Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

56
New Nigerian High Commissioner Malawi and Friends Association SA DRC Chamber of Commerce Dr. Chomba Chuma Jobs in the rest of Africa - backpage! Discovering the Drakensberg www.expatriate.co.za R 23,95 SA Professionals of Foreign Origin & Friends Issue 5 Abbey Adenigba The Nigerian Prince of SA Properties Simon Chikumbu AON Benfield Africa CEO Fred Swaniker African Leadership Founder on the Forbes List Musa Kalenga Africa’s Youngest Chartered Marketer David Kibuuka Ugandan-born Funny Man 9 772218 757007 > 5 0 0 1 1 Pic: Mzu Nhlabati

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Expatriate SA Magazine Summer 2011 Issue 5

Transcript of Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

Page 1: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

New Nigerian High Commissioner • Malawi and Friends Association • SA DRC Chamber of Commerce • Dr. Chomba Chuma • Jobs in the rest of Africa - backpage! • Discovering the Drakensberg

w w w . e x p a t r i a t e . c o . z a

R 23,95 S A P r o f e s s i o n a l s o f F o r e i g n O r i g i n & F r i e n d s

Issue 5

Abbey Adenigba The Nigerian Prince of SA Properties

Simon Chikumbu AON Benfield Africa CEO

FredSwanikerAfrican Leadership Founder on the Forbes List

Musa Kalenga Africa’s Youngest Chartered Marketer

David K ibuuka Ugandan-born Funny Man

9 772218 757007 >50011

Pic: Mzu Nhlabati

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P11002 PARK INN Ad EXPAT RP.indd 1 10/14/11 4:08:54 PM

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SUBSCRIBE AND WIN Subscribe and win 2 nights for 2 in the Drakensberg

Subscribe and win 2 nights for 2 in the Drakensberg! – Details pg 29

Page 4: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5
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Contents4 Editorial

5 Inside Home Affairs: Rather Apply Abroad

7 Expat-tivities

14 Cover Story: Fred Swaniker, Young African Leadership Founder on the Forbes List

19 Abbey Adenigba, The Nigerian Prince of SA Properties

22 Willy Yav, From M.E.D.I.A to P.Y.G.M.A

24 Thierry Kankwala: Chair of SA-DRC Chamber of Commerce

26 Expat-travel: Discovering the Drakensberg, The Champagne Castle Hotel

30 Simon Chikumbu - AON Benfield Africa CEO

34 Martha George, Founder of Malawi and Friends Association

36 Know Your Envoy: Ambassador S.S. Yusuf, New Nigerian High Commissioner

38 Dr. Chomba Chuma, MD of Vitabiotics and Chair of KEDASA

41 Senkubuge: The Expat Offspring’s Journey to the Altar

42 Musa Kalenga, Africa’s youngest Chartered Marketer

46 Person of the Year: Africa

48 Expat-tainers: David Kibuuka, Ugandan born funny man

51 Kasirye : Our miserable expatriate women

52 Peprah: Lamenting the Lama

Page 6: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

04 EXPATRIATE

here was no need for

the photographer to say

“cheese” or any other

smile-inducing noun when

he took this photograph of me. This

is genuine joy, the kind a striker

experiences after scoring a precious

goal to end a goal drought.

The conception of a product

like a magazine is very similar to the

idea of bringing a life into this world

- there are just as many reasons to

do it as they are not to - and then

actualisation is preceded by anxiety.

Stares into the pram that elicit all kind

of positive noises and congratulatory

responses. Occasionally they guess

the wrong gender or walk away

commenting about how unusually

big the head is.

For the creators, the excitement

of day one quickly dies down to

sleepless nights and nightless sleeps.

The expression teething problems

couldn’t be more apt. It is a thankless

task particularly for the small team

that has spent little or no time in

the media. The first time couple who

have to rely on the feedback of those

who care or those in the know who

care to share.

The triumph that follows

independent sitting is the adorable

movement of the crawl. The product

is in motion. The writing refuses to

be confined, growing stronger and

stronger by the day, gaining balance

and achieving poise.

We are happy to bring you our

first anniversary edition. We bring

on board a German-born lawyer

who knows Home Affairs like

nobody should. As you discover

the Drakensberg, read about our

achiever expatriates – Ghana’s Fred

Swaniker, Kenya’s Chomba Chuma,

Zambia’s Musa Kalenga, Uganda’s

David Kibuuka, Zimbabwe’s Simon

Chikumbu and Nigeria’s Abbey

Adenigba. Get to know the new

Nigerian High Commissioner while

Malawi’s Martha George and DRC’s

Kankwala tell us of their respective

organisations.

We thank everyone who has had

any sort of engagement with this

publication in its maiden year. At one,

we are one, the expatriate family –

together we stand. Soon to walk,

soon to run, soon to fly!

KC Rottok, CA (SA)

Creative & Fin. Journalism (Wits University)

Managing Editor.

TO STAND, TO CRAWL, TO TEETH... TO BE BORN.

Publisher: The Expatriate Forum andMagazine (Pty) LimitedReg. Number: 2010/012428/07P O Box 4935, Randburg, 2125Tel: +27 11 7917484www.expatriate.co.za

Director: Carol Malonza – [email protected] Editor:KC Rottok – [email protected] Deputy Editor and Content Advisor: Leah Maina – [email protected]

Publishing Executive: Sheila Lynn Senkubuge

Advertising and Event Enquiries [email protected] or 0822146421

Edition Writers:Keith Kundai, Hannington Kasirye, Yaw Peprah, Andreas Krensel, KC Rottok, Sheila Senkubuge, Carol Malonza

Contributors:Karabo Moleke, Buntu Williams

Art Direction, Design and Layout:Mike [email protected]

Photography:Mzu Nhlabati www.creativenation.co.za

Website: Drutech Media (0781121311)

All rights reserved. Excerpts may be used as long as this magazine is credited as the source. Longer versions of our content may only be used with the written permission of the Publisher. Neither the publisher nor the editor accept responsibility for any of the information from edition writers or contributors. Whilst we have taken care in preparing this publication, the publisher/editor does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. The editor retains the right to edit all contributions. Advertisers are responsible for their material.

© Expatriate SA 2011: ISSN 2218 – 757X

NOTEFROMTHEEDITOR

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et us start with the good news.

The Department of Home

Affairs recently received its

first unqualified audit in 20

years, meaning their financial affairs

are in order. In addition many citizens

would confirm that the issuing

of identity (ID) books, birth and

marriage certificates has improved.

A lot of offices have undergone

a renovation and look clean and

friendly. Home Affairs’ efforts to turn

the department around are bearing

some fruits.

Unfortunately some of these

efforts have no impact on the

expatriate. The bad news is that

service delivery for foreigners

applying for temporary or permanent

residence has not significantly

improved. The introduction of a

central hub in charge of processing

all applications was meant to speed

up processing times and ensure

the proper implementation of the

current immigration regulations. In

June 2010, a computer based “track

& trace” system was introduced in

addition to a national call centre in a

bid to assist in monitoring the status

of each application. The system also

enables the applicant to find out

where in the processing chain the

application is in the event that it is

not completed in time.

And yet processing times

have increased to up to 100 days

compared to the 35 days on

average when applications were still

processed at the regional and district

offices where the application was

also submitted. The call centre is

reachable but does not produce any

results if you log a query. The central

Rather Apply Abroad...“Home affairs now looks clean and friendly but service delivery for foreigners applying for temporary or permanent residence has not significantly improved...”

hub in Pretoria was supposed to move

to local offices in September but by

the middle of October this had not

happened causing a near standstill

in processing of any permits. In

addition, issued permits are wrongly

endorsed, applications are incorrectly

denied and appeals are not attended

to at all. The most frustrating part

for a lot of applicants is that there

is no one who can give an answer to

queries because all applications are

processed in the central hub that has

no contact to the public at all. Thus

the practical implementation of the

well-intended changes is in my view

disastrous.

Additionally, there is a change

of law on the cards with new the

Immigration Regulations set to be

published. There are two changes in

the Act that will have major practical

implications for all expatriates.

Firstly, all applicants must submit

their applications in person. In the

past attorneys or immigration

practitioners were allowed to act

on behalf of the applicant but this

will no longer be allowed although

we expect most to accompany the

applicant in future. Secondly, one

cannot change from a visitors permit

to any other kind of temporary

residence anymore. If say a visitor

finds a job here, he/she will have to

return to his/hers country of origin in

order to submit the application for a

work permit.

With all the justified criticism

here, there is a workable solution for

all expatriates and we recommend

this to our clients successfully. All

foreigners who wish to work or

live in South Africa should apply

for a temporary visa at the South

African consulate or embassy in their

country of origin before they travel

to South Africa. The processing times

are about a week or two, employees

can be reached and queries can be

resolved before an application is

rejected.

Andreas Krensel is the owner and managing

director of IBN Consulting in Cape Town. He

is a qualified German attorney with LLM from

UCT and has been assisting foreign investors

in South Africa for the past ten years. www.

ibncapetown.com

InsideHomeAffairs

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ExpaT-TivitieS

More pics available at www.facebook.com/expatmag

02 06

ZASA HOSTS BBA’S KIMBERLY AND MUMBA, GREER’S PUB 27 AUGUST 2011

KIMBERLY MUSONDA“After 84 days in the Big Brother House, everyone knows my name with hundreds of Facebook friend requests per day. My salon in Livingstone now has

booming business and contrary to internet rumours I am neither pregnant nor engaged. Lomwe and I are not together as that was just part of the Big

Brother game. He is now one of the 25 friends I made around Africa. Going forward, I want to go back to school to be a dermatologist...”

MUMBA MWAKWA“Before BBA I was very private working as Krystal the DJ at Radio Phoenix in Lusaka. Now everybody who knows who Krystal is. Some people may have

thought I was boring or fake in the house but that was just me being me. I was looking beyond the three month experience. After the game, I am more

patient and more confident though I have to watch what I am doing now as people know who I am.....”

GENERAL OZZY“Since 2005 I have had four albums: The General, Generalised, Trilogy and Kobili. So far Trilogy was the biggest including hits like “Potential” which was

my original song before I did a remix with Radio and Weasal from Uganda. I am working on doing work with artists across Africa to make my music

international like Kidum in Kenya, Zeus from Botswana and Buffalo Soldier from Zim. Beyond that I am running a production company with my brother....”

From left: Mumba, Ozzy and Kimberly

07WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

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ExpaT-TivitieS

More pics available at www.facebook.com/expatmag

BAANA BA KINTU TABAMIRUKA, PICS 1 -4

AUPSA INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATION, PICS 5 – 6

3 – Ronnie Nsubuga performing at the event. 6 – Key note Address from Dr. Kasirye.

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ExpaT-TivitieS

EXPATRIATE MAGAZINE ISSUE 4 LAUNCHMOLOKO STRATHAVON HOTEL

04 01

05 06

0203

More pics available at www.facebook.com/expatmag

1 – Kenyan Ambassador Tom Amolo (Right) with his wife Nosi (middle) and Ghanaian Deputy High Commissioner Parker Allotey (Left). 2 – Editor KC Rottok speaking to press after the event. 3 – Karabo Moleke speaking on behalf of the sponsors, Old Mutual/Fedhealth/Mutual & Federal. 4 – Key-note address from Moky Makura. 5 – Fortune Gowera, sales director of Park Inn Hotel handing raffle winner Liz Gakuo of the Enzi Chair her prize. 6 – Raj Shah, director at Absa Capital congratulates Grace Olukune for winning the grand prize, an SAA sponsored trip to Cape Town.

09WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

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ExpaT-TivitieS

More pics available at www.facebook.com/expatmag

GHANAFEST 2011 PRETORIA, PICS 1 -5

MISS ZAMBIA SA @ SANKAYI, PIC 6

2 – Planet Radio’s Turas – MC of the event. 4 – Winner of Miss Ghanafest – Debbie Collins (middle) flanked by the runners-up Tina-Marie Collins (left) and Melissa Adwoa Asante (right). 5 – Kojo Baffoe of Destiny Man recites a poem dedicated to Ghana. 6 – Some of the Miss Zambia Contestants, dressed by Ethnique Designs.

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11WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

ExpaT-TivitieS

More pics available at www.facebook.com/expatmag

KENYA NIGHT 2011

02

04

01 06

03051 – The MC – Bongani Nx. 2 – Upendo Women chair Nanzala Mwaura. 3 – 450 in attendance. 4 – Key note address from Kenya’s Gender Minister Naomi Shaban. 5 – Nameless entertains the crowd.

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0301 02

ExpaT-TivitieS

BRAND AFRICA FORUM SANDTON 20111 – Prof. Arthur Mutambara, Deputy Prime Minister of Zimbabwe. 2 – Dr. Joseph Annan Deputy Trade Minister of Ghana (left) and Brand Africa Founder Thebe Ikalafeng (right). 3 – Dr. Dambisa Moyo, Author of “Dead Aid” & “How the West Was Lost”.

Page 15: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

23WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

160 Helen Road (off Grayston Drive), Strathavon, Sandton, Johannesburg • +27 11 384 [email protected] • +27 861 MOLOKO (66 56 56) • www.strathavonhotel.co.za

More than just somewhere to sleep, the Moloko Strathavon Hotel is a style statement. It’s the future of the boutique hospitality industry which embodies all that is great in the modern luxury hotel market, and then takes it one step beyond. The exclusive hotel encompasses an award-winning organic spa, fine dining at the Ambassador Restaurant and the sought-after post-dinner night spot Off the Record cigar lounge. Taking its cue from Mother Nature, the hotel has been designed to blend seamlessly into the indigenous gardens surrounding it. Moloko Strathavon Hotel is a mere stone’s throw from Sandton, Johannesburg’s trendsetting business and shopping hub.

SERENE • TRANQUIL • EXCLUSIVE

Moloko.indd 30 2011/06/20 10:49 AM

Page 16: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

Fred Swaniker Young African Leadership Founder on the Forbes List

Page 17: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

eet Fred Swaniker, one

of the founders of the

Johannesburg based

African Leadership

Academy (ALA). His is a truly

inspiring story of an African who

is committed to transforming the

continent by positively influencing

its future leadership.

“When you spend so much time

in Africa, you cannot help but be

passionate about the continent,”

Swaniker says.

He was born in Ghana and left the

country when he was four. He grew

up in a number of African countries

namely the Gambia, Botswana

and Zimbabwe. With each part of

Africa he lived in, a strong desire to

influence its destiny grew which

eventually led to the establishment

of the ALA in September 2008.

Founding academic institutions

seems to run in his family, starting

with his grandmother who set up a

secondary school in Ghana and his

mother who formed Mount Pleasant

English Medium School in Botswana.

Swaniker was put in charge of Mount

Pleasant at the age of 18.

“After my time as headmaster

at the school, I pursued university

studies in the United States of

America where I obtained a BA in

economics from Macalester College.

I then went on to pursue an MBA

at Stanford Business School and

it was there that I met one of ALA

co-founders - Chris Bradford - who

shares the same passion I have for

the African continent,” Swaniker

recalls.

After university, Swaniker

was involved in founding Global

Leadership Adventures, a leadership

development program for youth

with sites in ten countries. He gained

additional entrepreneurial experience

by founding Synexa Life Sciences

in Cape Town, a biotechnology

company that today employs

about 30 South African scientists.

His work experience also includes

acting as a consultant for McKinsey

and Company where he provided

strategic advice to the management

teams of large companies in Africa.

It was during his tenure at McKinsey

in Nigeria in 2003 that the ALA idea

was formed.

“Everything I saw around me

made me realise the urgent need for

more effective and ethical leaders.

Together with Chris and the other

founders of ALA, Acha Leke and

Peter Mombaur, we asked ourselves

the question: what corrective steps

could we take to create good leaders

in Africa that would bring about

fundamental change beyond our

lifetimes?”

The four embarked on a process

of studying leadership around the

world to determine if there was a

clear pattern that was common to

good leaders. They identified certain

‘ingredients’ that if developed in a

systematic way would enable them

to bring about good leaders.

This is what inspired the

establishment of ALA, a donor funded

institution that has evaluated almost

10,000 candidates of which 400

have been accepted for its two year

program. The academy has contacts

across the continent who identify

teenagers who possess leadership

potential for consideration.

“We want to work with them

from a young age as history shows

that a good number of leaders

began the journey to achievement

during their formative years. Nelson

Mandela for example was in his

20’s when he joined the ANC youth

league and technology innovators

Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg

were only teenagers when they

conceived Microsoft and Facebook

respectively,” he notes.

William Kamkwamba may very

well be the next Mark Zuckerberg.

He was kicked out of school when

he was 14 for lack of school fees but

the young leader was determined

to make something of his life. He

noticed how windy it was in his

village in Malawi and read about

windmills. Using a tractor fan and

bicycle parts, he set up one that was

able to produce enough electricity to

power a small radio.

“When we met him, he could

barely speak English,” Swaniker

said during an address at his alma

mater Stanford recently. “We were

concerned that he would not be able

to cope but eventually decided to give

him a chance and bring him to the

academy. William not only graduated

from the school, he was accepted

to Dartmouth and is just about to

complete his first year there. In 2009,

he published a book entitled ‘The

boy who harnessed the wind’ which

made it to number 7 on the Amazon.

com best seller list. His vision is to

15WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

Page 18: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

establish a windmill company in

Malawi and he has identified an area

which has the potential to triple the

energy output of the country.”

William is a good example of the

opportunities that the ALA provides.

The institution has a practical

approach by requiring students to

complete one of three projects: an

entrepreneurial project, a project

in service to the community or a

project along the lines of what the

student intends to pursue as a career

when they eventually graduate.

Swaniker says that ALA intends

to produce 6,000 leaders over

the next 50 years. He views the

initiative as not just an academy

but a network seeing as the school

follows the progress of its students

throughout their path to leadership

by getting them admitted to world

class universities and assisting them

in getting jobs on the continent

thereafter.

Margaret Mead said “Never

underestimate the power of a few

committed people to change the

world.” Fred Swaniker and the ALA

team are doing exactly that, one

young leader at a time.

- KC Rottok

Expat-tidbits: Fred Swaniker, Age 34, 2006 list of Top 15 emerging entrepreneurs in the world (Echo Green) 2011 list of Top 20 most powerful young Africans (Forbes Magazine)

16 EXPATRIATE

Page 19: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

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Page 20: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

Without a will there is no way

Estate planning begins with drafting your will. “A valid will is linked to your estate. It is a record of how you want your assets and liabilities to be dealt with when you pass away. A valid will is therefore an essential element of estate planning,” says Neelan Porthen, Regional General Manager of the Johannesburg Region.

In order for your will to be executed, it must be valid. This means, among other things, that your will must be signed by two independent witnesses who have not been nominated as beneficiaries.

It is very important that your loved ones know where to find the most recent copy of your will in the event of your death. It may be a good idea to date your will so that it will be easier to identify which will is the most recent. You should also update your will on a regular basis by keeping it current as you make major lifestyle changes. Also, ensure that your family members are aware of the contents of your will.

“You must appoint an executor in your will – preferably someone you can trust, such as a spouse or an attorney, “ says Porthen. The executor’s task is to see to it that the terms of your will are carried out. If you die without a will or without having appointed an executor, the state will appoint a suitable person as executor. If, however, you draft your own will, the executor will be someone of your own choosing.

Your estate includes everything you own and owe – from property and cars to investments and debts. A properly structured estate plan will ensure that your estate has a tax-efficient structure which will benefit you during your lifetime and your beneficiaries after your death.

If your estate doesn’t include sufficient cash, the executor may be forced to sell some of your assets. This could have a financially negative impact on your family for the rest of their lives. Consider taking out life assurance that will pay out an amount to your estate in order to cover a cash deficit.

Another possibility is to create a trust. A trust is a legal entity which can be established to hold and manage assets on your behalf. Your personal circumstances will determine whether it will be useful for you to have a trust. There are many advantages to having a trust. One such advantage is that a trust can result in estate freezing. This means that you will be exempt from capital gains tax, as the growth of the asset takes place within the trust and not in your hands. A trust can also protect your assets should you or your beneficiaries be declared insolvent. Furthermore a trust will protect a beneficiary who is inexperienced in business matters and investments, by controlling the management of funds.

A trust is, however, not the best option for some people. “There are various cost and income tax implications when a trust is created. Do make sure that you receive professional advice before embarking on this path,” says Porthen. If a testamentary trust is established in your will, the trustees of the trust must be named.

If you die without a will, the law of intestate succession will apply. This means that the law will then determine who your beneficiaries are in terms of blood-relationship. By drawing up a valid will you can ensure that the beneficiaries of your choice will receive what is due to them according to your wishes.

For more info on getting expert financial advice, contact Karabo Moleke , Manager: Regional Marketing, Personal Financial Advice: Johannesburg Region, Tel: 011 217 1316, Mobile: 082 758 3196, Email: [email protected]

Page 21: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

hen you walk into

the office of

Prince Abiodun

“ A b b e y ”

Adenigba in Morningside, you are

met by the various trophies and

qualifications that are the product

of 16 years’ service to the South

African property market.

“It is all about

service,” he

affirms, “The

money is only

secondary.

I was

r e c e n t l y

walking in

a mall in

Sandton

w h e n

a man

stopped me

and thanked

me so

much for

h a v i n g

sold him

a very

g o o d

house a

few

years ago. That is what gives me

satisfaction in this business because

my focus is largely in the residential

end of the industry where people are

making the often emotive decision

of purchasing or selling a dwelling.”

Abbey arrived in South Africa soon

after the 1994 elections and enrolled

at the then Midrand University

to pursue property studies. The

following year he joined Seeff

Properties after a brief

three month stint with

Wendy Machanik

Properties. Life in

the property industry

was not easy for him

as he was from an

average family and

A B B E Y A D E N I G B AT H E N I G E R I A N P R I N C E O F S A P R O P E R T I E S

Page 22: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

did not have a car.

“I credit my superior Mike Slater

for taking me in without a vehicle

and allowing me to be an assistant

estate agent. Times were tough

when I got here; I was actually a

bouncer at a casino in Hillbrow as a

student. Without training to handle

a weapon, I was given a gun and

assigned to the front door!”

After a few months at Seeff,

he was able to purchase a 20 year

old vehicle and was then made a

full estate agent. He recalls that

for five years he was the only black

estate agent in a company that had

hundreds of agents and occasionally

he would find that his advertising

boards had been kicked to the curb in

some neighbourhoods.

“Sometimes some people would

call the company requesting an estate

agent. I would be assigned to meet

the prospective client who would

be taken aback when a salesman

from Nigeria shows up. I actually

remember one incident where I was

sent on such an assignment to meet

a client in a white neighbourhood. I

arrived early and while waiting in my

car I dosed off only to be woken up by

policemen who had surrounded the

vehicle with cocked guns. Apparently,

there had been a robbery in the area

the previous night and only when

my client vouched for my status as a

Seeff salesman did they let me go.”

Despite these challenges, he managed

to exceed everyone’s expectations

and win several sales awards at the

company.

“I attribute my success at

the company to three things,” he

explains, “Firstly, the strength of the

Seeff brand; people were happy to

do business with me as I was a Seeff

agent. I was also assigned to areas

that were undergoing transition

under the new dispensation when

members of the black middle class

were buying homes in the suburbs.

Finally and most importantly, I had

integrity. I believe people can smell

if you are a type of person that they

can do business with. I actually recall

a middle aged woman asking me who

she should make out a six hundred

thousand rand cheque out to and

entrusting it to me thereafter.”

Abbey believes that he has

maintained his integrity throughout

his career, even after starting his own

agency – Abaden Properties – in 2002.

The agency has withstood difficult

times to keep active offices open in

both Lagos and Johannesburg with

a property portfolio that extends to

Durban and Cape Town.

“A significant majority of agents

have closed down with the advent of

the National Credit Act as well as the

financial crisis. We have remained

active by offering a range of services

not just buying and selling properties.

I have pursued various qualifications

at the Wits Business School including

a post graduate qualification in

property studies which allow me

to provide consultation services to

companies. These include valuations,

renovation guidance and assistance

in finding suitable office space and

residences for key employees. We

were the agency responsible for

relocating expatriates working for

Barclays when they acquired a stake

in Absa.”

The agency has also created

a niche for itself by managing

properties for a number of foreigners

who buy investment property in the

country. Abbey says that they were

the first agency to assist Nigerians

to buy properties in SA for rental,

a service he has expanded to other

countries including Kenya and Ghana.

“Our long term vision is to

remain a foremost estate agency

that provides unmatched service to

families across Africa. We sometimes

manage properties for people who

have never been to the country. You

also need financial discipline to obey

the rules around your trust account

because sometimes a client does not

require you to remit rentals for three

years and then out of the blue they

ask you to transfer a huge amount to

the United Kingdom as school fees

for their children.”

Abbey is also the founder and

minister at Bramley based Shekainah

Ministries. His wife whom he met

during his days at university comes

from Zambia. She is a human resource

professional at Ericsson and together

they have two young daughters.

He cites the Seeff Brothers,

Emary Campbell, Liora Bamberger

and Charles Vinnin as his industry

mentors.

- Keith Kundai

Page 23: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

“Soon after the 1994 elections, I once dozed off in my car waiting for a client in a white neighbourhood only to be awoken by policemen holding cocked guns...”

21WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

Page 24: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

WILLY YAV – FROM M.E.D.I.A TO P.Y.G.M.Af you have been in South Africa

for much of the past two decades,

then you have probably heard

or seen Willy Mukiny Yav from

the Democratic Republic of Congo

(DRC). Heard – on his radio segment

the Willy Yav show. Seen – on either

the SABC TV music show known

as Jukebox Africa that aired in the

nineties, on Summit TV presenting

African Business Tonight or as the

host of two popular events of that

era; Miss Malaika and the Kora African

music awards.

“I got into media soon after

arriving in the country in 1991,” Willy

began with a slight French accent

when we recently met at a Sandton

hotel. “I had come to the country

to join my brother Alain who was

studying at Wits. We were struggling

financially, so much so that he had to

run a salon in Hillbrow to pay for his

fees and I had to abandon my studies

and take up a position as a French

translator at the SABC.”

At the young age of 20, Yav was

trained within the SABC to handle

various media assignments on the

African continent that brought

him into contact with key decision

makers in the region. In 1996, he felt

that he had learnt enough to start

his own television company which

he used to produce various shows for

his former employer. Shortly after,

he got the chance to move into the

corporate environment to pursue

other business opportunities with

family and friends. This was the birth

of the PYGMA group.

“Pygma is an acronym of the names

of the five founders of the group,

which has diverse interests and is

united by a pan African vision,” he

revealed. “P is for Paul Kasseyet who

is our chairman and a Congolese

entrepreneur who has worked in

remote parts of the continent

pursuing unique opportunities in

mining and property development.

The Y is derived from my surname

while the G refers to my best friend

and business partner, an architect

who hails from Rwanda - Gatarhaiya

Jean Pierre (J.P.). The Msimang family

has always welcomed us and treated

us as one of their own. Their daughter

Mandla runs Pygma Consulting and is

the M in the name while my brother

Alain who is responsible for our

communications business completes

the acronym.”

It all began when Alain who was

a marketer at Cadbury Schweppes

came across an opportunity to assist

a Cape Town based

company that was

looking to expand its

activities to the rest

of the continent.

Willy indicated that

they worked on a

unique proposal

focused on a marketing approach

that created a perception of quality

and it was this that won them the

lucrative contract.

“Soon after, we assisted FCB in

establishing an agency in the

DRC,” he recalled. “We realised

from this experience that there

were opportunities in advertising

and approached Ogilvy to start

an agency in the capital Kinshasa

together. Alain relocated to head the

new entity and with the assistance

of South African creative director Kris

Lukraj; a decade later they have built

the largest agency in the country

with significantly improved quality

and approximately 100 employees.”

The most significant challenges they

faced in the DRC according to Willy

was that of finding appropriate staff

in light of the fact that they were one

of the first agencies in the country

with world class standards. They

“We established Pygma Communication as the

largest advertising agency in the DRC...”

22 EXPATRIATE

Page 25: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

23WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

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initially employed returning residents from other African

and European countries, but found that there were merits in

hiring and training local individuals whom he said created a

whole new crop of advertising professionals in the country.

“Other than advertising we are looking to increase our

investment in the DRC and across the continent,” Willy

added. “Other than finding investment opportunities on the

continent for investors, my current responsibilities within

the Pygma Group include looking for business development

opportunities for the Group companies, pursuing mining

interests in the Congo through Pygma Investments

and seeking other investment, consulting and advisory

opportunities. Our current focus is property development

- we own land in parts of the country that we are looking

to develop. Similarly we have property in Rwanda and in

Benoni, South Africa. JP, the architect in the group, is largely

responsible for our plans to build middle to upper class

homes of a certain quality in these African markets.”

Willy and his family live in the leafy suburb of

Hurlingham Johannesburg. He spends a significant amount

of time travelling to about twenty countries on the

continent and this is likely to increase as Pygma sets its

sights on expanding its operations to Europe and the United

States.

“We believe that South Africa is a gateway to the

rest of the continent. Our local entity is known as Pygma

Consulting which Mandla is largely responsible for. She

has a background in regulation in the telecommunications

sector having worked for Cell C and the Independent

Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) for

many years. The company is a boutique consulting firm with

a number of associates working on a variety of projects at

any given time.”

When asked about his plans for the future, Willy

confessed that he looked forward to returning to his first

love once his corporate assets are set up and running on

their own.

“Being in the media and doing events are my passion,”

he declared.

- Keith Kundai

Page 26: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

Tell us about yourself and how you

ended up in South Africa.

I hail from Lubumbashi in the

Katanga region of the Democratic

Republic of Congo (DRC) where I

completed my studies in electrical

engineering. I came to South Africa

(SA) in September 1998 when a

multi-national entity was looking

for a French speaking engineer. I was

deployed to Mauritius for eighteen

months before returning to SA to

work on different projects around the

country. In 2004, I resigned and set-

up my own company ITEC Electrical.

We now have about 23 members of

staff who carry out various electrical

engineering projects and provide

consultancy services both in SA and

in the DRC.

How was the SA DRC Chamber of

Commerce formed?

I initiated the formation of the

SA DRC Chamber of Commerce two

years ago when I realised that there

was a large amount of business

between the two countries.

I realised that there

was a need to

facilitate trading

o p p o r t u n i t i e s

for companies

going to DRC

seeing as the

only available

channel was

the Embassy.

The time had

come for us

to set up a

platform for business people to

obtain both information and advice

with respect to their dealings in the

DRC. The platform is also beneficial

for Congolese companies coming to

do business in SA.

What have been the achievements of

the Chamber since its formation?

We had a very successful launch

on the 24th of November 2010

here in Johannesburg attended by

a Cabinet minister from the DRC

as well as various members of the

business and diplomatic community

from the two countries. We

have established an office at The

Business Centre in Johannesburg and

employed two people to respond

to queries. Additionally, we have

very strong links with the embassy

and signed a memorandum of

understanding with the Federation

of Enterprise in the DRC which has

enabled us to add benefit to our

current and prospective members.

What is the structure of the Chamber

and what benefits does

it provide to its

members?

T h e

C h a m b e r

has been

registered as

a non profit

organisation

in South

Africa. It

has a board

nominated by

its members

which currently

consists

of six people who do not earn any

remuneration. The membership fees

differ depending on the turnover

of the entity in the DRC. About 80

percent of the members are South

African companies with business

interests in the DRC with the

remainder consisting of Congolese

companies pursuing opportunities

in SA. We assist members with

their requirements in the DRC

including facilitating visas, company

registration and obtaining various

business permits. We also provide

legal advice and assist in sourcing

suitable partners in the Congo.

How would you describe the business

environment in the DRC?

At the moment things are a

little quiet as most investors are

concerned about the elections.

They are waiting to see whether the

political environment subsequent

to the elections will be conducive

for business. That said, the country

has recently moved six places in

the doing business index from 171

to 165. The most difficult thing for

South Africans doing business in

the DRC is the language barrier as

business is primarily conducted in

French. However, if you overcome

that and with our assistance there

is potential to get a great return

on investment. Mining and related

industries are where the most

significant opportunities lie as

the country possesses almost all

minerals known to man. Agriculture

also has huge potential because

many of the country’s food products

are imported. - Keith Kundai

THIERRY NAWEJI KANKWALAC H A I R O F T H E S A D R C C H A M B E R O F C O M M E R C E

Page 27: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5
Page 28: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

I have been to the Table Mountains in

Cape Town - breathtakingly beautiful

- but in my view, the Drakensberg

has a leg up. A perfect expedition, the

only downside being a few too many

toll gates with fees of up to R40 per

stop and numerous speed cameras

even at sections where one has every

temptation to put the pedal to the

metal.

If however you are able to regulate

your speed and play your part in

funding the roads, your just reward

is one of Africa’s most frequented

mountain ranges. According to the

Drakensberg Tourism Association,

the area falls into four valleys

beginning with the Champagne

Valley in the Central Berg, through

the Cathedral Peak and Didima

Valley, then the Royal Natal National

Park and Amphitheatre Valley, and

finally the Middledale Pass Valley in

the Northern Berg.

I drove through a sleepy town

with the window rolled all the way

down to breath in the countryside

fresh air flavoured by a dash

of animal dung. It was a windy

discoveringT h e C h a m p a g n e C a s t l e H o t e l

26 EXPATRIATE

ExpaT-TraveL

Page 29: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

entrance to Champagne Valley with

Champagne Castle Hotel being the

chosen destination lying thirty nine

kilometres from the Estcourt North

off-ramp from the N3 to Durban.

Nothing complements a

stunning view better than a warm

welcome. A delicious meal in the

dining hall sent me on my way to

my room. The room is well ‘equipped’

with a posture perfect double bed,

telephone, DSTV, hairdryers, hot

water bottles, tea and coffee-making

facilities, extra blankets, umbrella’s, a

safe and an oil heater in case the cool

wind sweeps in from the surrounding

hills.

I stepped onto the balcony

and there was a sight to behold. A

majestic mass stretched from a few

hundred metres from where I was,

on the ground into the horizon and

in the air into the heavens. The view

was a pleasant blend of grey rock,

brown earth and green vegetation

that would jolt anyone to grab their

camera. I felt very lucky to have one

of the 38 mountain facing deluxe

drakensbergdiscovering

27WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

Shutterstock.com

ExpaT-TraveL

Page 30: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

rooms at the hotel which also has a

few garden facing rooms as well as

self-catering chalets that host up to

six people.

After a comfortable nights rest,

I visited the reception to see what

Champagne Valley had to offer. The

fact that the get-away is situated

within the World Heritage site that

is the uKhahlamba Drakensberg

Park, serves to reinforce the four star

hotel’s slogan of a sense of place. The

lodge has a wellness centre where

one can enjoy an exhaustive array

of individualised and specialised

treatments. If you are up for a

challenge, try the big five hiking

challenge which is an expedition

to climb all five major peaks of the

Drakensberg. The few who have

successfully completed this test

receive a certificate and get their

names engraved on the hotel honour

board.

Teams can undertake the mini

Olympics which is a collective term

for group sporting activities offered

outdoors on the estate. Indoors,

Champagne Castle Hotel has a games

room with popular games including

pool, table soccer and a variety of

board games. If you fancy water,

you could either dive into the large

swimming pool in close proximity to

the rooms or take a short walk to the

well stocked trout dam and do some

fishing.

There are some fantastic

activities for those with families.

You could challenge your kids on the

putting green then take on the real

deal at the golf resort down the road.

There is an animal farm that children

would enjoy as well as daily horse

rides for all ages and pony rides for

the very little ones.

The venue also has a small

chapel with the altar positioned in

full view of the mountains. I cannot

really think of a better place that

would present a more picturesque

setting to say ‘I do’. Not too far

away is a little shop full of delightful

mementos that you could buy as a

souvenir to an unforgettable trip.

Although I got to experience a

few of these pleasures, unfortunately

most of my time was spent in the

hotel conference centre attending a

company workshop. That said; it was

a great location for a work function

with pleasant weather in spring

time. I vowed to return in winter

when snow descends upon the

mountains. The cherry on top that

adds testimony to a brand promise

that in my view holds true – you are

unlikely to experience a better sense

of place.

KC ROTTOK

“ I vowed to return in winter when snow descends upon the mountains. The cherry on top that adds testimony to a brand promise that in my view holds true – you are unlikely to experience a better sense of place.”

Pic by: John Jones

ExpaT-TraveL

Page 31: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

29WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

SUBSCRIBE AND WIN Subscribe and win 2 nights for 2 in the Drakensberg

Visit our website today and click on the Subscribe Tab to subscribe to the magazine for only R99 for 5 Issues. By subscribing, you get discount entry to our events and also gives you the chance to win 2 Nights for 2 at the Champagne Castle Hotel in the Drakensberg. The winner will be announced in the course of 2012. Terms and conditions apply.

ExpaT-TraveL

Page 32: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

30 EXPATRIATE

S I M O N C H I K U M B U ,

“With his interest in insurance peaked, the young engineer obtained a qualification from the Chartered Institute of Insurers in the UK with relative ease and was appointed regional manager at the age of 33.”

A O N B E N F I E L D A F R I C A C E O

Page 33: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

31WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

studied Mechanical Engineering

at the University of Zimbabwe

and ended up in insurance entirely

by accident,” Simon Chikumbu

begins.

This Chief Executive Officer of

AON Benfield Africa region prepares

to tell me his life story as we sit in

the company boardroom of AON’s

Sandton office waiting for coffee to

be served.

“My first job was working for

at mine very far away from bright

lights of Harare (then Salisbury) in

1980 and from my village. It was

difficult to say the least. As a last

born the in family, I was missing

my family, the working hours were

quite demanding and as an asthma

sufferer, I had difficulty coping with

the dusty environment. In addition,

this was soon after Zimbabwe’s

independence when discrimination

was still an issue. So I left to join the

country’s largest brewery in Harare.”

It was at the brewery that Simon met

his wife Theodora with whom he has

three children; sons Farai and Kudzi

who work for KPMG and Deloitte

respectively and daughter Chido who

is a student at UCT.

“The company appeared

disapproving of colleagues dating

and hence I decided to start

looking for another job,” he recalls,

“I got a position at a reinsurance

company in Harare which promised

travelling and a new environment. I

started working as an engineering

underwriter which also included

was doing valuations of plant and

equipment and risk assessments. In

time I began to enjoy my role. Unlike

my previous positions, this one

enabled me to see different types of

industries and meet different people.

Also as an underwriter, I was at the

forefront of revenue generation and

could determine premiums thereby

have the ability to make money for

the company. I still remember the

satisfaction I got from the first policy

that I wrote. The premium was small,

about 500 Zimbabwe dollars at the

time or equivalent of USD 80 but I

got motivated nonetheless!”

With his interest in insurance

having peaked, Chikumbu decided

to pursue professional insurance

exams and managed to obtain a

qualification from the Chartered

Institute of Insurers in the UK with

relative ease. He began to familiarise

himself with the other classes of

insurance within the organisation

and at the age of 33 was appointed

regional manager. A few years later,

he joined the largest insurance

broker in Zimbabwe to head their

new reinsurance division.

“Reinsurance brokerage is the

business of arranging reinsurance

for insurance companies and as my

employer was well positioned in

the market, we quickly acquired a

significant majority of the market

with support from our holding

company overseas. Our company

was later acquired by Aon Globally

and with the transformation

happening in South Africa, they

needed a team to come and set up a

hub from which to develop the rest of

the African market,” he recalls with a

slight glance at the door anticipating

our coffee.

A brief shake of the head

precedes the next phase of the story.

“My introduction to the South

Africa of 1999 was not an easy one.

There were few black professionals in

the industry. In fact, we once went to

a client who totally disregarded my

position as a director and dedicated

his attention to a much more junior

colleague of European origin. I was

part of a new team that was charged

with the responsibility of creating

something from scratch and having

moved to the country alone, it was

a very lonely affair. I was quite

tempted to quit but I did not want

to let down those who had gone to

great lengths to put me here.”

Chikumbu and his team used

the AON presence in many African

countries to open doors with respect

to reinsurance broking. They have

since established themselves as

market leaders in about ten countries

with South Africa accounting for 60%

of AON’s revenue. In 2004, he was

appointed CEO of AON Re Africa, the

reinsurance division of AON in Africa.

In 2008, when AON bought Benfield,

another large reinsurance broker in

the world, Chikumbu was appointed

chief executive of the merged entity

on the continent.

He also sits on the board of

the Europe, Middle East and Africa

(EMEA) region. As a result he

frequently visits Europe for board

meetings and frequents each African

country where they have a presence

at least once a year.

Page 34: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

“At the moment I am settled in

SA because this is the country with

the most significant opportunities

when it comes to reinsurance and my

family is quite settled here. However,

I visit Zim quite often as it is only

an hour and a half away by air. I see

myself spending half my time in

SA and the other half there when I

eventually retire.”

Chikumbu attributes his success

to his upbringing in a polygamous

family of 14 which taught him about

hard work and how to relate to

others. He also believes that there

were key people in his life including

his primary school headmaster who

allowed him to finish his studies

when he was struggling to pay

school fees and his high school

headmaster who forgave him when

he was involved in some unfortunate

incident which could have justified

him being expelled. As I leave I ask

him about his management style.

“I require high standards although I

am quite open and approachable,” he

replies with a wry smile as he heads

towards his corner office.

“Some people interpret

this as being soft..... As you can

see, we never got our coffee!”

KC ROTTOK

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www.rsmbettyanddickson.co.za www.rsmi.com

Page 36: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

34 EXPATRIATE

Tell us about yourself.

This year for me marks 20 years of

living in South Africa. When I first

arrived, I stayed in various townships

including Soweto and Lenasia. I

worked in the hospitality industry

for a number of years in hotels such

as the Carlton Hotel in Johannesburg

when it was one of the best hotels in

the world and have great memories

including meeting Michael Jackson

and babysitting Denzel Washington’s

children during their visit to South

Africa. Later, I ventured into the

property sector with my husband

Nigerian Adeyinka George. We

are based in Pretoria and focus on

all kinds of properties including

residential properties, office blocks

and shopping complexes. I am a

mother to four children; sadly my

first born daughter passed on mid

this year.

How did the idea or MAFSA come

about?

Being the daughter of a Malawian

father and Zambian mother I

associated with many migrants

from these countries. I decided

to start Malawians and Friends of

South Africa (MAFSA) in the early

nineties aimed at having a year end

get together because there were

very few of us in the mid-nineties. I

wanted to create a platform where

we can get together and socialise

with people from our native land.

Our inaugural event in 1994 was a

small dinner that was attended by 20

people which grew to 50 people the

following year. In 1996, I decided to

involve others in helping to organise

our year end function and our dinner

MARTHA CHOOLWE BANDA GEORGE

Page 37: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

at the Carlton Hotel was attended by

200 people. Since then, the word got

out about our activities and we have

managed to host a dinner and dance

for every year leading up to our last

function at O R Tambo Southern Sun

last year.

How was the event last year?

Last year’s event was one of our

best yet. It was well sponsored by

businesses and individuals including

Malawi Tourism and Air Malawi. We

had a few entertainers including

Lucius Banda and it was attended

by about 300 attendees who had a

fantastic time particularly because

drinks were free for an extended

period. Additionally, we managed

to raise funds for the Sonke Gender

Justice initiative and this was covered

in various media. The only negative

feedback we received from the event

was a few too many speeches as

most of the sponsors got to speak.

We will be looking to reduce this

when we host our function this year

at the same venue on 03 December

2011 with part of the proceeds going

to Reach out and Touch, a charity

organisation in Malawi.

We have been an unregistered

group up to now but we are in

the process of registering it as a

Non Profit Organisation in South

Africa. We intend to launch the new

organisation at the dinner. We have

a permanent MAFSA committee

as well as a rotating committee

each year that is responsible for

organising the dinner. It is good to

have a rotating committee as new

people come in with new energy and

new ideas. The success of each year’s

event is usually dependent on the

strength of the team organising it.

MAFSA is neither a political nor a

religious organisation. Our group

is made up not only of Malawians,

but also people of various African

nationalities. We are looking to

expand our activities to incorporate

those in the informal sector as well

as they sometimes feel excluded

from our annual black tie event

which is primarily frequented by

professionals and business people.

Beyond that we are in the process of

developing a website to increase our

visibility. At the moment, we have

a database of over 1000 Malawians

and can be reached on our new email

address [email protected]

or fax number +27866000149. We

are grateful to all MAFSA members;

we have survived for 17 years this

year because of their commitment

and contribution and look forward

to their continued support to make

a difference in our country and the

continent.

- Keith Kundai

F O U N D E R O F M A L A W I A N S A N D F R I E N D S I N S O U T H A F R I C A ( M A F S A )

“We have success-fully hosted a Malawi night din-ner every year since 1994....”

35WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

Martha with some of the Malawi Night 2011 organisers.

Page 38: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

A M B A S S A D O RS O N N I S A M U E L Y U S U F , N E W N I G E R I A N H I G H C O M M I S S I O N E R

KnowYourEnvoy

Page 39: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

hat was your

career path

leading up to your

appointment?

I have spent 30 years in the

Nigerian Foreign Service having

joined in August 1981. My first

overseas posting was to Kuwait in

1982 where I served for four years

before returning to Nigeria as First

Secretary in the Southern African

department. In this position, I was

essentially a desk officer in charge of

the liberation movement – ANC, PAC

and SWAPO. Thereafter, I obtained

a Masters in International Law and

Diplomacy followed by further

training in Negotiations and Crisis

Management. I assumed various

roles in foreign diplomatic missions

including Germany, Burkina Faso,

France and South Africa. At later

stages in my career I was deputy

director – Inspectorate Division,

Acting Director – European Affairs

Division, Director – Consular and

Immigration Division, Director of

Protocol to the President of the

Senate and recently Director –

Middle East and Gulf Division at the

Foreign Ministry.

How did you receive the news

of your appointment?

My appointment as High

Commissioner to South Africa,

Lesotho and Swaziland in January

this year was a pleasant surprise. I

believe that the government had

good reason for appointing someone

who is familiar with South Africa. This

will surely hold me in good stead in

the discharge of my duties. From

1998 to 2003, I was Consul/Head of

Chancery at the Consulate-General

of Nigeria in Johannesburg. These

were exciting times in the bilateral

relations between the two countries,

culminating in a strategic partnership

through the establishment of the Bi-

National Commission mechanism..

What are your priorities as High

Commissioner to South Africa?

Briefly, I have three main

priorities: First, to increase the level

of investment between the two

countries. Several South African

companies have invested in Nigeria,

but apparently very few black

businesses are involved in the mix.

I aim to increase the awareness of

business opportunities amongst

this group of South Africans.

Secondly, there is a lack of balance

in our investment and business

relationships as there are very

few Nigerian companies that have

penetration in the South African

business environment, seemingly due

to institutional regulatory barriers.

There have been indications for

several years that these impediments

would be addressed but not much

has changed. For instance, there are

only two Nigerian banks here namely

First Bank and Union Bank. In spite

of being here since 1999, they are

yet to be granted retail licences

and yet South African banks have

unencumbered access in the Nigerian

economic space. I am keen to address

the issue of such imbalances and

finally my role is to serve and protect

the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians

living in South Africa.

How would you describe your

knowledge of Nigerians living in

South Africa?

I interacted with them a

great deal during my tenure as

the Consul/Head of Chancery in

Johannesburg. There are numerous

professionals in academia, medicine,

ICT, financial sector and business.

There are also a number of

Nigerians in the informal sector

of the economy. The government

recognises the importance of

Diaspora and has established a

Diaspora Commission. The Nigerians

in Diaspora Organisation (NIDO)

which has representation here and

worldwide has become the foremost

organisation that the government

works with. However, Nigerians are

free to form other social cultural

associations whom we will also

engage for as long as they are

lawfully constituted and observe the

laws of our host.

Tell us more about yourself, your

interests and future plans.

I am a Pan-Africanist Christian

and chronic optimist. I am married

with four children who are all

students. I have varied culinary taste,

a connoisseur of good wine and a

lover of jazz music. I enjoy travelling,

reading and sports. Given my interest

in ICT, I am also a Microsoft Certified

Programmer. I do not have the

temperament for active and elective

politics and hence rather than seeking

office, I will probably be involved in

enterprise and philanthropy when

I eventually retire from diplomatic

service.

- Keith Kundai

37WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

KnowYourEnvoy

Page 40: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

was first introduced to the name Dr.

Chomba Chuma when it appeared

in my inbox in 2007 inviting

me to a presentation on South

African property. A few days later I

joined a small group that had come

to listen to

the owner

of Mumbi

Properties

e x p l a i n

how to use

trusts to

create a property portfolio.

“I named the company Mumbi after

my late sister,” he informed me

when we met recently. “I got the

idea of forming the company when

I had acquired my fourth property

in the country and needed a vehicle

to manage them. I figured that

as my portfolio grew so would

the company. Unfortunately

we hit a rough patch when

the recession hit in 2008 but

things are slowly getting back

on track.”

Chomba was drawn to

property investment because

it allowed him to develop the

passive income the industry

promised by way of rentals and

capital growth. The bulk of his

time is taken up by his position

as the Managing Director of

Vitabiotics South Africa,

a company he

c o - o w n s

following a decision to venture into

the business world after a career as a

medical doctor.

“I ended up as a doctor due

to the Kenyan education system,”

he explained with a slight frown.

“When I got good grades the system

kind of dictated that I pursue either

pharmacy or medicine. I pursued

the latter at Moi University and on

completion of my studies and

internship I joined the Swiss

pharmaceutical giant Roche. Six

months later they posted me to

Johannesburg as the medical director

for Sub Saharan Africa.”

C h u m a

b e l i e v e s

t h a t

m o v i n g

w i t h

his wife

R i s p a h

whom he met in medical school

made the transition less difficult.

He worked for two years at the

company before joining Sanofi

Aventis as a national sales manager

for a blood thinner. While at Sanofi,

he established his own company

called Lighthouse Pharma selling

supplements through Dischem and

independent courier pharmacies.

“In 2006, after a year at Sanofi, I felt

that my company was doing well

enough for me to take a leap of

faith and run it on a full time

basis,” he recalled, this time

with a smile. “We were able

to get more products into the

Dischem chain of pharmacies

and in 2008 we decided to make

our company bigger by selling

a majority stake to our suppliers

Vitabiotics UK.”

When asked

whether the

D R . C H U M A , M D O F V I T A B I O T I C S A N D C H A I R O F K E D A S A

“Given the challenges you face as an entrepreneur,

I think it is equally important to sharpen your

emotional IQ as you would with business expertise!”

Page 41: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

move to full time business was easy,

his frown returned as he explained

with an air of seriousness what the

trying times have taught him.

“I think one should go to a

school of psychology rather than a

business college when contemplating

becoming an entrepreneur,” he

advised. “I did a business diploma

and later pursued an MBA which

I thought would equip me for the

challenges ahead. Well, that doesn’t

prepare you mentally to be tough

when sales are slow and you have to

pay salaries.”

The biggest challenge that

Vitabiotics faced was that of

distribution. Chomba revealed that

to get a product like Immunace to a

place like Upington by courier costs

more than the product itself. Hence

it was a big break for the company

when their products were approved

for distribution through Clicks

which has about 400 stores and 280

pharmacies nationally.

“That was a new beginning for

us,” he beamed.

And speaking of new beginnings,

I asked Chomba about a new

association he has been at the

forefront of founding known as the

Kenyan Diaspora Association of

South Africa (KEDASA).

“We had a meeting in May to

form the association as an umbrella

body for the many different Kenyan

groups that exist in South Africa. The

inaugural office bearers are drawn

from these groups and so far we have

presented our views to President

Mwai Kibaki in Pretoria, hosted the

Commission for the Implementation

of the Constitution (CIC) and I

represented the association at the

meeting of Kenyan Ambassadors

held in Mombasa.”

At the time of the interview,

the association was also working

on a plan to mobilise assistance for

Kenyans who have been affected by

the ongoing drought in East Africa.

“The association has a draft

constitution largely borrowed from

a similar association for Kenyans

in Holland,” Chomba explained

continued. “It will guide the

membership and leadership structure

as well as establish a continuous

process for raising funds to make it

self-sufficient. It is important that

the organisation unlike the many

that came before it outlives its

interim office bearers.”

Conscious of the many

organisations that have previously

represented Kenyans in SA, I ask

Chomba what makes KEDASA

different.

“Being an umbrella body means

that we essentially have corporate

members including a number of

churches, Prokey, KESABA, student

bodies, KEFA and the Upendo

Women’s Investments Group. Our

approach is different seeing as

we are not competing with these

organisations but rather inviting

them to participate in a collaborative

effort. If you consider the success

of the CIC meeting, belonging

to an umbrella body facilitates

communication as the different

bodies bring in their members for

each project.”

Chomba is a 36 year old father

of two; daughter Lerato and son

Tsepo. His plan is to establish a few

companies in SA over the next decade

that can run themselves without his

involvement then return to Kenya to

participate in national development.

- KC ROTTOK

39WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

Event @ Southern Sun Grayston

07/12/11: Ambassadors & CEO’s Luncheon

Email: [email protected] to book

Page 42: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

22 EXPATRIATE

Page 43: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

ew defy parental prescriptions

to marry within your own

cultural group. It is interesting

that you are not allowed

to date in school and university

but as soon as you graduate, you

should promptly marry and provide

grandchildren!

During the learning stages,

whatever dating that is done is

kept a high profile secret from

parents (a.k.a the F.B.I). One has to

wonder whether they expect you

to find your life partner on your

first day of work.

It is also strange that they

then provide a dating manual which

usually states that you should date

“your own kind”. This means if you’re

Zambian, you best be dating that

boy you hit on the head with mud

pies when you were both five years

old, because he’s Zambian. If you’re

Ghanaian, you date the son of the

couple who housed your parents

when they first came to South Africa,

because he’s Ghanaian, the list is

endless.

For those who are children of

first generation expatriates, this is

a challenge. We attended schools

that were the breeding ground for

a multicultural approach to life and

were exposed to all kinds of children.

Once we leave the safety of the

educational halls, we are expected

to acknowledge our ‘differences’ and

behave accordingly.

Should you be lucky enough to

find someone “of your kind”, many

expat children can tell you that when

presenting him/her to the parents

you run the risk of being met with

the response of “Oh no, not this

one!” All the while, there are gentle

whispers and suggestions, which are

actually coercions, as to whom you

should be involved with.

I’m not saying that there’s

no merit to their system and I

begrudgingly admit that they are

often correct. A friend’s mother

THE EXPAT OFFSPRING’S JOURNEY TO THE ALTAR

once told me that when people

marry, differences exist because

they come from different homes,

and sometimes those differences

can be overwhelming. So choosing

your own kind minimizes conflicts in

differences such as religion, culture

and traditions. It makes it easier. That

was the best explanation I have

ever received about why we should

marry “our own kind”.

My point is, you may not

necessarily marry the one you date,

but you will date the one you marry.

So parents should bear in mind

that if I only start dating AFTER I

have my first (sometimes second

or third) degree, it will take that

much longer for the grandchildren to

put in an appearance.

Additionally, all the opportunities

and privileges our parents provided

us with come hand in hand with

exposure to people of different races

and cultures, and to a certain extent,

we see these people as being “our

own kind” as well.

Ultimately, I believe the decision

is no longer COMPLETELY an

individual one. It is yours and your

parents who, in truth, only want

the best for you. For the most part,

I believe that makes their views

tolerable. I would like to believe

that whether you make your own

choice or follow the advice of the

FBI, at the end of the day, they

both lead to the most important

thing in this life, and that’s love.

Sheila Lynn Senkubuge

“Date your own kind! It

will significantly minimize

the conflicts that arise from

differences in religion, culture

and traditions…”

ExpaT-TalK

41

Page 44: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

MUSA KALENGA, SOUTH AFRICA’S YOUNGEST CHARTERED MARKETER

Pic: Paul Shiakalis

Page 45: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

43WWW.EXPATRIATE.CO.ZA

he man is a star – whether

he’s a rising one or one

that is already shooting,

I’ll let you be the judge. A

baby in Zambia, a toddler in Scotland,

a school boy in Botswana and now an

achiever in South Africa – you would

battle to find a better argument for

a world view in one’s developmental

years.

I am talking about Musa Kalenga,

a familiar face on local television and

other media who recently acquired

the title of SA’s youngest Chartered

Marketer.

“I am the middle child in a

family of five children. We lived in

various countries before relocating

to Hillbrow in 1994. It was difficult

to adjust; our car was stolen shortly

after arrival prompting us to move to

Windsor. There was a lot of tension

between black and white kids back

then and I found myself acting as

mediator in school all the time. Having

been in

S c o t l a n d ,

I was not

t r o u b l e d

by issues

such as race

a l l o w i n g

me to focus

on studies

which earned me a scholarship to

Lonehill College and not too long

after, entry into Wits for a BCom

(Bachelor of Commerce) degree.”

While at Wits, Kalenga and a

group of about fifteen other foreign

students set-up Monatefellaz,

a website where they posted

anecdotes from their holidays, most

of which were spent travelling to

their countries of origin. The group

began hosting parties at Wits and

grew rapidly prompting Kalenga

to think about scaling it down and

finding a clear purpose.

“I became chairman of the Youth

Advertising Board of South Africa

while still at Wits. The experience

gave me a chance to interact with

the marketing fraternity and I soon

realized that big corporates did not

know how to market to young people.

I thought this was a gap Monatefellaz

could fill and set it up as a marketing

consultancy. I got my first client

when Richard Branson came into the

country with Virgin Money and their

partners ABSA approached me to

help them,” he recalls.

At the age of 24, Kalenga

employed about six people under

Monatefellaz which experienced

phenomenal growth as a result of

the company’s unique understanding

of the youth market.

“What we preached was that the

speed of change in the youth market

happens a lot quicker,” he explains,

“The mistake companies make is that

if they are doing a strategy now, they

are using information gathered last

year. For the youth market, that data

is probably already outdated. We were

experts in the youth market but I had

the desire to scale up our operations

by securing lucrative business that

is government work. But as the only

shareholder, it was difficult to do this

as we could never obtain a rating

that is higher than BEE Level 3. This

made me more amicable to the idea

of a buyout when my mentor Thebe

Ikalafeng approached me through

his Brand Leadership Group. The

transaction was completed this year

and Monatefellaz in essence became

part of their I-Hop division with me

heading up the division.”

Kalenga recently completed the

Chartered Marketer qualification

through the Wits Business School.

He explains that one needs ten to

fifteen years of marketing experience

to be awarded the qualification. He

however successfully challenged this

pre-requisite in an interview to get

into the programme making him the

youngest person in South Africa to

possess the qualification at the age

of 26.

At such a

young age,

K a l e n g a

has been

the subject

of various

f e a t u r e s

on radio, TV and in online and print

media. He has been featured on

M-Nets Carte Blanche, was one

of the bloggers for The Economist

and has been profiled in various

magazines including Drum, YOU and

Destiny Man. On DSTV, he was the

host of a breakfast show on channel

114 called Africa Awakes and later

hosted his own talk show known

“A baby in Zambia, a toddler in Scotland, a

school boy in Botswana and now an achiever in

SA – you would battle to find a better argument

for a world view in one’s developmental years.”

Page 46: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

as the Kalenga Touch on the same

platform.

“I don’t believe that all publicity

is good publicity, but as a person in

business I think one can effectively

use media to position themselves.

A good example is when I appeared

on E-TV’s Maggs on Media talking

about the youth market, I received a

call the next day from a prospective

client who needed to consult in this

area,” Kalenga reveals.

I wrap up the interview by asking

Kalenga about his Zambian identity

having lived away from the country

for so long.

“Those who know me personally

know that I am Zambian although a

lot of the people I meet assume I am

South African. My knowledge of Zulu

and Zambian languages is equally

poor although I understand Afrikaans

fairly well. People in mainstream

media in Zambia have heard about

me and I am working on building my

clothing apparel brand called Zamboy

there. A broadcaster in that country

is also interested in my show Kalenga

Touch. I now have a Zambian ID and

have acquired land in the country.

Hopefully in a few years, I will have

business interests and residences in

both countries that will enable me

to travel back and forth. Other than

that I am in the process of writing

my first book,” he concludes..

-KEITH KUNDAI

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Pic: Paul Shiakalis

Page 47: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

23

Page 48: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

t is that time of the year when

I pre-occupy myself with the

world’s prestigious top ‘lists’,

whether it be predictions on

the Forbes Rich List, world’s most

influential, world’s most powerful, car

of the year or most importantly, the

Person of the Year. I could not quite

find any particular individuals this

year - not even the Nobel peace prize

winners - and so I settled on Africa.

The year is 1960, when several Africa

countries gained independence from

their European masters and realized

self-worth.

Several decades on, Africa has

once again hogged the spotlight;

this time for all the right reasons.

First, Africa’s leading economies

displayed great reverence for the

rule of law – at least with respect to

the global financial meltdown that

left so-called advanced economies

mired in indecision and their cities in

flames. They introduced standards of

governance for their banks and in so

doing kept their financial institutions

and prized assets away from the

clutches of the self-appointed

masters of the universe – the select

few very powerful financiers largely

operating beyond the bounds of

regulation.

Africa has continued to make

good news. Investors remain bullish

on Africa, lured by the promise of

its growing economically active

workforce, its expanding consumer

population, and of course, its

abundance of arable land and

mineral wealth. Private equity has

been a popular vehicle for these

investments. Governments in the

continent have largely resisted that

much feared concept of resource

nationalism, commonly referred to

as nationalisation or indigenization

at the moment, and are taking

giant steps to safeguard mineral

resources for future generations.

Consequently, we are seeing keen

efforts at beneficiation across the

mining sector in South Africa, the

establishment of sovereign wealth

funds in Nigeria and more planned

to save resource proceeds for the

benefit of future generations, from

Angola to Zimbabwe, more economic

regional integration, and so on.

In our march forward, Africa gave

the world yet another milestone to

celebrate – people first. While the

Arab Spring continues to smoulder

across the Middle East, Africa’s own

events have in the main concluded

successfully. We salute, and hope

upon our humanity that we will find

common cause in our new age of

promise.

As the world ponders both the

challenge and opportunity as earth’s

population reaches 7 billion, Africa’s

population is getting younger, better

educated and gifted with technology

in a manner unknown to previous

generations. Yes, they will continue

to be plagued by shortfalls in the

continent’s social agenda, but all

indications are that sound policy,

opportunity seized and investment

in the people will make a difference.

The world will also soon emerge

from the financial woes that have

undermined economic progress.

Africa will ride the supercycle.

Africa is crafting an extensive

agenda to ensure that it is not

undermined and forced to take upon

the burden of the world in managing

global warming evidenced by South

Africa’s hosting of the Cop 17 this

November - a conference of nations

seeking solutions to the threat posed

by global warming. I am reminded

of a lengthy conversation with the

former president of Costa Rica, Jose

Maria Figueres in which he said that

in the new climate friendly economy

towards which the world is moving,

the most advanced economies up

north will be considered backward,

but the countries of the south have

in their favour creativity, innovation

and technology that will leapfrog

many of the past inventions known

to man.

And so you can see, dear reader,

that we no longer need to dig

trenches on the ground and bury

copper wires for communication,

that banks are learning from us that

the next banking model will comprise

fewer branches (we can now bank

on the move), while our homes will

make power and share the surplus

when not needed, and so on. Africa

for the person of the Year: What’s not

to like?

Buntu Williams has 20 years media experience and is a

producer at CNBCAfrica.

PERSON OF THE YEAR: AFRICA BEARS HALLMARKS OF GREATNESS BEYOND 2011

46 EXPATRIATE

ExpaT-Talk

Page 49: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5
Page 50: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

have dual citizenship. My Ugandan

passport is proper Africa while the

SA passport is like...well...Africa

Light. Unfortunately Uganda is

my insurance passport just in case the

Malema trial doesn’t go too well..... I

can’t go to Australia if things don’t

work out here. I am from Uganda so

this is actually my Australia!”

That was one of the jokes that

made me really crack up when I

went to see David Kibuuka’s stand

up show. A few weeks later, we met

at his office in Braamfontein for this

interview.

How would you describe the

experience of having your first stand

up performance – “Dave wasn’t built

in a day”?

It was fantastic! Normally when

you do shows, there are a number

of acts on the line up and you

don’t really get the chance to be

yourself. I don’t think a ten minute

performance is a true reflection of

the comedian. It was good to have

the whole hour to myself and it was

less difficult than I had anticipated.

It evolved from the first night as the

show was interactive and I was able

to tweak it somewhat depending on

the audiences’ responses. On the

final night my family attended it and

I therefore had a few more anecdotes

from my childhood in the set.

Speaking of your family, how

Ugandan are you?

Not very. I visit the country

once or twice a year and realise how

Ugandan I am not. For example, I

can follow what people are saying

but do not speak the language. Also

the references that people have are

completely different to mine. I visit

because I have many family members

there although a good number of

Kibuuka’s now live here. I don’t

think I will ever return to live there

although I may consider investing at

some point. I am like a Greek person

in SA; they say they are Greek but

they really aren’t because they don’t

live in Greece.

Was having your own one hour

special the highlight of your career?

I have multiple careers. It was

definitely the highlight of my stand

up career. However, what stands out

is my roles in movies, in particular

starring in Bunny Chow which came

out in 2006. We went out to France

and took part in the Cannes Film

Festival and to Toronto, Canada. We

have just wrapped up shooting a

movie called Blitz Patrol which is set

to be released in June 2012. When it

comes to my TV career, I have a slot

on Late Night News (LNN) which

shows on ETV as well as the Jozi

Show which is a reality show around

the musical duo Da Les and Ishmael

collectively known as Jozi who I also

manage.

Tell us more about these TV

Shows.

Well in LNN I am the

international correspondent so my

role is very specific. Any exposure is

good for someone in this business

but this is even better because it

revolves around humour which

is what I do. We follow the news

keenly and write the show by Friday.

We have the weekend to think of

any changes and shoot on Monday.

Like a naughty student, I always do

my homework on Sunday night.

As the Jozi Show revolves around

Jozi shooting their album with

collaborations with artists in the rest

of Africa, we anticipate a lot of travel.

We can also sell it to other networks

as it is not licensed like LNN.

What are the challenges you

experience as a comedian?

Well at the moment it is like a gold

rush. Everyone is trying to get into it

as there is some money to be made.

I think the challenge is to develop a

specific brand. The mistake people

make is looking over their shoulders

at other comedians worrying about

whether they are better or how much

they are making. It is much like life;

you need to chart your own path and

own style which demands originality.

Something that is not always easy to

do. Another challenge as a comedian

is getting a venue. Good venues

today are booked up to 2013. Finally,

it is always bad when you are on

stage and ‘you die’. That’s when the

ExpaT-TainerS

“I have a BCom degree but don’t think I will ever use it. Can you imagine if I went for an interview today – so what have you been up

to all these years? – telling jokes! No one would hire me.”48 EXPATRIATE

Page 51: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

DAVIDKIBUUKA: UGANDAN-BORN FUNNY MAN

ExpaT-TainerS

Page 52: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

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audience doesn’t get your jokes and

greet you with silence like they don’t

know what you are talking about.

Tell us about yourself, what you do

in your spare time and what are your

future plans?

Well, my career is basically my

spare time! It is my hobby; sometimes

I get paid for doing a show and I find

it weird because whether I got paid

or not, I would still have done it as

it was so much fun. I have a BCom

degree but don’t think I will ever use

it. Can you imagine if I went for an

interview today – so what have you

been up to all these years? – telling

jokes! No one would hire me.

ExpaT-TainerS

I am writing a new show entitled

“Crazy man” and will be touring

with my current one in Edinburgh,

Scotland and Zimbabwe. I am also

halfway through writing a book.

- Carol Malonza

Page 53: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

Our miserable expatriate womenverybody marries the wrong

person; that is if one is lucky.

There are those who have

even completely failed to

attract this wrong person.

It has become somehow

impossible and seemingly a wild

goose chase for many expatriate

women here in South Africa to get

married or more so find “a suitable”

partner. At the end of every working

day, most of these women head off

to their town house slums all alone

and sad with only a blackberry to

look at.

A few active ones pop into sex

shops and make use of the freedom

and emancipation singlehood has

brought them while the more

creative ones will initiate movies-

nights, go to nightclubs, gate-crash

parties, organize braais, go off to

holidays and bar hop, hoping to find

that elusive prince charming.

I believe the hardest hit ones

are those who were born and raised

in the former homelands and whose

parents immigrated to South Africa

during the apartheid era. They are

growing in leaps and bounds day-

by-day to almost a point of calling

a National Singles Conference in

Durban.

With bulging egos, access to

Menlyn debt and over-flowing fruit

and vegetable fridges, these girls

have set themselves up for fail and

are reasonably succeeding at it. They

have set impossible standards and

will often argue “a lack of suitable

men” forgetting that second best is

better than no man at all. To them,

most available men are a bunch of

irredeemable losers.

It is ironic that a single miserable

girl whose only noise is a bunch of

keys for the door to the empty flat is

calling others losers.

Many women out there are

trying as hard as they can to get

out of this quagmire but some have

resigned to their fate and often in

a tragic tone. They whisper in their

own ears that “there is no suitable

man for me out there and after all, I

am happy being single”

But where is the problem?

Unlike expat men who can and

have fathered children all over South

Africa, expat women won’t easily

do that. They first and foremost

detest South African men, calling

them short and too light-skinned.

Secondly, coupled with pressure from

parents and friends, most would love

to settle for men from their own

countries. But trouble is that these

men are so spoilt for choice when

it comes to South African women.

Mzansi girls keep us so busy that by

the time we think about our own

kind, we are already too tired.

I concede personal values are

important when choosing a partner.

But it all seems purely ideological

where one mistakes commitment

for servitude and believes that career

success is the new happiness. A strong

defence mechanism for financial

freedom is burying them deeper and

deeper into a solo popcorn-movie

lifestyle.

I think we should be more

HangingonwithHannington

flexible in choosing a mate or many

are likely to end up single and will die

trying to find the ‘perfect’ one.

Hannington Kasirye.

Istockphoto

“Expat women don’t fancy South African men, calling them too short or too light skinned. Expat men however have had no problem fathering children all over South Africa!”

Page 54: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

here is a topic that has

been pounding in my head

like the aftermath of a red

wine hangover for the last

few weeks and has sparked many

debates with friend and foe alike.

The topic is the Dalai Lama

wanting to come to South Africa for

the Arch Bishop’s birthday party. Let

me start off by saying that as a citizen

of this nation, I don’t think I have

a right to know when Faithfulness

Ndlovu from Harare’s entry visa

is denied. Towing that line, I don’t

think that I have any right to know

whether or not the Dalai Lama’s visa

has been approved. The government

doesn’t have to tell me anything.

But, where I lose my nut is

when the government, in its infinite

wisdom, decides that

it needs to help the

SABC reach its revenue

targets by speaking

untruths. Two weeks

later -“the visa is still

in process” – hmpf,

mama didn’t raise no

fool!

Why not grant a

harmless old man a

visa to visit his fellow

freedom fighter on

his birthday. His

application should

have been viewed

on its own merits,

just like any other

individual visiting

this nation of ours. It

is not like he came

here to march with

Juju for our economic

emancipation or to

sing ‘Everyday I’m

shuffling’ with JZ. He

was just here to have a

cuppa tea. The irony in

this whole debacle is

that through refusing the man a visa,

the plight of the Tibetans was once

again put to the fore along with our

hypocrisy as a nation.

How quickly we forget that not

so long ago it was the same ‘non-

visa grantors’ who were oppressed

and considered persona non-grata

on their own land. It was them

that were the persecuted and down

trodden and many pockets of this

world stood beside them. With

their help we managed to gain the

emancipation of the people of South

Africa and with that, those that were

once spat on can now spit on others.

Shame on us.

But forget not the slot machine.

A few weeks prior to this debacle I

remember reading that China had

pledged over 20bn in trade with

South Africa. Note I wrote trade

not grant; we have something that

they want. Now put yourself in the

shoes of the government. You have

a nation for which you have set a

growth target of 7%, but for many

years, we have not even managed

to consistently achieve a 3% growth

rate. We promised millions of jobs

but with the economic slowdown,

we struggle to make a couple of

thousand a month. Along comes

Bruce Lee’s father with deep pockets

and a kick to boot and offers to spend

money in your country that will get

your economy moving and hopefully

reduce unemployment. What would

you do?

I know what I would. I would

try my best to be an independent,

self-regulated and self-run nation,

obviously taking into account what

at the end of the day is best for my

people. More importantly however, I

would want my people to know that I

am an honest government, my moral

compass is set right, I do the best for

my citizens and I cannot be bought.

Yaw Peprah is a self employed entrepreneur pursuing interests in business advisory, consultancy and commodity brokering. www.asitissoitis.blogspot.com

L A M E N T I N G T H E L A M A .“The irony in this whole debacle is that through refusing the man a visa, the plight of the Tibetans was

once again put to the fore along with our hypocrisy. Those who were once spat on now spit on others.”

52 EXPATRIATE

TheLastWord

Send your CV to [email protected] quoting the relevant reference

0861 788 788 www.antonapps.com 073 788 7880

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NigeriaFINANCIAL DIRECTOR:ManufacturingUS$8 300 – US$10 000Ref: PM002

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER: ManufacturingUS$5 600 – US$7 500Ref: PM003

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER: AgricultureUS$6 000 – US$8 000Ref: BB004

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FINANCIAL DIRECTOR: EngineeringUS$11 000 – US$15 000Ref: BB002

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MD/COUNTRY HEAD:Financial ServicesUS$15 000 – US$16 000Ref: BB001

FINANCE MANAGER:BankingUS$6 000 – US$9 000Ref: JB002

MozambiqueFINANCIAL MANAGER:LogisticsUS$4 000 – US$6 000Ref: BB003

FINANCIAL PLANNER: MiningUS$4 000 – US$6 000Ref: BB005

FINANCIAL PLANNER: FMCGUS$3 700 – US$4 200Ref: BC002

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FINANCIAL CONTROLLER: RetailUS$4 500 – US$5 000Ref: DM001

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FINANCE DIRECTOR: HospitalityUS$15 000 – US$18 000Ref: JB004

MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT: LogisticsUS$4 500 – US$5 000Ref: DM002

MalawiCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: ResourcesUS$14 000 – US$16 000Ref: BB006

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT: EngineeringUS$2 000 – US$2 500Ref: BC004

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: AgricultureUS$15 000 – US$18 000Ref: JB005

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CongoCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: MineralsUS$15 000 – US$18 000Ref: JB006

ZimbabweFINANCIAL MANAGER: MiningUS$3 000 – US$3 700Ref: BC005

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Opportunities in Africa

Pic: Dreamstime.com

Page 55: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5

Send your CV to [email protected] quoting the relevant reference

0861 788 788 www.antonapps.com 073 788 7880

AngolaFINANCIAL MANAGER: MiningUS$5 000 – US$6 000Ref: DM004

NamibiaFINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT: TourismUS$2 000 – US$2 500Ref: BC006

NigeriaFINANCIAL DIRECTOR:ManufacturingUS$8 300 – US$10 000Ref: PM002

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER: ManufacturingUS$5 600 – US$7 500Ref: PM003

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER: AgricultureUS$6 000 – US$8 000Ref: BB004

ZambiaHEAD OF CORPORATE BANKING: BankingUS$NegRef: PM004

FINANCIAL DIRECTOR: EngineeringUS$11 000 – US$15 000Ref: BB002

FINANCIAL MANAGER: PropertyUS$3 000 – US$3 500Ref: BC001

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER: MiningUS$9 000 – US$12 000Ref: JB001

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT: MiningUS$5 500 – US$6 000Ref: DM006

TanzaniaFINANCIAL CONTROLLER: PharmaceuticalUS$NegRef: PM005

DRCCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: MiningUS$NegRef: PM006

KenyaREGIONAL FINANCIAL ANALYST: ServicesUS$6 000 – US$8 000Ref: PM001

MD/COUNTRY HEAD:Financial ServicesUS$15 000 – US$16 000Ref: BB001

FINANCE MANAGER:BankingUS$6 000 – US$9 000Ref: JB002

MozambiqueFINANCIAL MANAGER:LogisticsUS$4 000 – US$6 000Ref: BB003

FINANCIAL PLANNER: MiningUS$4 000 – US$6 000Ref: BB005

FINANCIAL PLANNER: FMCGUS$3 700 – US$4 200Ref: BC002

EXECUTIVE FINANCIER (Portuguese Preferable): ITUS$NegRef: JB003

FINANCIAL CONTROLLER: RetailUS$4 500 – US$5 000Ref: DM001

BotswanaFINANCIAL ACCOUNTANT: ManufacturingUS$2 000 – US$2 500Ref: BC003

FINANCE DIRECTOR: HospitalityUS$15 000 – US$18 000Ref: JB004

MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTANT: LogisticsUS$4 500 – US$5 000Ref: DM002

MalawiCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: ResourcesUS$14 000 – US$16 000Ref: BB006

SENIOR ACCOUNTANT: EngineeringUS$2 000 – US$2 500Ref: BC004

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: AgricultureUS$15 000 – US$18 000Ref: JB005

COST ACCOUNTANT: ConstructionUS$2 000 – US$2 500Ref: DM005

CongoCHIEF OPERATING OFFICER: MineralsUS$15 000 – US$18 000Ref: JB006

ZimbabweFINANCIAL MANAGER: MiningUS$3 000 – US$3 700Ref: BC005

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: MiningUS$12 000 – US$15 000Ref: DM003

Opportunities in Africa

Page 56: Expatriate Summer 2011 Issue 5