I am disappointed that the Black Business Council (BBC) has not only publicly endorsed President Jacob Zuma, but has urged him to stay in his role. I am particularly concerned about the reasons the organisation has advanced for taking this stance.
The BBC is supposed to be an important and rational voice of black business leadership, of which I am a part. Its members include professional associations that I have tremendous regard for, including the Black Management Forum, Association of Black Chartered Accountants, and the Association of Black Securities and Investment Professionals, among others.
I have always believed that, as black business leaders, we are united in our belief that South Africa deserves a leadership that is transparent, accountable and free from corruption. These are the values we have always fought for, and will continue to fight for.
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Equally, I have always believed that we support and endorse transformation and empowerment, and that it cannot be used as an excuse to defend corruption, poor governance and poor economic leadership.
But the BBC’s defence of President Jacob Zuma is a betrayal of all these values and aspirations, and has not been taken in the best interests of the country.
They have advanced a flimsy list of reasons for the endorsement, particularly when seen against his long list of transgressions. They applaud his role in establishing the Ministry of Small Business and the black industrialist programme, as well as his support for the BBC’s breakaway from Business Unity South Africa. But we have to weigh these issues against the fact that President Zuma has been found - by no less a body than the Constitutional Court - to have failed to uphold his Oath of Office and allowed the abuse of state resources to his personal gain. That finding by the highest court in our country, means, in my view, that he is untrustworthy, and without honour, integrity and respect for the law.
The BBC clearly believes our country deserves more of this kind of leadership.
Ratings
Earlier this year business (both black and white), joined the labour movement and government in engaging the international investor community to defend our country from a sovereign rating downgrade with potentially disastrous implications. Together we made undertakings which President Zuma has not only failed to honour, but has obstructed.
One of those was to stabilise our state-owned enterprises and to project policy certainty. On both counts we've moved in the very opposite direction. Whilst business has delivered on its commitments, government has not honoured its side of the deal. This has threatened our credibility as a nation and jeopardised our joint rescue effort. Let us be clear: the impact of a rating downgrade will be especially disastrous for South Africa’s poor, precipitating inflation and setting back our efforts at creating a more equal society.
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The Deputy President, Cyril Ramaphosa, expressed it best when he said: "We are a government at war with itself”. With that being the case, how can we expect the centre to hold? The BBC wants us to have more of this leadership.
The trust deficit between our government and ordinary citizens is growing wider every day as reports of corruption at a grand scale dominate our political discourse and media coverage.
The BBC is only contributing to this by supporting Zuma, and in supporting – as just one example – his not signing into law the FICA regulations that, among other things, would expose illicit financial transactions.
Allegations abound that our very sovereignty, which the President is supposed to defend, may be threatened, with suggestions of shady deals involving the Guptas, the Russians and others, including some of his family members. If true, this emptying of state coffers is channelling funds from desperately needed social causes like education, service delivery, housing and healthcare, to name a few. Little wonder that our students and ordinary citizens are taking to the streets to demand a better deal.
The BBC's urging of the President to prevent important anti-corruption legislation from seeing the light of day, suggests they do not concern themselves with these worrisome matters.
Not all of us
I have discussed these concerns with many black business leaders, including some who lead organisations affiliated to the BBC. I take comfort in the fact that the BBC’s public statement does not represent all of us.
We often urge government to not be self-serving and I think it appropriate we use the same standard for business. The BBC's support for the President and the reasons given suggest to me that black business is indifferent to the pain that the country is going through, provided our own interests are met. This would be the most crass and disturbingly vulgar form of crony capitalism. If this is what the BBC represents, then I'm only too pleased to disassociate myself from it. I have no doubt that many black business people and professionals share my view.
I have the privilege of raising young black professionals, not only in my family, extended family and friends, but also those who solicit my mentorship. They will tell you that the importance of integrity and honour is the most crucial lesson I teach. I always tell them that their good name will be their greatest treasure, so much more so than money or material possessions.
When, in my view, an organisation I once respected defends and shields dishonour and makes a frontal assault on integrity, I must - without equivocation - denounce what it represents and proclaim my disrespect for it, as I do.
*Sipho Pityana is the executive chairman of Izingwe Capital and advises several government entities. He writes in his own capacity. His views do not necessarily reflect those of IOL.
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