🔒 Boardroom Talk – Masterful teacher RW Johnson helps us graduate to second level thinking

Alec Hogg’s newsletter for Premium members. Friday, 1st December 2023

In stark contrast to bygone years, SA’s Silly Season is starting ever later nowadays. Here we are in December and the pace of business seems to be accelerating. Tough economic conditions tend to do that. So, apparently, do geo-political ructions.

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On that score, there’s an early Xmas gift for you today in a quite brilliant column by our tribe’s favourite columnist, RW Johnson. Billed as the second part of his unpacking of Middle Eastern complexities, after reflecting on his contribution, I better understand the thread binding seemingly random events of the past two months.

Some time back one of our top money managers introduced me to one of his gurus, Paul Marks, who preaches ‘second level thinking’. In essence that’s achieved by keeping an open mind, asking different questions and reaching beyond the obvious. Johnson does that for us today on the Middle East.

Click on the headline below to read it:

RW Johnson on Middle Eastern Realpolitik (Pt2) where little is as it seems.    

Also for your perusal is the FT’s report on Cyril Ramaphosa’s launch of the ANC’s election 2024 campaign:

From the FT: Ramaphosa kicks off campaign, faces uphill battle to revitalise ANC support

And a related Premium story – the latest polls from the Centre for Risk Analysis. The full report is accessible by clicking on the headline below.

Latest CRA polls: South Africa finds itself at an inflection point

Finally, another ‘goodie’ for Premium members from our business partners at AltVest. During yesterday’s catch-up interview, AltVest founder Warren Wheatley said he’d love to offer the company’s financial support to SMEs owned and run by BizNews Premium members.

With R100m in capital to be deployed, Altvest is now able to structure equity and debt funding. Warren, a member of the BizNews tribe, is reaching out to fellow members. He explained why during our recorded discussion.  

If you’d like more info, please have a watch of the interview (click here) and if you then want to explore the idea, please drop an email to [email protected] with a little detail on your requirements and she’ll connect you.