Chris Steyn (00:01.164)

One of the most inspiring books this year is The Memoir of the iconic Sam Montsi. He is with me now. Welcome, Sir.

Sam (00:12.325)

Well, thank you very much and you know, thank you for having me.

Chris Steyn (00:16.834)

You are welcome. Your book is packed with wisdom and lessons. One in particular caught my attention the wisdom of majority control, majority ownership and control. Please share that with our viewers.

Sam (00:35.195)

Well, I mean it's the fact that you know when one gets into business you have a certain vision as to where you want to try and take that business. And if you're a small partner in a business, I mean obviously your voice, your view will be viewed in the context of the size of your equity in the business, but if you have control, I mean obviously what you say is what will happen. I mean, obviously you have to try and make sure that what you think should happen makes business sense. Otherwise your business will be short-lived. But when you are a small cork in a huge organisation where your voice is not heard, it can be very frustrating, it can be very problematic if you have a vision that you believe makes sense for the business.

Chris Steyn (01:52.95)

It was fascinating for me to read how your children were incorporated into the business from a very early age.

Sam (02:02.397)

Yeah, you work in a business where you are the business - and it's a family business. And your children - and at one point, in fact twice actually, I work from a house in Constantia and you know your children are there and they see you working in a part of the house where you are the office. And you know, they can't help but be exposed to what you're trying to do. But I also deliberately, you know, try to bring them in into supporting and assisting the business in their own way, you know, at their different stages of their lives. and really it it was helpful. And I'm very privileged that two of my children have now taken over the operations of the businesses, particularly my son who is now the CEO of our businesses, and my daughter who is very active in a few of the businesses.

Chris Steyn (03:23.895)

So apart from sharing your personal experiences in your book, you also touched on areas that are of great concern to ordinary South Africans and one of those being the collapse of State-owned enterprises. You wrote about some of those factors.

Sam (03:43.567)

My view really is that the politics, the politicisation of the appointment of people in State-owned companies was very unfortunate in the sense that while it sought to fast track so to speak black involvement in the businesses. But it did not, as it should have done, focus really on bringing people based on their competence, based on their abilities, based on experience.

And also, you know, some of the people that came in, they came in in an environment where the people that had been there and had run these businesses effectively, who were white, were being shown the door.

In my view, what should have happened is that these people should have been paired with the black people that came in leadership so that the black people could absorb their experiences. And when they then take over the running of the businesses, they benefit from that culture, from that experience and continue to make the organisations I mean successful. That's my personal view.

And it's unfortunate because organisations are so critical and important in the economy of the country. And you know some of them were almost collapsed.

But you know I'm very pleased that you know this…

Sam (05:45.829)

…problem appears to have been understood to some extent. I mean you look at organisations like ESKOM, where the new leadership there is trying to root out corruption, root out incompetence and ensure that ESKOM be what it should be to this country and to the economy.

Chris Steyn (06:12.782)

So you also touch on tenderpreneurs. Have you been watching the Madlanga Commission of Inquiry into police and political capture?

Sam (06:20.622)

And it's frightening really, you know, what has happened in the leadership of some of the organs of State where people have infiltrated and tried to make money very unscrupulously. And they were facilitated and helped by some of the very senior people in the leadership of these institutions. It's really very frightening.

But I say to people that ask me, I mean we have you know partners in some of the business that we're involved in, for instance, who are in Holland. They ask me, Sam, I mean, should we be scared? And I'm saying we should be very happy that all these nefarious activities are being brought, you know, to the open, and that some of the people are now being taken to task - and hopefully we'll begin to see a different approach in the leadership of the government institutions and organisations and such that it does not tolerate or facilitate all this stupidity.

So you know I think we are beginning to see the ship of State being pointed or being moved to point in a different direction, which is constructive and positive for the economy and the country. So I'm I'm very encouraged.

Chris Steyn (08:01.838)

From tenderpreneurs to entrepreneurs, what is the best advice, Sir, with your decades of experience and with all the obstacles you had to overcome, what can you tell business people who are still struggling to make it?

Sam (08:21.572)

Well, I say in my book…my message really: I wanted to focus on the youth of this country and of my country, my other country Lesotho, that nothing is impossible, that whatever hurdles that you may face if if if you work hard, of course, work smart and work with networks, you can overcome and you can become whatever you wish to be.

So yeah, I mean it's really you have to believe in yourself and be smart and use professionals. yeah, and get moving.

Chris Steyn (09:15.928)

So you've long been witness to the politics and the dirty politics in South Africa, going back to the Apartheid years…. What words of advice do you have for South African politicians? What message do you have for them?

Sam (09:34.565)

…You know, I was born in Johannesburg of Basotho migrant workers. And my parents were smart enough to take me to Lesotho in my teens and in the process helped me avoid Bantu education and get exposure that enabled me to to achieve whatever I could achieve based on my capabilities and my willingness to work hard, not my skin colour. …

I came back to South Africa when there were problems in Lesotho in 1987 and worked in an environment where you know many hurdles really were piled up against myself because I happened to be black, but I managed to make a living and make a life for me and my family in spite of those challenges.

But I mean on the political side really, my advice to politicians is that they should be honest with themselves. They should really focus on trying to facilitate this country and its people to use the resources they have, of which there are a lot of resources to generate a better life for everybody. But this must be done in a way that is not divisive. That will try and bring people together to ensure that everybody do their level best in their little corners to, you know, bring this country forward.

I think for a long time really,

Sam (12:02.03)

…the politicians in a country have tended to be a little overly negative and divisive in the approach to BEE, in a manner that has discouraged, you know, parts of the society that should be working with everybody to create jobs, create industries for this country and made some of them to want to invest elsewhere outside this country. So I'm saying we need to really create… develop policies that bring everybody together.

But of course, we need to make sure that we create the possibility for people that were marginalized to be part of the bigger economy. But this should be done in a constructive fashion.

I say in some of my presentations - one that I'll be making in Makanda, this month - that we had business people in South Africa like Richard Maponya in in Soweto…who created huge businesses in spite of hurdles that were posed at them by the Apartheid system. And I'm saying there are a lot of promising Maponyas …in South Africa. What

BEE policy should, in my view, focus on identifying them and supporting them and assisting them to create successful businesses that would stand toe to toe with the businesses owned by white, you know, compatriots. And that, you know, as they become successful, they will then also be in a position to buy equity, you know, from my white compatriots and similarly the white compatriots will when they see the successful black business people will also want to buy equity in their businesses…so that we create a situation where we grow the economy, but in a constructive fashion where people work together, not you know pulling them apart.

Chris Steyn (14:21.698)

Right. Any last words for our business audience, Sir?

Sam (14:28.967)

…please we have great opportunities in this country. Let's work together, let's grow South Africa. We have great people…

Sam (14:53.347)

…we really need to work together. We need to pull together to make this country great, in spite of the challenges that we have all over all over the world, including from Mr. Trump in the USA.

Chris Steyn (15:10.822)

Yeah, while while you mention him, the whole world seems to be worse off since he has started this war Even Israel seems to be worse off. Even the Saudis seem to want to borrow money or need to borrow money. What are your thoughts?

Sam (15:29.069)

Well, I mean he's a disaster really. And I can't believe that the United States of America could allow such a person not only to emerge as their leader, but to allow him to do what he's doing, you know, throughout the world. I can't believe it. I mean it's but it's happening. We have to believe it, it's happening.

But it means we really need to be very careful and cautious who, in our little country here, we allow to…lead the country. And we also have to put measures in place to make sure that there are checks and balances so that you don't have crazy people that come into power who will tear the country apart or or create problems with our relationships with other countries.

Chris Steyn (16:32.504)

Thank you. That was Mr. Sam Montsii, the author of Defying Barriers, his memoir of decades in business and life. Thank you, sir. I'm Chris Steyn for BizNews

Sam (16:46.797)

Well, thank you very much. I hope I've made sense in the point that I've made to you and to your listeners. And and God bless.

Chris Steyn (16:52.142)

Mm-hmm.

Chris Steyn (16:55.651)

You certainly you certainly do, and it's thank you.

Sam Montsi: Keep “crazy” people out of power!