Enabling suppliers to serve a digital economy requires a disruptive take on development The digital economy is an increasingly pervasive concept within the global, African and South African business world. It seems like you cannot cross the street without being overwhelmed by hype around machine learning, artificial intelligence, or the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Setting cynicism […]

A negative perception exists that enterprise & supplier development (ESD) is a compliance cost. Business owners believe they are being forced to donate 3% of their net profit after tax (NPAT), and divert procurement spend, to companies that offer little ROI or are at worse incompetent. What if ESD was not viewed as a cost, […]

When I attended Oxford University between 1990 and 1991, I met and got to know Adrian Enthoven very well, with our paths overlapping while I was there. When I came back to South Africa in 1991, by the end of the year, Adi introduced me to his father Dick who, with his brother, Patrick Enthoven, […]

Playing with Fire by Gordon Ramsay has been a hugely influential book for Investments in how we design ourselves to enable and add value to our portfolio companies. The book is  about Ramsay, his second autobiography, which charts his rise from a chef working 16-hour, six-day weeks, to the brand and business empire we know […]

Insourcing provides workers with a “livable” wage, fringe benefits and opportunities which are seen as perks to employment in corporate South Africa. This assists workers to develop and progress out of their circumstances. If done effectively, insourcing assists organisational stability, projects a positive public image and increases trust between both internal and external stakeholders. We […]

Shifting consumer values in the personal care industry have led to ructions within the market. Established firms are changing their operating model and product lines to meet new consumer demands, particularly for natural and sustainable products. Cirebelle, the chemicals solutions provider and part of Letsema, has already made moves in this direction to adjust to […]

Life’s ‘wicked’ problems can seldom be solved from within the paradigm in which they exist. Approaching problems from the point of view of the customer provides a relevant and revealing way to step outside established paradigms and find fresh perspective. However, in the public sphere, policymakers are often distant from their customers – the citizens […]

Letsema, and its constituent parts were all founded and registered at the same time in 1996. Over the last few years, Letsema Investments has expanded its portfolio to include Cirebelle, Normandien Farms and ServWorx, three companies operating in three different industries, but all connected by a common thread. Our founder and Chairman, Isaac Shongwe, talks […]

Localisation, which was expected to be a ‘game changer’ when legislatively introduced seven years ago, has made an impact on South Africa, but not to the degree it is capable of thus far. There is significant room for improvement so localisation can be fully optimised for the benefit of the South African economy and all […]

There is a debate occurring within the halls and offices of business schools around the world, including South Africa: What is our role in society? How should we be moulding the future captains of industry? Letsema’s Chairman and Founder, Isaac Shongwe, is grappling with this debate in his role as chairman of the Wits Business […]