To say South Africa is in the middle of difficult economic times is stating the obvious. President Cyril Ramaphosa described youth unemployment as a national crisis, which is sitting at 55.2%. State Capture – Eskom the starkest example – and the private sector’s own regulatory ills are real. However, to further bemoan the regulatory environment, […]

The extensive work that the Foundation has been doing across different organisations, some of which are established and others still in their infancy, has led to much thought around how to provide the best possible support to these organisations. The support many NGOs request is typically two-fold: Financial assistance: “We need more money”Strategic Guidance: “How […]

Among the greatest economic stories of our time is South Korea. A country poorer than most African nations in the early 1950s would, by 2017, be the world’s 12th largest economy. Beyond policy focused upon industrialisation and education, key to its ascent was ethical leadership. This was the focus of Professor William Gumede’s talk at […]

Letsema acquires 51% stake in Transnova, a leading, independent supply chain and logistics advisory firm. Johannesburg, South Africa; 30 May 2019 – South Africa’s traditional logistics companies rely on large, costly facilities and extensive transport fleets to service the country’s supply chain and logistics needs. An industry vital to South Africa’s economic performance and future […]

Adrian Adams, from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), contributed to this supply chains thought leadership piece The South African Procurement and Supply Chain (P&SC) community is yet to grasp the application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies in driving business value. According to Letsema’s 2018 P&SC Research Report, 65% […]

South Africa’s economy, 25 years after the official end of apartheid, is structurally imbalanced. The dominance of limited number of players in different sectors is a vestige of the apartheid era, a status quo that must be changed for South Africa to be able to address the triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality. SMME […]

Enterprise development is a complex, long term process that seeks to raise entrepreneurs with potential to a level where they can potentially make an impact on the market. Critically, the Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMME) sector in South Africa is a diverse segment capable of rapid innovation and fulfilling local needs. Mentoring and mentorship […]

When developing an enterprise or supplier development (ESD) programme, the process used to select participating entrepreneurs naturally influences everything else that will follow. As such, it is absolutely critical that such a process be thorough, methodical and strategically designed. The overall framework that will craft your selection criteria will be based in part on the […]

Crafting an effective enterprise and supplier development (ESD) strategy is a multi-dimensional process where each formulation stage informs the other. A driving thought of developing the right strategy for a chosen supplier is finding the areas where strategic sourcing and economic development can create opportunities for inclusion. Designing a strategy can occur in three distinct […]

Enterprise and supplier development (ESD) within South Africa faces unique restrictions, particularly previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs. While apartheid itself is firmly in the rear view mirror of the past, the structural imbalances it produced in South Africa’s economy, both intentional and unforeseen, still persist today. The purpose of South Africa’s policy framework, which targets enterprise and […]