The Potential

Tsholomnqa is a rural area found in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. If you look it up, there are only two notable things about it. One: Historic battles involving the Xhosa people took place in this region. Two: It is the birthplace of Springbok winger Makazole Mapimpi. Even if you do not know much about rugby, you would have at least heard his name as a South African. If you are not a rugby fan or not South African, google him. I will wait. Makazole has no family. Both his parents and siblings died before seeing him become a household name in the world rugby arena. He has no family. He had little to no support. Despite these odds, he is in the conversation as a winger in anyone's world XV rugby team.

Enter Banyana-Banyana. We saw their plight when former captain Portia Modise shared her story as a Banyana-Banyana star player. One would think that representing your national team would come with much success, even financially, but that was not so. At her peak, Portia lived in a shack. How many former and current Banyana players were and are going through the same? On the other hand, Bafana-Bafana players seem to be doing well even though if you compare the successes of both teams, Bafana leaves much to be desired. Over the years, Banyana, against all odds, focused on their potential through persistence and perseverance and achieved their dream of becoming WAFCON champions.

We are a great nation, and we certainly have that potential.

Diamonds in the rough.

Potential.

Prospects.

Unrealised.

Undeveloped.

We face what seem like insurmountable odds in South Africa. Fuel hikes make going to a petrol station tantamount to spending a weekend at a five-star hotel. The uphill battle of explaining what load shedding even is to foreign friends is impossible (the EskomSePush app just told me we have the 18:00 to 20:30 shift).

The opportunity to zoom out of your habitual landscape and be able to see a completely different environment is something I was able to do last month when I travelled to Oslo, Norway. I will detail the trip soon, as mentioned in a previous post. However, it is relevant to this topic. I realised we were not that different from our Nordic colleagues or the populous when I was there. We have similar interests in sports, movies and music, and I believe we are the same worldwide. Vitally, we have the same drive regarding business development and untapped talent. The only difference is that they are ahead of us because of the advantages they can exploit, like a small population and their oil reserves.

These advantages can be found in their subsidised schooling and healthcare; these are major. Small conveniences go a long way, like a train system that operates until 2 am and stops at practically every suburban area that does not obliterate your pocket and is reliable. The rolling green hills. The picturesque views. Subsidies for driving an electric car. Electric scooters that you can use like an Uber. Please pick it up, scoot around and then drop it off using an app. The significant advantages like major subsidies converge to create the small advantages that make life more convenient.

Imagine a South Africa where public health and schooling are taken care of and are of high quality. Transport was safe, reliable and convenient. Natural resources are being exploited to benefit our country. Where the big things were taken care of to give way for the little conveniences to come forth, circumstances like these would provide us with thousands of Makazoles.

I see them for myself in the cohorts I do. Young entrepreneurs are teeming with vigour and gusto to flesh out their businesses so they can have a brush stroke on the canvas of prosperous, well-run South Africa.

The problems we face pose a threat to us as a nation. Not only because they harm our way of life but because apathy can be fostered in anger. We have too much potential in this country to become apathetic.

We have too many Makazoles in small towns who need a chance. Who can overcome unlikely odds and become successes on the greatest stages, leaving stadiums with highlight reels, history made and gold around their neck?

Let us, you and I, take matters into our own hands. Let us look for the diamonds in the rough, the untapped potentials, the unrealised and undeveloped. Let's find them and let us enable them so that we can all say we all had a stroke on the canvas in developing our country's potential.

Yours in entrepreneurship

Muziwethu Mtshali

CEO – Entreprenerdy South Africa