that would otherwise have flowed elsewhere.

Also, based on the price of tickets, many local concertgoers might spend less elsewhere as they save for a single big-­ticket event and thus divert spending rather than generating new income.

What is clear is that individuals can and do have a significant impact on economic outcomes. Some are destructive, some far less than their followers might like to believe, and others use mechanisms at their disposal to manage the fallout of economic, political and social decisions, the consequences of which are yet to be felt.

The power of individual leaders to shape the course of history is well proven. The power of individuals to influence nations should never be underestimated, which is why I asked so many in my address book to share their very best ideas.

Former FNB CEO Michael Jordaan, whose ‘One Thing’ you will read about in this book, once said to me: ‘Confidence is the cheapest form of stimulus you can get.’

Sounds simple enough.

But what will spark confidence? Especially in the aftermath of the deliberate destruction of key state institutions and the fervent greed that has taken hold in many parts of society?

That is the question I seek to answer in this book with the help of some of the smartest and most capable people I have the privilege of knowing. All are experts in their field, they are all extraordinarily busy people, many of whom are already at the coalface seeking to find innovative solutions to seemingly intractable problems.

Some tried and failed and asked to be excluded, others apologised that they were unable to distil the complexity of the task at hand to ‘One Thing’. And yes, several just ignored the request altogether or failed to make good on their promises to share their thinking. One was advised by those closest to them that their one thing would cause too much friction with the government, so it remains theirs alone. Others, to their credit, had a go. But, as you might expect from big thinkers whose natural instinct is solving big problems, they struggled to contain themselves to the narrow strictures of the brief.

There are some very clear themes that emerge across the diverse list of contributors.

Understandably, the greatest number are focused on children and early childhood development as a means to securing a better future for the country. Unsurprisingly, there are also a large number of contributions around education and how it can be improved for the same reason. There are strong contributions on healthcare, fighting corruption, creating jobs, and giving all citizens a sense of common purpose and shared urgency in finding solutions to the issues we face. Surprisingly, there is just one on crime. Perhaps it is just too big to resolve without broader societal fixes in place first. The country is living under the cosh of violent crime and its courts and jails cannot keep up with demand. So perhaps that is why it is seen as an outcome rather than a stand-alone fix.

You will also notice the appearance of Singapore and many examples of success in Southeast Asia, where committed leaders have dedicated themselves and their societies to rapid self-improvement.

Perhaps that is the first lesson this book offers, and why I have kept all the strongest submissions, even those that ignored the precise instructions: not everyone is a fan of change.

Imagine if one person taking one small positive action could be amplified through a society. One individual might decide to fill potholes in their road, which might spark similar actions from others in their suburb and could see local businesses contributing to the cost of doing the work the local authority fails to tackle. There are countless examples of ordinary citizens doing things like this every day and in many cases it leads to a fulfilling series of events, which lead to immediate improvements in communities for all who live in them. Chaos theory is a branch of mathematics that looks at underlying patterns. It states that within the apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns, interconnections and constant feedback loops, which is best demonstrated in what we all know as the ‘butterfly effect’. It is an underlying principle of chaos and describes how a small change in one system can result in large differences at a later stage. The theory goes that a butterfly could flap its wings somewhere in the world and if the conditions were perfect, this could result in a tornado in another part of the world. So, if you make a small mistake in a measurement, or any other assumption for that matter, at the early stage of a project, that error could be compounded with disastrous consequences.

At its core, a small difference at the start of a project can lead to compounding over time. So, imagine being able to take one small action that in and of itself would seem insignificant in the moment, but if applied with dedication and diligence across the economy would start to have a snowball effect. An idea that the incremental benefits of one small action might not be immediately visible, but over time would compound and spark new ideas and new actions, which would have a catalytic effect throughout society.

Ever heard of Brandolini’s Law? It’s otherwise known as the ‘bullshit asymmetry principle’, which states that the amount of energy required to refute bullshit is disproportionately larger than the amount of effort required to create it. Breaking a country is far easier than the delicate and urgent repair job needed to undo the considerable damage wrought during Jacob Zuma’s dismal presidency, where he aided and abetted cronies in what became a frenzied resource heist. However, there are others whose ideas are so profound and so achievable that if we put just some of those into action, we might very well see the catalyst emerge for the confidence we seek to get the flywheel moving for a better South Africa.

Keep reading.

While you are doing it, reach for your phone and simultaneously search for a podcast, select the one you want to listen to, and push play.

Keep reading.

Yes, push play on the app.

Oh, you forgot to respond to the WhatsApps that came through on the project earlier, keep listening, it will keep playing while you respond to the messages.

Over here! Focus!

What are you doing playing with your phone?

Have you had a reply yet to the message you sent about the club AGM last night?

Just check that quickly.

Oh! That was clever. Yes, the podcast guest is really nailing the topic.

Okay, scroll back about a minute; it’s really good.

What did that WhatsApp say about the AGM?

Oh dammit, you need to make lunch because the kids are home early from school today. Don’t forget the WhatsApp about dinner tonight. It’s important.

You missed the bit on the podcast again …

Focus!

I hope I have demonstrated that effective multitasking is a myth. Yet, we all try to do it and we and the tasks we attempt are victims of our own creation.

For all of its benefits, the development of technology over the past fifteen years means we willingly put ourselves into the slipstream of information overload, which distracts us from doing what really matters.

‘This isn’t life in the fast lane. This is life in oncoming traffic,’ wrote popular author Terry Pratchett. I forget the context, but it holds true to modern life.

There is plenty of evidence, however, that multitasking is a cause for concern.

Studies show that not only do we make more mistakes as we focus on multiple issues, but we also retain less information and that can change the way our brain works.

Neuroscientists have shown how the brain’s prefrontal cortex begins working anytime you need to pay attention, and that ensures that you are able to focus on a single goal – co­ordinating messages with other brain systems. Both sides of the prefrontal cortex are able to function in harmony with one another. The problem occurs when you add another task. I don’t mean to brag, but I can juggle three balls at once, add just one more though and most will end up scattered around the room. The reason you can walk and chew gum at the same time is because those are simple, everyday functions that can work simultaneously. You might even be able to hold a conversation at the same time. However, if you were to try to send a text at the same time, something would have to give.

When it comes to performing more complex tasks such as filling in a form, it requires focus, and having a conversation or sending that text while trying to compute the questions to complete the document in question, means you are unlikely to do any one of the tasks even remotely well enough.

A study in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human