Showcasing SA’s value proposition – Brand SA CEO Sithembile Ntombela

Bronwyn Nielsen speaks to Acting CEO of Brand SA Sithembile Ntombela who shares her excitement at showcasing South Africa’s value proposition and the identity of our country at WEF 2023, Davos.

Sitembile Ntombela on showcasing SA’s identity at WEF 

We are showcasing South Africa’s value proposition and leveraging our competitive advantage, which is our creative art space. So, tonight we are going to share with the world who South Africa is, speak about our identity and share our cuisine. We want to invite the audience to come and experience South Africa. 

South Africa’s resilience despite its many challenges 

We are a little bit hard on ourselves. It is about collaboration and tapping into our resilience despite the challenges we have. When you tell the South African story, you are igniting interests in people who have little awareness of who South Africa is and what it has to offer. I don’t see the point in staying at home and saying, I can’t go up because we have our own problems. The truth of the matter is, there is nothing too big for mankind. A multilateral platform like WEF allows us to share insight and learn from each other. There are a lot of experts here. There are CEOs and innovators who can give better solutions. South Africa is here to learn and to take back wisdom and see how we move to becoming a country that is competitive enough to attract investment. 

The world in support of Africa’s growth 

We are living in unprecedented times, faced with the consequences of COVID-19 and inflation as a result of the war between Ukraine and Russia. We are all feeling the heat. Perhaps the best innovators are those who choose to look at things in a positive light. I attended a session this morning discussing Africa and it was clear the world is looking to Africa to support its growth. The session was attended by the Tanzanian president as well as the president of the DRC. This forum is definitely a critical one. We should echo the same sentiments at home so that the layman on the street is able to understand why we are here. We have a bigger vision to create a South Africa that inspires new ways and is globally admired. 

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