Some important lessons from Piet Retief – the town, not the guy

About half a century after Voortrekker leader Piet Retief met an untimely end, his memory was honoured by having a town in the old Zuid Afrikaansche Republiek named for him. On Tuesday I overnighted in this quaint south east corner of Mpumalanga. And left more than having arrived with.

Piet Retief, the town, faces serious issues. Many of its brightest young people relocate to bigger centres, exacerbating skills shortages. Local businesses tend to invest their profits elsewhere. And there is a constant battle against poverty. These are the kind of challenges one hears about everywhere in small towns around the country. Indeed, on a broader scale, it reflects what is happening to South Africa at large.

What makes Piet Retief different, or at least seems to be judging from the folk I met, is the business chamber and municipal managers are working together to tackle the issues. They appreciate that success is far more likely through a united approach. That's a penny which hasn't quite dropped at a national level. But we're getting closer. Witness the business support of Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan's recent global roadshow. Hope Springs.