Corporate South Africa to discuss its role in shaping perceptions at the 2019 Brand Summit South Africa

This three-way discussion could not be more timeous; following the much contested 2019 general elections in which the governing African National Congress came out a victor again, albeit with an overall score that fell below the psychological 60% mark for the first time since 1994.

Corporate South Africa is, without contest, one of the key drivers of investor sentiments in the local economy. Its vibrancy in the domestic market and the levels of confidence it displays are closely watched by international investors, as many of them also seek local partners in order to establish presence in South Africa and to grow their footprint in the region.

As South Africa’s economy begins the difficult journey to recovery from the heavy weight of almost a decade of state capture and all the negativity that came with it, corporate South Africa has to come up with ways to partner with government, labour, and other socio-economic players not only to drive investments in order to rejuvenate economic activity, but to also pave the way for the integration of more South Africans, especially SMMES, youth, and women-driven businesses into the mainstream of the economy.

• How will they do this?
  
• Is South Africa’s economy ready for rejuvenation?
  
• What could possibly go wrong?
  
• What will Corporate South Africa do differently to ensure that state capture never happens again in South Africa and that public interest, ethical leadership, and sound corporate governance get placed at the centre of all business activity, alongside the traditional drive to enhance shareholder value?

Immediately following the three-way discussion, Sikonathi Mantshantsha, Deputy Editor of the Financial Mail, will moderate a broader discussion panel involving other small and big business role players, including the fast-growing start-up and tech businesses, on the role that business South Africa should play to enhance the country’s investor appeal in order to sustainably grow the economy.

The 2019 Brand Summit South Africa will be hosted on 6-7 June at The Forum, Bryanston. Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu will deliver the keynote address with specific focus on why ethical management of public and investor funds is a crucial ingredient to generating domestic and global goodwill for South Africa and to positioning our country as a trusted investment destination, competing favourably against others.

About the Brand Summit South Africa

The annual Brand Summit South Africa is a “think tank” on positioning options and requirements for country brands, with South Africa at the centre of our deliberations. It explores ways in which South Africa can best position itself to compete favourably against its regional and global peers for FDI, (Business) Tourism, lucrative multilaterally funded Research Projects, fee paying foreign tertiary students, consideration to serve as a preferred regional base for global corporations and other organisations that bring foreign exchange, skills, expertise, etc.

The Brand Summit offers a non-governmental, politically unaligned and unscripted platform for participants (South African, other Africans, and people from other parts of the world) to analyse the evolving image of South Africa. Our aim is to facilitate open, frank, but constructive discussions about what is working, what is not working, and what has to be done in order to improve the global appeal of South Africa. We believe that the country and the continent’s domestic and global appeal and, eventually, economic performance, are tightly influenced by image, reputation, economic and political policy stability, as well as performance in areas such as health systems, education systems, sports, other social services, etc.

Over the next few years, the Brand Summit South Africa will be merged with the more Pan-African Africa Brand Summit that will be incubated in South Africa before being opened-up to ‘host city’ bids from around the African continent