To spark change, we need two elements: discomfort (otherwise there will be no motivation to change) and hope (the ability to envisage a different reality and the faith that it is possible).
I am sure we can all agree that we have an abundance of the first element! For the second one we must work at a bit harder. It requires skill and understanding as well as creativity to look at things differently. And then it takes a measure of faith – that slippery concept that cannot easily be explained but seems to have a lot to do with attitude.
Are you a bit too comfortable being uncomfortable?
Many people get stuck on complaining about their discomfort. It seems like they are so comfortable complaining about being uncomfortable that they would become highly uncomfortable if things were to change!
Knowledge can be taught. The creativity to apply knowledge in a new way and by doing so rejecting old ways of doing things takes courage. Courage cannot be taught, only encouraged.
‘Imagination is more important than Knowledge. Knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while Imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.’
― Albert Einstein
Creativity is disruptive to the old guard
It makes people who do not want things to change uncomfortable. Fear is a powerful tool used to keep everyone in line. I want to ask you who are you listening to? Are you only looking for more unwelcome news to confirm that the country is going to the dogs and that there seems to be nothing we can do about it? Or are you willing to look for evidence of the incredible tenacity and inventiveness of people? Are you willing to dream of a better South Africa?
I am not saying we should all go to our nearest flea market and buy up all the imitation rose coloured glasses! We do need to have the courage to look at the reality of our situation, but then push ourselves past the fear and search for the way forward. The good news is that there is good news!
‘Normal?’ is that what you want?
Do you really want to go back to ‘normal’? By March 2020, we were in a recession and had suffered from an investment downgrade to junk status. Crime levels were high, job opportunities were low, and pollution was everywhere. Can we do better? Do we have the courage to make it better?
Let us go on a treasure hunt
Let us start with Electricity!
We all know about Eskom all its coal-powered woes. Are there alternatives? The good news is these are not pie-in-the-sky dreams! It is becoming a reality.
- Solar energy – a plant in South Africa can generate 20% more electricity than is possible in Europe.
- The investment in such a plant can be recovered within 5 to 8 years. Do we need a 20-year timeline for a coal plant?
- Best of all, there is plenty of private funding available; we can start today. And we do not need an SOE to mess it up. This October 275 MW new solar energy will be fed into our system.
- Wind Power – there are currently 19 wind farm developments in South Africa with more than 600 wind turbines.
- On the international scale, South Africa ranks as having fair to adequate wind resources. Wind power is a renewable, widely distributed and a clean form of energy. The production of wind energy does not produce greenhouse gases.
- Again, there is plenty of private funding available. At a recent conference, over 1000 delegates were looking at Independent Power Production as a workable investment choice.
- The Government instituted the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). Currently 27 new projects, part of big window 4, are ready to add 2 300MW into our grid once the paperwork is completed. Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe signed the final Section 34 to open bid window 5.
- Research and experience tell us that we will be capable of generating over 240GW of electricity from renewable sources. That is six times what we produce today.
Smart cities
In February 2020, our President announced the building of a Smart City in Lanseria. He wanted a city without the spacial planning of a pre-Apartheid city. He wanted better town planning, with places of study integrated into living areas. He envisaged easy access to factories and work. All living areas are to benefit from technological transport hubs. The goal is to start with one city and add 29 over time.
Sceptics say we cannot afford it. I say how can we NOT afford it?
Let me just remind you that 8,2 million people (aged 15 – 34) out of 20 million are unemployed. We need to do something.
This is not something our President sucked out of his thumb the night before he had to deliver his speech. Gauteng Premier David Makhura said that they have been planning this for several years. It will be a collaborative project between the cities of Johannesburg, Tshwane, and Madibeng. He said they have been working with development finance institutions and have put together a plan that will fund the bulk sewerage, electricity, water, digital infrastructure and roads that will be the foundation of the new city.
It is common economic knowledge that spending on infrastructure has a multiplier effect. This means spending money on creating job opportunities will lead to a knock-on effect down the value chain. Contractors need to buy materials and will employ local workers. Workers need a place to live, a place to buy groceries, somewhere to take their partners for a bit of rest and recreation and schools for their children (possible by-products of the rest and recreation!)
Smart Cities create thousands of new jobs in line with 4th Industrial Revolution demands. Do you need some evidence? Look at what is happening in Korea and other Asian countries! It is an answer to the massive unemployment and lack of skills that we have in South Africa.
Then there is the famous bullet train…
Yes, for days after his speech there were endless jokes about the super train that sounds so impossible, given how unreliable and outright dangerous our ‘regular’ train services have become.
Yet is it that far fetched?
These types of trains already exist overseas. We know that train services are still the most efficient way to move large numbers of commuters around. Besides, a super-fast train service leaves the skies less crowded and is far more friendly on our environment. These trains move at around 300km per hour. Imagine what this would mean for those who need to travel between the Greater Johannesburg/Lanseria area and Cape Town!
Education must unlock the future
Covid-19 has shown us the inequality of our access to education and that access to technology is not a nice-to-have, it is vital!
If one looks at the education levels of those who are currently employed, it looks like this: