NOLITHA FAKUDE: SA needs more leaders like Patel

Over the years, I have had much to do with Ebrahim Patel, the departing minister of trade, industry & competition. Much has been said about his contributions to SA’s industrial policy landscape — with several views expressed on the efficacy of various policy interventions and the like.

My take intends to be different. I want to reflect on his character as a leader in SA’s public life because while we may have varying views of policy decisions and actions made by those with influence, we can sometimes forget the textured nature of leaders — beyond the headlines.

Throughout my working career as a leader in business, I have often stood on opposing ends to Patel. On any number of issues, we often disagreed about the “how”, but I want to argue that his principled nature meant that there was almost always consensus on the larger intent — which is the big “why”.

Along with a few of his colleagues such as Gwede Mantashe and Enoch Godongwana, “EP”— as he goes in business and government circles — represents a cohort of public sector leaders who have demonstrated the need to listen to dissenting voices in the private sector. SA’s business environment can be fraught with many challenges: regulation being one and, of course, the structural impediments that inhibit growth in numerous industries. However, the willingness of public sector leaders to engage on what could be the alternative, even when we are often at opposing ends of the ideological spectrum, is noteworthy.

This is a principle I believe Ebrahim Patel stood for.

His tenure was marked by fierce debates about whether an interventionist approach to economic planning, industrial policy, trade, and competition is preferable for an economy such as ours that arguably needs more space to grow and expand than less.

Wearing my different hats, time and time again I saw how passionate Patel was to state his case, while also creating room for opposing views. But the highlight of his tenure, and indeed his collaboration with business, was the last-ditch attempt to save SA’s participation in the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) programme led by the US government.

The debates that ensued about whether SA’s participation in Agoa would be renewed were a source of much concern for the business community. This legislation provides duty-free access for certain African countries, including SA, to the enormous US market. The legislation has been key to building our exports ranging from vehicles to citrus fruit. Billions of rand in economic activity and tens of thousands of jobs in SA depend on those exports.

The key question was whether the US Congress would use the renewal process to redraft the act such that SA would no longer be eligible. A valiant and indeed collaborative approach by business — led by Business Leadership SA — working with government, led by Patel, is perhaps telling of his principled nature. As business leaders, we were clear about a range of domestic and policy issues that have created room for doubt on SA’s continued participation in Agoa.

We were also clear, however, that the only way we could ensure that our position as a country was understood by the US government was through joint, active engagement. This culminated in a highly successful visit to the US last year, providing us with an opportunity to meet the US government and business community to not only reaffirm our commitment to open global trade — with Agoa key to this — but also give a wider sense of our broad approach to collaboratively working together, as business and government.

The result was the renewal of SA’s participation in Agoa — an achievement I believe would have been impossible without Patel.

Legacy is always contested. It is even more contested for those leaders whose work is so intimately tied up with the fortunes of society. But a one-sided view of legacy that does not sufficiently consider the character and an openness to collaborate, despite vehement differences, is not a true and full reflection of anyone’s legacy. I believe the same is true of Patel.

In a time when SA has experienced a dearth of honest, hardworking and principled leaders, Patel has stood out from the ranks. The counter to this has been a curt, yet important view to consider: “But these are the very basic traits that we expect of our leaders.” True as it may be, it does not negate that we need more leaders like this — irrespective of the ideological, or indeed, political differences we may have across the lines of our society. This is a kind of leadership approach that prioritises consensus over difference. And that is because SA is, in many ways, a nation built on consensus.

I have previously argued on the pages of this publication that consensus is not necessarily “perfect agreement” — and certainly within the ranks of business there is much that we won’t have agreement on with the government. What we should strive for, however, is to build and deepen our consensus and build a social compact that puts the people of SA front and centre.

Our historic transition to the current constitutional democracy was secured through a difficult, tiring process of building consensus, with leaders from all sectors of society who rarely agreed but shared common ideals. These ideals have stood the test of time for three decades.

When we consider the legacy of any leader, including Patel, let’s reflect on how many more leaders we need who can hold their own to champion their fierce ideas while being open to contestation.

Patel’s legacy is not just in the policies he championed but in his principled nature, his willingness to engage with dissenting voices, and his unwavering commitment to the greater good of SA. His approach to leadership, marked by integrity and collaboration, sets a standard for future leaders.

As SA prepares to usher in its seventh administration, the example set by Patel will serve as a guiding light for future leaders, reminding us that true leadership is not only about policy positions — it is about the values and principles that guide our actions and decisions.

• Fakude is chair of the Minerals Council SA and president of the International Women’s Forum of SA.