Ivan Clark, group operating officer of the Grindrod Unicorn Group, offers his personal
interpretation of the RDP.
R
IS for reality
Many people have not easily accepted the change in our country because they have not been able to realise that we are African.
We have a culture that is different from the rest of the world and we have a different way of going about life.
There is nothing wrong with it, it is good to have your own culture. We must have South Africa in our blood, we must be able to smell it and we must want to be part of it.
If you cannot do this, then you will always find good reason to see a better place in other parts of the world.
If that is the case, then leave Africa to the Africans, to us people who want to be part of this great African continent and South Africa.
D stands for dreams
This country will not survive if we do not have dreamers.
The way forward is not easy. It requires people of vision, it requires people who can think laterally, it requires people who can see opportunity where other people see problems and failure.
It is said that an entrepreneur is a pro-active, calculated risk-taker. I think a dreamer is one who dreams of a better place and can see that better place and go out and make it a better place where other people with tunnel vision simply accept the status quo. Our country needs dreamers to make it a success.
P is for
positiveness
We have heard all the negativity, I started this article with it. How about these positive thoughts about South Africa.
What about its great wealth under the ground - its minerals, its gold, its uranium, its silver, its diamonds and so on. What about its great wealth above the ground - its agriculture, its sugar, its maize, its wheat, its fruits and the lovely wines we make.
What about our infrastructure of banks, insurance companies and commercial concerns? We have some of the best in the world and certainly we have the best commercial infrastructure in Africa. What about our roads, rail and harbours?
We might be working on efficiencies in some areas, but we have the best transport infrastructure in Africa. Add to this that we are in the right time zone, we are not six hours this way or six hours that way, and add our beautiful weather and scenery, and then add to that the fact that the cost of living in this country is so low compared to other parts of the world.
If we do not think that business is expanding, just have a look at the developments taking place between Johannesburg and Pretoria, in the Cape, and the cost of property there and Umhlanga Rocks in KwaZulu Natal.
That is my version of the RDP and my advice to people is: Face the reality you are African, start dreaming about our future, be positive about your day-to-day living, otherwise in your doom and gloom you might well miss the fun and excitement that is currently taking place in the development of our people and the development of South Africa.
