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< Back to all guests #9 Joséphine Katumba - The rise (and importance) of the Intrapreneur, jumping on rocket ships without a reserved seat and ‘weighing and paying’ as a retail model of the future 2 May 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Joséphine Katumba is a powerhouse in the realm of Food Systems Transformation, addressing the critical issues of food security and sustainability. As the Chief of Staff at Wakanda Food Accelerator, she's the strategic mind behind innovative initiatives driving real change in how we distribute and consume food. One of Joséphine's standout projects is Gcwalisa, a groundbreaking initiative focused on democratizing access to nutritious food while confronting the systemic challenges faced by low-income communities. Her dedication to this cause has earned her widespread recognition and acclaim within the industry. In 2022, Joséphine was honored as Africa's Brightest Young Mind by the World Food Programme, a testament to her leadership and impact in shaping the future of food systems. Building on this success, in 2023, she was also named a Mercedes Benz BEVISIONEER, solidifying her status as a driver of positive change in the food sector. 2 Episode Description In this episode, you will learn a couple of things. Firstly, you will get a behind the scenes look at how you take an idea (let’s face it, haven’t we all had them - ‘One day I will open…’ ‘Some day I will sell…’) and turn it into reality. And secondly, how you can do this not only as an entrepreneur, but as an intrapreneur within an organisation. Just as exciting, at much less personal risk. Our guest Joséphine Katumba shares how, while growing her own small business, she was recruited by celebrity entrepreneur himself, Miles Kubheka (from ‘Vuyo’ fame and founder of the Wakanda Food Accelerator ) to help create Gcwalisa , an exciting ‘weigh and pay’ mini retail model first piloted in Johannesburg’s Alexandra township (developed in 1912 as the only place where Africans could buy freehold land, and now adjacent to Sandton (one of the richest suburbs of Johannesburg). Joséphine takes us on the two-year journey of growing Gcwalisa into a model pilot mini retailer that is now on the brink of scaling up and expanding its horizons. With her signature calm voice and in matter-of-fact detail, we get a glimpse of the iteration and patience required to birth a brand new 'firstborn', that lets you buy food for the money you have in your pocket or in exactly the quantities you need. Joséphine is the picture of Zen, and could grow anything she puts her mind to. Join me in finding out how she does it. And why. 3 Show Notes 00:01 Sheryl Sandberg is one of Silicon Valley’s most successful and influential women, known for executive positions at Apple, Google and Yahoo, and for becoming the first female member of Facebook’s Board of Directors. Currently she is COO of Meta and Founder of LeanIn.Org 01:11 Miles Kubheka is the founder of Wakanda Food Accelerator , and a celebrated South African entrepreneur. 06:54 Gcwalisa is a mini retailer that aims to democratise nutritious food and basic household products in low-income communities by selling these items through a weight and pay model. 08:16 The SAB Foundation was established in 2010 in South Africa. Since then it has been dedicated to supporting and empowering small, medium, and micro-sized enterprises in the country. The SAB Foundation has deployed almost half a billion Rand in grant funding, business development support, and interest-free loans to over 5,000 entities. 08:38 Spaza shops are small convenience stores found in South African townships, often run from the owners’ homes 08:57 London Road was renamed Vincent Tshabalala almost twenty years ago, but can’t shake its original name. 13:24 Gcwalisa’s offices are in the Wakanda Food Accelerator offices in the 27 Boxes Precinct in Melville in Johannesburg. 24:46 Gcwalisa’s promotional video 26:20 Piece jobs, also known as piecework or casual labor, refer to employment arrangements where workers are paid based on the number of pieces or tasks they complete rather than receiving a fixed salary or hourly wage. These types of jobs are common in various industries, including manufacturing, agriculture, and services. 27:52 The phrase 'poverty tax' is often attributed to, and was popularised by, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., an iconic civil rights leader and activist in the United States. He used this term to describe the additional costs and burdens that low-income individuals and communities face simply because they are poor. These costs can include higher prices for basic goods and services, limited access to affordable transportation and housing options, and difficulties in accessing financial services without incurring high fees. One of the best explanation of the poverty tax is given by sir Terry Pratchett through Captain Vimes, as he contemplates the buying of boots. From Men at Arms : 'The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money. Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles. But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while a poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.' - This is the Captain Samuel Vimes Boots theory of socioeconomic unfairness. 29:44 Consol Glass is a glass, ceramic and concrete manufacturing company, and is the largest glass container manufacturer in Africa, with factories in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya. While Consol was officially incorporated as Consolidated Glass Works Limited in 1946 , it has effectively been in business since 1944 when financiers Anglovaal acquired glass manufacturer Pretoria Glass. In 2022 it was acquired by the Ardagh group. 30:05 In 2009, Uganda implemented a ban on the importation, sale, and use of lightweight plastic bags (less than 30 microns thick). This measure aimed to reduce plastic bag usage and mitigate environmental damage caused by single-use plastics. While Uganda has taken steps towards reducing plastic waste, achieving a "plastic-free" status requires ongoing efforts at the national, community, and individual levels. In 2020, Greenpeace said 34 out of Africa’s 54 countries have either passed a law banning plastics and implemented it or have passed a law with the intention of implementation. Of those, 16 have totally banned plastic bags or have done so partially without yet introducing regulations to enforce the bans. 30:00 A ‘Checkers’, also ‘chekas’ is a plastic bag, preferably with handles. Such a bag may have OK writ large (other large South African retailer), but is still a 'checkers'... Word commonly used by non-whites throughout South Africa. 32:02 SAASA grants in South Africa refer to the South African Social Security Agency (SAASA) grants, which are government assistance programs aimed at providing financial support to eligible individuals and households. These grants are designed to help improve the well-being and livelihoods of vulnerable and low-income individuals in South Africa. 37:28 ‘Best Before’ are ‘one-stop grocery clearance stores’ that was founded by two Johannesburg businessmen in 2017, after noting the success In Europe and Australia of concept stores selling short and past-dated quality food and personal care products at highly discounted price. 40:21 Woolworths is South Africa’s upmarket grocery and clothes and lifestyle goods retailer, and is part of Woolworths Holdings Limited (WHL), which has grown into a leading retail group with a strong presence in sub-Saharan Africa, Australia and New Zealand. WHL consists of two major operating divisions: Woolworths South Africa and Country Road Group. 4 Time Stamps 00:00 Embracing the Unknown: Cheryl Sandberg's Google Analogy 00:41 Introducing the African Optimist Podcast 00:54 The Journey of an Intrapreneur: Meeting Joséphine Katumba 01:07 Josephine's Entrepreneurial Spirit Meets Miles Kubheka 12:56 Designing and Implementing the Gcwalisa Model 18:03 Community Feedback and Adjusting the Offering 21:31 Understanding Gcwalisa's Impact and Philosophy 28:24 Exploring the Poverty Tax and Packaging Solutions 28:47 Customer Journey and Packaging Innovations at Gcwalisa 29:48 Shifting Consumer Behaviour and Environmental Impact 31:19 Understanding Gcwalisa's Customer Demographics 33:57 Real-life Customer Stories: Impact and Gratitude 40:50 The Business Model and Scaling Up 41:21 The Importance of Patience in Business Growth 43:57 Facing Competition and Maintaining Originality 46:51 Challenges and Learnings 49:55 From Entrepreneur to Intrapreneur: A Personal Journey 55:37 Closing Remarks and Resources 5 Transcript AfricanOptimist ep9 Josephine Katumba Transcript .pdf Download PDF • 119KB Back to top ^ More on Joséphine Katumba Video The Balancing Act of Making Good Food More Affordable TEDxJohannesburg Salon talk, February 2024

< Back to all guests #11 Sarah Dusek - on becoming an entrepreneur who thinks BIG, and a venture capitalist who helps African women think BIGGER - an insider’s guide to scaling and pitching your business. 3 September 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Sarah Dusek is an entrepreneur and venture capitalist who is using gains from her business endeavours to help fund female entrepreneurs across sub-Saharan Africa. Sarah began her career in her early twenties in a non-profit organisation in Zimbabwe, southern Africa, but left eight years later. She had become disillusioned by the sector’s short-term project-driven approach and its failure to deliver sustainable development. She soon began exploring the potential of business to effect systemic, and long-term, change and in 2012 co-founded the leading outdoor hospitality company Under Canvas with her husband, on his family farm in Montana. Dubbed the founder ‘who put glamping on the map in the United States’ , the couple went on to sell their outdoor lifestyle brand for $100 million ten years later. Following the sale, the Duseks co-founded a new eco-travel company, Few and Far, that ‘creates extraordinary eco-hospitality experiences that endeavour to protect and preserve wild places around the world’. In all its management plans, the company's focus is on conservation (environment) and social impact (job creation in surrounding communities), as well as regeneration through its carbon sequestration projects. They also co-founded Enygma Ventures, a venture capital fund with an explicit mandate to close the gender and funding gap for female entrepreneurs across sub-Saharan Africa. Sarah and her husband moved to Cape Town, South Africa, with their two sons in 2019. She currently splits her time between South Africa and the United States. On 2 September 2024, Sarah released her first book Thinking Bigger, a business book aimed at demystifying the entrepreneurial journey and the over-complicated and inaccessible world of funding for female entrepreneurs. Structured in 10 chapters to mirror a traditional 10-page pitch deck, Sarah unpacks what venture capitalists look for in a potential business and what aspiring entrepreneurs need to include in a winning pitch deck. Sarah weaves her own entrepreneurial journey through the entire book, showing in each chapter every step and the long and rewarding journey of growing her small four-tent business into the $100 million sale it became a decade later. 2 Episode Description I have read many entrepreneur biographies, but none so captured the grit, persistence and flexibility it takes to create a truly successful business like Sarah Dusek does in her book Thinking Bigger - and in her generous share in this week’s conversation. Sarah describes in vivid detail her journey from being flat broke and living in a camper van to growing and selling her business Under Canvas (co-founded in 2012 with her husband) for $100 million almost ten years later. ‘Iterate’ and ‘fail fast, fail often’ are two start-up mantras on constant repeat in innovator circles, but both sound more like they belong in a factory than in the day-to-day running of a typical business. Sarah shows us what these clichés look like, without graphs, spreadsheets or bullet points, and speaks candidly about the identity shift needed to change from being her husband’s ‘helper’ to becoming the CEO of their company. Her story of turning four tents into a $100 million outdoor lifestyle brand is not so much about a series of dramatic events, but about an openness to change direction, be flexible, grab opportunities and respond to people’s needs. And a willingness to tweak one’s dream a little, when that dream in its current form hits a ceiling. Sarah gives us all a glimpse into how successful businesses position themselves in such a way that they can scale. She shares how she moved away from being solely focused on growing a successful small business, to shaping the business into something of much greater value with a much bigger return on her initial investment. Sarah also gives us glimpses into the venture capital world, first through her own experiences trying to raise ‘big money’ and then as a venture capital investor herself, who has for the past five years been helping female entrepreneurs across sub-Saharan Africa successfully pitch and scale their businesses. The heart of Sarah’s own story and that of her approach to investing in female entrepreneurs, lies in her book’s title, as she encourages, cajoles, pushes, and entreats women to Think Bigger , so that ultimately women can help shape the world around them, create big businesses that can effect big change and ultimately, influence the trajectory of economic growth on the continent. The book, and this episode, are ultimately a clarion call for women to get 'unstuck', think big and execute even bigger. 3 Show Notes 00:00:34 The Rocky Mountains is a formidable mountain range stretching from Canada to New Mexico in the United States. They are a testament to the Earth's geological processes, formed over millions of years through tectonic plate movement and volcanic activity, and represent a unique and dramatic landscape that include mountain ranges, alpine lakes (formed by glacial erosion and deposition), glaciers and volcanoes. 00:00:41 The word 'safari' originates from the Swahili language, which in turn comes from the Arabic word 'safar' meaning 'journey'. The Swahili word 'safari' can be used to describe any type of journey, not just those involving wildlife. The term was popularized in the West by the British explorer Richard Francis Burton, who traveled extensively in East Africa in the 19th century. Burton was fascinated by the Swahili language and culture, and he used the word 'safari' to describe his journeys throughout the region. 00:00:44 Zimbabwe is a landlocked country in southern Africa. It shares borders with South Africa, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia. It boasts some of the most iconic tourist destinations in the region, including the World Heritage Site 'Victoria Falls', 'the greatest sheet of falling water' , flowing from the Zambezi river. 'You have the jewel of Africa in your hands,' said President Samora Machel of Mozambique and President Julius Nyerere of Tanzania to Robert Mugabe, at the moment of independence, in 1980 about the falls. 'Now look after it.' 00:01:27 Sarah Dusek's first book is called Thinking Bigger . Excerpt from the Amazon blurb: 'Sarah Dusek shares personal anecdotes highlighting obstacles that women face in business and how to overcome them. She reveals the metrics that really matter to venture capitalists and how to pitch them successfully. Her book delves into the art and science of creating a winning "pitch deck"―the standard formula for pitching to investors, from crafting a compelling story to using data and design to make a lasting impact.' 00:01:32 Under Canvas was founded in 2012 and has since ' grown to include 11 safari-inspired Under Canvas locations, as well as a new luxury outdoor resort brand called ULUM. The leader in upscale, outdoor hospitality, Under Canvas camps have received awards from the likes of Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure as some of the best resorts in the U.S. and the world.' 00:06:40 Montana, Spanish name for mountain, is a landlocked state in the Mountain West subregion of the western United States. It has the largest grizzly bear population in the US and has more cattle than people. 00:20:50 This is a modified reference (which Sarah also makes in her book) to the 1989 movie Field of Dreams , in which a whispered voice tells Kevin Costner's character Ray Kinsella that 'If you build it, they will come', referring to a baseball field that he should build in the middle of his cornfields. 00:35:14 Yellowstone, America's first national park, is located in southern Montana. This is one of the first Tripadvisor reviews on Under Canvas when it first opened in Yellowstone West in 2012. 00:49:48 For those who want to go down a rabbit hole on the 'tool of persuasion' - the 10-page pitch deck 00:54:51 For a little taste, here is a glossary of 90 Essential Venture Capital terms and how Venture Capitalists make decisions according to the Harvard Business Review. 00:01:12 Sign up to Sarah's newsletter on sarahhdusek.com or apply during the next round of funding through Enygma Ventures . 4 Time Stamps 00:00 Introduction to the AfricanOptimist Podcast 01:18 Sarah Dusek's Journey: From Zimbabwe to Montana 06:00 The Birth of Under Canvas 09:57 Challenges and Pivots in Entrepreneurship 20:16 Overcoming Doubts and Embracing Risks 29:24 The Tent Rental Business 33:10 Creating a Tented Hotel Experience 36:57 Overcoming Initial Challenges 37:48 Living Conditions and Staff Living Conditions 38:37 Realizing the Business Potential that Can Scale 41:14 Understanding Venture Capital 42:47 Shifting Mindsets and Building Value 49:56 The Importance of a Pitch Deck 54:44 Facing the VC World 01:02:02 Embracing Thoughtful Capitalism 01:05:41 Empowering Female Entrepreneurs 01:11:58 Conclusion 5 Transcript africanoptimist ep11 Sarah Dusek Transcript .pdf Download PDF • 140KB Back to top ^ More on Sarah Contact Sarah Dusek Enygma Ventures Few and Far Article The Power of Knowing What You Want Book

< Back to all guests #5 Hamza Chaham - on how SOWIT is bringing digital technology to African farmers and what it takes to get AI powered tools into the hands of smallholder farmers, the real hope for food security on the continent 18 February 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Moroccan Hamza Chaham is the young co-founder of SOWIT , an agritech company offering real-life data to farmers and key decision-makers along the agri value chain. The SOWIT tech platforms power mobile apps that provide farmers with actionable insights regarding their land, to help them efficiently manage their farms and optimize their productions. The company also provides data to help mitigate risk, manage investments, and influence performance. Chaham is pushing ‘precision agriculture’, farming based on actionable data that can reduce waste on inputs and increase yields through improved data-driven decision-making. The data is drawn from an array of AI powered 'tools' and offers data via subscriptions to mobile apps with a fee based on the amount of hectares under review. SOWIT also provides a bundle of services that go beyond the AI info delivered daily to farmer's phones via WhatsApp and voice messages, to include the credit orchestration and real-life support from agents trained in Agritech but living in the communities that are part of SOWIT's areas of operation. SOWIT’s overall mission relies on modelling tailored decision support tools to achieve the highest value in order to fit African farmers' needs and local conditions. SOWIT is currently incorporated in Morocco, France and Senegal. Notably, Hamza is co-author of the landmark report published by the African Union entitled “ Drones on the horizon: Transforming Africa’s Agriculture ”. The report forms the basis upon which the AU Executive Council issued the Decision EX. CL/Dec. 986-1007 (XXXII), recom mending all Member States harness the opportunities offered by drones for precision agriculture. In 2018, he was recognised as the Marshall German Fund and Policy Centre for the New South Emerging Leader. Chaham was also the former head of international development at AIRINOV. In 2006,Chaham enrolled at Lycée Lyautey au Maroc, where he pursued a Baccalauréat degree in scientific specialization in mathematics, which he completed in 2009. H amza completed this program in 2009. In 2012 Hamza enrolled at HEC Paris and pursued a degree in Grande Ecole, where he completed his studies in Management in 2016. During his time at HEC Paris, in 2013, Hamza participated in an exchange programme at the University of Texas in Austin, where he studied Business Administration. In 2015 he also took part in another exchange programme at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa where he focused on his Master of Business Administration (MBA). 2 Episode Description In this episode, we could have focused on the tech side of agriculture with agripreneur Hamza Chaham, because it is digital technology that is really turning agriculture into an exciting scientifically based business. And his company, SOWIT, is using AI powered tools like sensors and probes, trackers and drones, in their work with farmers, government and food producers to successfully help optimize yields. For Hamza, however, this is not where the hope for food security lies. Agritech involves powerful tools, but it is the farmer who ultimately needs to use them. And given that the majority of smallholder farmers grow their crops on a mere 12% of the worlds farmland, yet feed 80% of people in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, it is with these smallholder farmers, where tech can have the biggest impact in the future. But how to get this tech into the hands of farmers, who often are not digitally savvy and rely on traditional methods to grow their food? That is the focus of today’s insightful conversation with Hamza as he shares his journey to understanding that the farmer, is at the centre of the push for innovation and food security, not technology. 3 Show Notes [00:01:24] SOWIT - bridging the information gap across the agri value chain [00:01:50] ‘Frontier technologies for smallholder farmers', United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, November 2021 [00:05:29] ‘Parrot pulls plug on airinov’ , Future Farming, July 2019 [00:23:42] Social Media: 84% of Moroccans Use WhatsApp in 2021 (Survey) [00:24:34] The general adult literacy rate in Morocco was 77% in 2022 , compared to the estimated 40% literacy rate among Moroccan farmers. [00:31:40] World Bank - some interesting reading [00:31:42] IFC 4 Time Stamps [00:00:47] Podcast intro [00:02:24] Interview begins - About SOWIT [00:03:16] SOWIT’s intangible offer: information, not inputs and equipment [00:05:18] Increase in demand for data-driven agri info in the last 10 years [00:09:58] Daily problems that farmers face [00:11:58] How Hamza made the transition from being a drone tech man to farming [00:14:11] At which point Hamza realised he was going to focus on smaller farmers [00:16:02] What SOWIT does when it arrives on a farm [00:20:05] Reactions to the tech by farmers [00:21:46] How farmers interact with technology [00:25:01] SOWIT’s business model [00:28:59] SOWIT’s subscriptions and bundles [00:29:31] How does the subscription model work [00:31:29] Who is funding the whole bundle? [00:32:57] Long-term funding solution - de-risking farmers to bankers [00:34:59] How Hamza sees risk [00:38:04] Farmers within the value chain - how others in the value chain must share the burden of farmers if they want to benefit from their labour [00:42:33] Give an example of where SOWIT has had an impact [00:46:59] What difference has SOWIT made on the ground [00:50:10] What does the increase in knowledge do for the farmer [00:52:28] Where SOWIT operates in Africa [00:53:46] The challenge with scaling up and plans to head south [00:56:13] The low moments in Hamza’s entrepreneurial journey [00:57:40] Why people should be excited about what SOWIT is doing [00:58:37] What Hamza would tell people who say 'nobody wants to go into farming anymore’ [00:59:40] What are stereotypes or prejudices that people have about Morocco that Hamza wants to put to rest [01:01:48] Interview ends 5 Transcript FIN AfricanOptimist EP5 Hamza Chaham Transcript .pdf Download PDF • 189KB Back to top ^ More on Hamza Chaham and SOWIT: Publication (contributing research by Hamza Chaham) Drones on the hor izon, transforming Africa's Agriculture , AU & Nepad Videos by SOWIT SOWIT's YouTube channel Press coverage of SOWIT and Hamza Chaham Articles and videos

< Back to all guests #4 GG Alcock - how the informal economy can disrupt the formal economy, how humans are not dots and slashes and how we are incentivised to be successful not brave 04 February 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio GG Alcock provides advisory services on the inner workings of 'Kasinomics', a hybrid slang term for township economies ( kasi meaning township, short for lokasie ( Afrikaans for location ) and informal economies. He was the former CEO of the specialist marketing company Minanawe for over 20 years, which led mass marketing and mass activations in this informal space. He and his team used their combined street smarts and intimacy with township life and culture to create numerous campaigns that rolled out in these areas post-1994 - South Africa’s first year of democracy - before the company was sold to French multinational Publicis. GG’s services have been used by local and multi-national companies to help them gain a foothold in the untapped markets of townships, especially as these urban areas emerged from the economic constraints placed on black business owners during apartheid. His extensive experiences across various townships have been captured in his two books, Kasinomics and Kasinomic Revolution (both published by Johannesburg-based TraceyMcDonald Publishers ) and paint a picture of a vibrant, strategic and hard-working space that is often misunderstood by mainstream media and corporates trying to capture a broader market. He has been an activist, a shebeen owner and an entrepreneur a couple of times over, but it is his unique upbringing in a rural Zulu village that sets him apart from others in his field. By his own admission in his first book, Born White Zulu Bred , it is not so much the fact that he speaks Zulu fluently that allows him to access places closed to most white South Africans but that he grew up immersed in Zulu rural life and culture, providing him with a unique perspective afforded to few white South Africans at the time (and even now). ‘I grew up in deep poverty on the banks of the Tugela River. My home was a mud hut with no running water beyond the river that ran below the rocky terrace on which our hut was built. The river was our bath and our laundry. My brother and I were as barefoot and brown as the local Zulu kids and we grew up as Zulus.’ -GG Alcock in Kasinomics 2 Episode Description GG Alcock is not a new voice commenting on the South African economy, but is a voice that bears repeat hearing, as there are still many people, myself included, who do not know what is happening in these informal economies or if we do, understand how and why they tick as they do. As somebody who has a foot each in the informal and the formal economy, and because of his unique upbringing and ‘first-person’ understanding of Zulu culture, he is in a unique position to be a messenger on both, to both sides. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, and includes his thoughts on the misunderstood stigma of South Africa being the most unequal country in the world, what the biggest import - hair extensions! - tells us about our economy, why families from other countries seem to dominate the spaza sector, and how rich township business owners would rather go cashless and pay tax, than bear the risk of storing and carrying millions of rands, in cash. He focuses on why South Africans have reason to be optimistic about their country, how the many economic activities in the townships should be celebrated rather than misrepresented, and why he thinks the formal sector needs to watch out for the ‘revolution that is being unleashed’ by their informal counterparts. He ultimately invites you to remove the prejudices and stereotypes that keep being perpetuated about these informal spaces, to see a space that has the potential and power to liberate the South African economy as a whole - and across the continent, where similar informal spaces hold the same key. Although the term ‘Rainbow Nation’ has been mocked and cast aside as a fake construct, I still quote GG down below because I believe that this quote captures best where his heart lies. ‘This book is about the revolution taking place in this sector, about the unquantified scale and the power of this as an economic engine for countries - and most importantly, as a means of life and success for the majority of our low income populations.’ GG Alcock in Kasinomic Revolution . Elsewhere, in Kasinomics , he writes that: 'There is no glamour in poverty and the drive to escape the poverty I grew up in was a powerful incentive.' It is this upbringing that incentivises GG's interest in seeing the informal sector thrive. 3 Show Notes 00:07 The Matrix is a 1999 science fiction movie and depicts a dystopian future in which humanity is unknowingly trapped inside the Matrix, a simulated reality that intelligent machines have created to distract humans while using their bodies as an energy source. 01:04 Msinga lies about 3 hours inland from Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal Province of South Africa 01:11 Born White, Zulu Bred 01:15 Kasinomics & Kasinomic Revolution 04:00 Daily Maverick is a South African daily online publisher serving up a blend of news, investigations, expert political analysis, and opinion. Not usually associated with ignorant headlines. 04:09 Shoprite is the largest supermarket retailer in Africa, with over 150,000 employees operating in 3,326 stores across the continent. Read their timeline , watch an interview with 'Shoprite King' Whitey Basson or watch an interview with the author of the book 'The Rise and Rule of the Shoprite King' 04:15 Watch 'Good Business' , a documentary about Pick ’n Pay and its founder, Raymond Ackerman. Imdb movie description: 'A man's fight to build an ethical company in an unethical country. The true story of Raymond Ackerman's commitment to grow Pick 'n Pay retail chain, birthed during South Africa's apartheid regime and coming of age in the countries freedom.' Quite a description. 04:46 The Story behind Time's cover in Inequality in South Africa . 04:58 Page 29, Figure 8.1, in the 2021 SA General Household Survey shows that slightly more than eight-tenths (83,6%) of South African households lived in formal dwellings in 2021, followed by 11,7% in informal dwellings, and 4,2% in traditional dwellings. 05:22 Khayelitsha means 'New Home' in isiXhosa (one of South Africa's 12 official languages - it added sign language in 2023) and lies about 30 km outside of Cape Town. 05:32 Read Factfulness - Ten Reasons we are wrong about the world and why things are better than you think. " Factfulness: The stress-reducing habit of only carrying opinions for which you have strong supporting facts." 08:39 A Stokvel is a type of credit union in which a group of people enter into an agreement to contribute a fixed amount of money to a common pool weekly, fortnightly or monthly. This financial system is not unique to South Africa, and exists worldwide. They are also known as Chama in Swahili-speaking East Africa, Tandas in South America, Kameti in Pakistan, Partnerhand in the West Indies, Cundinas in Mexico, Ayuuto in Somalia, Hui in China, Gam’eya in the Middle East, Kye in South Korea, Tanomoshiko in Japan and Pandeiros in Brazil – to name but a few examples. 08:53 ‘Dis kak!’ Afrikaans (one of South Africa's 12 official languages) for ‘That’s bull@#$%^! You are talking rubbish.’ 09:13 StatsSA . 2021 General Household Survey - p.29 Figure 8.1 shows that slightly more than eight-tenths (83,6%) of South African households lived in formal dwellings in 2021, followed by 11,7% in informal dwellings, and 4,2% in traditional dwellings. 09:32 The Gift of the Givers Foundation is the largest disaster response non-governmental organisation of African origin on the African continent. 10:09 Had never heard of this before, am adding it to the reading list: Heineken in Africa 13:01 Spazas. Small convenience stores, often selling staples like bread, milk, cold drinks and cigarettes (staple?:) ), mostly run from homes. I looked for a good definition. Loved this one, from Bogosi Mothshegwa : Spaza Shop Lessons, Lesson #1 : 'Always squeeze the bread 🍞 at the bottom. And check the date if you must' , whose family ran one of these shops, which he likens to 'a mini Pick-n Pay, Checkers or Woolies'. ' It is as convenient as convenient can get. We sold everything, at the same time, there wasn’t everything to buy. It’s the craziest thing, if you desperately needed something, sometimes you wouldn’t find it, but again, you’d find anything and everything you needed.' The term spaza is from the isiZulu language, meaning hidden or camouflaged. Spaza shops are now legalized on the condition that they obtain a trading license in accordance with Business Act 71 of 1991 ) . South African spaza shop market bigger than Shoprite 13:23 The Nielsen Company is an information, data, and market measurement firm. New York based, it a ttempts to provide its clients with valuable insights into global consumer behavior and marketing information. 14:27 Kota - slang word derived from the 'quarter' loaf of white bread that serves as a delicious, carb-loaded, dense 'bowl' containing any number of various artery-clogging and fat-drenched fillings that make it the most satisfying cheap shareable fast food to come out of South Africa. 14:28 Shisanyamas - Follow Bloomberg's Shisa Nyama index for a real picture of the impact of South Africa's inflation. For those who dream of opening a shisanyama business, a first step: A guide to launching a shisanyama business in South Africa . 15:15 Mogodu Mondays 15:21 Tripe is made from the stomach lining of animals and is widely used as a source of low-cost protein. Look at the picture in the link and then understand why GG laughs at my face of, well, horror. I used to look all neutral about tripe, cos it's very uncool to say you don't like it, just like it's uncool to say you don't like oysters. But that phase has passed. 17:03 Fruit & Veg City (established in 1993 in Cape Town and now known as Food Lover's Market ) is a large retail supplier of fresh produce. 'At the heart of the business is a keen desire to be the best green grocers, butchers, cheesemonger and fishmongers'. From their website. 17:09 City Deep Fresh Produce market - now known as the Joburg Market - is the largest fresh produce market in Africa, measuring a total of 65 000m2. Trade takes place in three warehouse-like food hubs (the Fruit Hub, the Potato & Onion Hub and the Vegetable Hub) and four of the halls are populated by wholesalers who sell smaller quantities of the commodities traded at the market. 19:04 Vetkoek , also known as amagwinya, is deepfried bread that is crispy on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside. They were introduced to South Africa by the Dutch, though I really struggled to find any great info on its history. If you have any, please share! 19:05 Dombolo is steamed bread which can either be made as a loaf or as dumplings. Find the recipe in Dorah Sitole's 40 years of iconic foods . 21:25 ‘Carrying a Checkers’ - in the Dictionary of South African English : ' any plastic supermarket packet with handles', evolved over time because of the ubiquitous packets from Checkers, one of South Africa's largest retail stores. Talk about marketing for free! 21:33 Chappies - South Africa's iconic bubble gum made to outsell America's pink Wicks gum. 25:13 ‘Sissies’ - a derogatory slur for someone who is regarded as cowardly. Of British origin, in the mid-1800s. 25:23 Hearing Grasshoppers Jump - the Story of Raymond Ackerman . Raymond Ackerman is a South African retail icon because he turned Pick 'n Pay into one of South Africa's largest supermarket retailers after buying four stores from the founder in the 1960s. He came from a retailing family; his father Gus founded Ackermans clothing group after World War 1. The Ackermans retail group was later sold to competitor Greatermans, which started the supermarket group Checkers, now part of bigger rival Shoprite. It is at Greatermans where Ackerman started his career in retail, when he was also put in charge of launching the Checkers supermarkets. 28:06 Hawkers are informal traders, often of fruit and vegetables, but also of baked or cooked goods as well as snack foods. 'Don't treat hawkers as a nuisance, they feed the city's poor communities, cheaply and efficiently.' I couldn't believe when I saw that: Hawkers need a licence to operate in Johannesburg . 28:21 Baragwanath taxi rank is a busy taxi rank opposite the Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, Johannesburg. It is 1.4 km long and 50 m wide and has been accurately described as a 'mall without walls' due to the many hawkers that line the rank's road. 30:19 South Africa's 1998 Competition Act and the Competition Commission Rules 34:11 ZCC Church is one of the largest African initiated churches in Southern Africa and the second in Africa. It was founded by Bishop Engenas Barnabas Lekganyanein in 1910 and is known for its distinctive blend of Christian and traditional African religious practices. Lekganyane wanted to establish a Christian church that would accept the lifestyle, culture, political development, and history of Africa. Listen to some beautiful hymns on the official ZCC Youtube channel. 34:14 The Nazareth Baptist Church (Church of Shembe) religion is a combination of Zulu culture and Christianity that has been based on the old testament of the Bible. It is the second largest African initiated church in South Africa and was founded by Isaiah Shembe in 1911. Shortly after the church's founding, Shembe acquired the farm in KwaZulu-Natal that became his holy city of Ekuphakameni. He also established an annual pilgrimage to the sacred mountain of Nhlangakazi, 85km north of Durban. He was noted for his 'dramatic healings, vivid parables and uncanny insights into people's thoughts' . He composed music, wrote many moving hymns , and provided his followers with a rich liturgical tradition based on modified forms of traditional Zulu dancing. 39:13 Model C schools - former white schools in South Africa, that admitted students of all races under the guidance of their governing bodies. This category no longer exists. 40:44 Listen to Efosa Ojomo in AfricanOptimist Episode 1 . 42:05 Tolaram Group and their journey 42:24 Sandton Square, first built as a brutalist high rise building in 1973 and now known as Nelson Mandela Square, is a high-end shopping centre situated in the rich Johannesburg suburb of Sandton. It is marketed as the richest square mile in Africa due to the highest number of millionaires living in this area , as well as being the base for the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and most of South Africa's leading banks and law firms. The 2023 Wealthiest cities report revealed that Johannesburg, home to 6.2 million people, hosts 14,600 high net-worth individuals, thirty of them being dollar centi-millionaires and two are dollar-billionaires. 43:11 Kantar is a London-based and 'the world's leading marketing data and analytics business and an indispensable brand partner to the world’s top companies, including 96 of the world’s 100 biggest advertisers the world's.' 44:33 Snail soup or 'Ofe ejula,' is 'a highly revered delicacy among the Igbo people of Nigeria. Ofe Ejula is quite pricey in African restaurants because snails are hard to find.' 44:56 The history of instant noddles (there is even a museum about it! 46:00 Maggi is an international brand of seasonings, instant soups, and noodles that originated in Switzerland in the late 19th century through Swiss entrepreneur Julius Maggi. The Maggi company was acquired by Nestlé in 1947. 50:43 Unilever is a British multinational fast-moving consumer goods company founded in 1929 following the merger of British soap maker Lever Brothers and Dutch margarine producer Margarine Unie. It is headquartered in London, and employs 127,000 people across the world and represents over 400 brand names in 190 countries. As far back as 1883, the UK founder launched Sunlight Soap, a South African kitchen cleaning staple. Omo is Unilever's largest detergent brand and used extensively across Africa. 53:37 Harvard Business School interview with Nando's co-founder Rob Brozin about Nando's. 54:21 Michael House is a private senior school for boys founded in 1896 by the Anglican Church in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. 57:18 Tiger Brands is a South African packaged goods company and one of South Africa's oldest ongoing businesses, having started in Newtown, Johannesburg, in 1921. It has produced some of South Africa's most consumed brands, including Jungle Oats, Mrs Ball's Chutney, All Gold Tomato Sauce and Black Cat Peanut Butter. In addition to the company's South African operations, Tiger Brands has direct and indirect interests in international food businesses in Chile, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Nigeria, Kenya, Lesotho and Cameroon. Corporates move into township economy . 59:45 Value-added tax (VAT) is collected on a product at every stage of the supply chain where value is added to it, from production to point of sale. Currently stands at 15% in South Africa. 01:00:48 Shop2Shop is a South African company founded in 2017 ' Providing informal business owners with better working capital solutions that create opportunities to run a safer and more profitable business. 01:00:49 The Flash Group is 'a South African fintech that strives to make people's lives easier by using technology'. 01:00:50 Kazang 'makes it safe and easy for spaza shops and informal traders to sell prepaid airtime, data, electricity and other services from their devices or the Kazan mobile app. 01:01:31 Selpal - a South African FinTech company that operates specifically in the township and informal economy, or the “Unseen Economy”. 01:02:47 Capitec - Harvard Business Review on ' How Capitec Became South Africa's biggest Bank '. 01:02:48 Standard Bank was established in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in 1862, then known as The Standard Bank of British South Africa. It started doing business in a tent in Johannesburg, then known as Ferreira's Camp, in 1886, when it became the first bank to open a branch on the Witwatersrand gold fields. 01:02:50 Yoko is a South African fintech start-up offering solutions designed specifically for small business. ' In South Africa, 70% of the adult population use bank cards as their primary form of financial transaction, yet at the same time, fewer than 20% of small businesses are set up with the hardware and technology to accept cards as a form of payment.' 01:04:11 The Unemployment Insurance Fund (UIF) in South Africa gives short-term relief to workers when they become unemployed or are unable to work because of maternity, adoption and parental leave, or illness. It also provides relief to the dependants of a deceased contributor. Pay as you earn (PAYE) or Employees’ Tax refers to the tax required to be deducted by an employer from an employee’s remuneration paid or payable. 01:04:21 ' Business registration in Rwanda typically takes a maximum of 3 days if all the required documentation and information are provided accurately and in a timely manner.' Ease of setting up business in South Africa . 01:04:31 The Companies and Intellectual Properties Commission (CIPC) does registration of companies, co-operatives and intellectual property rights (trademarks, patents, designs and copyright) and maintenance thereof. 4 Time Stamps 01:47 Challenging pessimism: A different perspective on South Africa's economy 02:33 Misconceptions of inequality and unemployment in South Africa 05:39 About perspective: understanding media bias and historical bias 07:29 Examples from township economies 09:56 The Informal Economy: A closer Look at the success stories 12:41 Understanding the consumer: The key to success in the informal economy 12:57 The evolution and success of the spaza sector 28:01 Cooperative competition and an intimate understanding of your customer key in the informal sector 33:09 ‘Counter-Revolutionaries’: the cost of ignoring the township market 34:18 The power of township youth 34:52 Palesa - success of a young township entrepreneur 35:33 ‘Bluetooth’ in township schools - good business 36:23 Misconceptions about township youth 37:45 The success story of a township hair salon owner 38:15 Difficulties in changing stereotypes 40:43 The success of Indomie noodles in Nigeria 41:08 Successful campaign of launching Parmalat cheese slices into townships 49:31 How black business owners struggle to get loans for their business, but not cars 58:08 The importance of recognising the informal economy; ignore at your own peril 01:04:43 The future of the informal economy 01:08:09 The revolution in the informal economy 01:10:06 The importance of financial and legislative support to the informal economy 01:10:11 Conclusion: the power of opening your eyes 5 Episode Transcript AfricanOptimist EP4 GG Alcock .pdf Download PDF • 163KB Back to top ^ Article Lucrative informal economies in our midst , Heather Dugmore GG Alcock, Author & Businessman , the Legacy Project Video The Township Economy. 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< Back to all guests #14 Lita Miti-Qamata - From Local to Global: How African Entrepreneurs and Creatives Can Protect Their Ideas and Commercialise them 4 August 2025 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 GUEST BIO Lita Miti-Qamata is a Partner and IP lawyer at Adams and Adams, one of Africa's leading law firms. Based in Johannesburg, she's been practicing since 2010 after earning her LLB from the University of the Western Cape. Lita specializes in helping brands navigate the complex world of intellectual property across Africa. Her work spans trademark litigation and prosecution, brand commercialization, domain name disputes and the increasingly important areas of internet and social media law. She regularly advises multinational companies in fashion, technology, and energy on protecting and enforcing their brands throughout the continent. Beyond her corporate work, Lita is deeply committed to making IP accessible to smaller businesses through pro bono projects and educational initiatives. In 2025, she joined the board of Lawyers for the Arts, South Africa, furthering her mission to support creative entrepreneurs. Her client roster includes some remarkable success stories. She's been the legal counsel for fashion designer Thebe Magugu since he won the prestigious Louis Vuitton Prize for young designers in 2019. In 2023, their professional relationship took an unexpected turn when Thebe asked Lita to model one of nine dresses in his Heritage Collection for British Vogue—each dress celebrating a different South African culture through the 'Mother and Child' motif. Adams and Adams was founded in Pretoria in 1908 by Harry Adams, the son of English missionaries, the firm has grown from its humble beginnings to become a continental powerhouse. Today, it operates 23 associate offices across Africa, with intellectual property as its flagship practice alongside dispute resolution, commercial, and real estate law. 2 EPISODE DESCRIPTION Two years ago, Mita stood up at an IP workshop in Johannesburg, pulled out a Coke can, and made intellectual property law make sense to me for the first time. ‘Everything you need to know about IP is right here on this can,’ she said, and then delivered the clearest explanation of trademark law probably everyone in that room had ever heard. I knew right then I had to get her on the podcast. Here's something that might surprise you: while ‘protect your IP’ has become a rallying cry among African entrepreneurs and business owners, African brands account for just 2% of the world's 11.6 million trademark filings. There's clearly a gap between knowing we should protect our intellectual property and actually doing it. In this conversation, IP lawyer Lita Miti-Qamata from Adams and Adams walks us through why that Coke can holds the key to understanding intellectual property protection. She explains why Coca-Cola's CEO would grab the company's trademark certificates before anything else if their building was on fire, and tells us how bizarre it can get - somebody actually managed to trademark the smell of freshly cut grass. This is the first episode in our IP series. Lita breaks down the five types of intellectual property you can protect, then takes us deep into trademarks: what they are, how to apply for them, how to think strategically about international protection, and why having a long-term IP strategy isn't just legal housekeeping—it's essential for building real wealth over time from your ideas. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by intellectual property law or wondered whether it's worth the effort, this conversation will change how you think about protecting the intangible assets that could—and should—become your most valuable business assets. 3 SHOW NOTES 00:51 Thebe Ikalafeng is the founder of the Brand Leadership Group (a multi-disciplinary branding advisory group at the intersection of strategy, creativity and intellectual property law) and Brand Africa (a non-profit pan-African movement for a brand-led African agenda). He also pioneered the ‘ Brand Africa 100: Africa’s Best Brands’ initiative, widely referenced as the definitive barometer of brands in Africa. Listen to him on AfricanOptimist episode 12 . 00:58 Africa accounts for a small portion of the global trademarks , representing only 1.9% of the world’s 11.6 million trademark filings. In 2023, Asia led with 66.7%, followed by Europe with 17.2%, Latin America and the Caribbean with 7.1% and Northern America at 5.8%. 02:05 Adams & Adams is 'Africa’s largest intellectual property law firm with an award-winning commercial, real estate and dispute resolution law practice. They are 'a gateway to African markets, with a network of over 200 legal professionals working in four major cities in South Africa and 23 associate offices across Africa.’ 02:09 Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions, literary and artistic works, designs and symbols, names and images used in commerce. IP is protected in law by, for example, patents , copyright and trademarks , which enable people to earn recognition or financial benefit from what they invent or create. By striking the right balance between the interests of innovators and the wider public interest, the IP system aims to foster an environment in which creativity and innovation can flourish. 02:46 The workshop was held on 12 June 2024, organised by Lawyers for Arts South Africa (LASA), and hosted by Bowmans with the support of Adams & Adams. (I am peaking out at the back right.) 05:35 The Coca-Cola trademark is a multifaceted legal protection for the company's brand elements. It includes the iconic Spencerian script logo, the distinctive bottle shape, and other visual and verbal trademarks. The company has been diligent in protecting its trademarks, engaging in legal battles to prevent infringement and maintain brand integrity. 06:26 The red on the soles of Christian Louboutin shoes were inspired by his assistant painting her fingernails red while he was reviewing prototypes in his Paris workshop. 06:38 In 1999, the first Community Mark for a smell was granted to Vennootschap onder Firma Senta Aromatic Marketing of Holland. It registered ‘the smell of cut grass’ for tennis balls (though the trademark seems to have expired). And for those interested in all things tennis, there is more IP in a game of tennis than first meets the eye. 07:38 Trade secrets are intellectual property (IP) rights on confidential information which may be sold or licensed. Trade secrets encompass both technical information, such as information concerning manufacturing processes, pharmaceutical test data, designs and drawings of computer programmes, and commercial information, such as distribution methods, list of suppliers and clients, and advertising strategies. 09:16 A patent is a form of intellectual property that grants an inventor exclusive rights to their invention, typically for a limited period, in exchange for publicly disclosing the invention. The patent holder has the right to exclude others from making, using, selling or importing the invention without permission. In essence, a patent provides legal protection for new and useful inventions, encouraging innovation and technological advancement. In South Africa, ‘individuals may file their own provisional patent applications. It is however, advisable for applicants to seek the assistance of the patent attorneys. If a provisional patent application is filed, the strength and scope of protection ultimately obtained will depend on the wording and content of the description of the invention.’ For an invention to be patentable, it must meet the following criteria : it must be novel (new and confidential), must have an inventive step and must be capable of being used or applied in trade, industry or agriculture. 09:58 The design of a product is often as important as the product itself. ‘ Design registration is an area that is often underestimated and ignored by local designers. Registering a design obtains strong statutory protection for a period of up to 15 years. This protection grants exclusive rights for the designer to manufacture, import and/or use the design and prevents others from doing so. There are two types of design which can be registered in South African: aesthetic and functional designs.’ 14:06 ‘ Copyright is a property right to a work that has been created and exists in material form, such as a song or film. The principle of any kind of property is that the owner may use it as they wish, and that nobody else can lawfully use it without the owner’s authorisation. Copyright protection affords the copyright owner certain exclusive rights which enable the copyright owner to exploit the copyright work for financial gain and to stop unauthorised exploitation by third parties.’ 19:17 Vetkoek is a traditional South African fried dough bread. It is similar to the Caribbean Johnny cake, the Dutch oliebol, and the Mexican sopaipillas. It is also known by the Xhosa and Zulu name igwinya. The word vetkoek literally means 'fat cake' in Afrikaans and has its roots deeply embedded in South African history. Try this vetkoek recipe ! 19:24 Sandton is known as Africa’s wealthiest square mile, and is considered the financial centre of Johannesburg. The suburb of Sandton was established in 1969 when Sandton (a combination of the two suburbs Sandown and Bryanston) was promulgated as a municipality in its own right. However, it lost its status as an independent town after the re-organisation of South African local governments when Apartheid ended. It is the home to the largest stock exchange in Africa and is home to numerous corporate headquarters. 19:29 Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is often referred to as ‘The Mother City’ by locals and boasts some of the most stunning natural beauty to be found anywhere on the globe. 21:04 A title deed is a legal document that serves as proof of ownership for a property. It's the official record that confirms who owns the land or house and includes details like the property's description, owner's information and any restrictions. It's essential for buying, selling or transferring property and is kept by the Deeds Office, or by a financial institution until a mortgage or bond is fully paid off. 22:25 Adams and Adams is a law firm founded in Pretoria, South Africa, in 1908. 26:36 The CIPC , the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission, is an agency of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in South Africa. 29:26 The Nice Classification is an international system used to categorize goods and services for trademark registration purposes. It divides goods into 34 classes and services into 11 classes, totaling 45 classes. This system, established by the Nice Agreement, ensures consistency in trademark applications and helps streamline the registration process across different countries. 37:02 The ‘first to file’ rule in trademark law means that the person or entity who files a trademark application first, regardless of whether they were using the mark before others, generally has priority in obtaining trademark rights. This contrasts with the ‘first to use’ system, where priority is based on who was first to actually use the mark in commerce. In South Africa, first-to-use is generally superior to first-to-file; however, it is easier for owners to enforce registered trademarks than their common law equivalent, as trademark registration is prima facie proof of national ownership and validity. Ownership of a trademark is established on a first-to-use basis. Registration is not mandatory to establish rights. Owners of unregistered trademarks may rely on common law rights, acquired through use, to challenge later applications for registration. 38:30 OAPI is the Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle, a union of 17 predominantly French-speaking countries which was formed when the former Libreville Accord (concluded in 1962 by 12 countries) was revised in Bangui in 1977 and the Bangui Agreement was concluded. The Accords of Libreville and Bangui established common intellectual property laws and a single Intellectual Property Office, situated at Yaoundé, Cameroon, to have effect in all member countries. View map of IP requirements across Africa. 38:42 A Community Trademark, now known as a European Union trademark (EUTM), is a single trademark registration that provides protection across all 27 member states of the European Union. It's a way to secure trademark rights throughout the EU with a single application, rather than needing to register in each country individually. 39:53 WIPO stands for the World Intellectual Property Organization. It is a specialized agency of the United Nations that works to promote the protection of intellectual property (IP) rights worldwide. WIPO fosters international cooperation on IP matters, provides services to creators and innovators, and acts as a forum for addressing cutting-edge IP issues. The Madrid Protocol is an international treaty that streamlines the process of registering trademarks in multiple countries. It allows trademark owners to file a single application, in one language, and pay a single set of fees to potentially cover over 100 member countries. This system, administered by WIPO, aims to simplify and reduce the cost of international trademark registration. 44:55 Thebe Magugu featured Lita Miti-Qamata in his ‘Heritage Dresses’ campaign , which celebrates South African cultures through a "Mother & Child" motif. The campaign, specifically the Vatsonga Heritage Dress, portrays women as totem poles carrying objects on their heads, inspired by Magugu's own family and African women. Lita Miti-Qamata was one of the muses chosen by Magugu for this campaign, alongside other notable women in various fields. 45:08 Thebe Magugu is a young fashion designer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Originally from the small town of Kimberley, he moved to Johannesburg to study fashion design, fashion photography and fashion media from LISOF. After winning best graduate collection, he interned and worked for a selection of designers fashion institutions and retailers. After two years, he began his namesake label, THEBE MAGUGU - a South African fashion brand primarily operating within the field of women’s ready to wear. 45:31 Thebe Magugu won the LVMH prize in 2019. 47:14 Lindiwe Mazibuko was born in Eswatini and grew up in KwaZulu-Natal. She was the Democratic Alliance party's first black parliamentary leader and South Africa's first black Leader of the Opposition. In 2014 she resigned from active politics to return to higher education. Nadia Nakai is a Zimbabwean-South African rapper who burst onto the music scene in the early 2000s. She appeared on South Africa’s e.tv’s hip-hop show, Shiz Niz, and became the first female rapper to win the show’s Mixtape 101 competition. Sithembile Xola Pearl Thusi is a renowned South African actress, model, television host, and radio personality. She gained international recognition for her role as Dayana Mampasi in the ABC thriller series Quantico and starred as the lead in Netflix's first African original series, Queen Sono. Thusi's acting credits also include The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, Tremors 5: Bloodlines, Catching Feelings, Kalushi, and Fistful of Vengeance. In 2020, she became the first African collaborator with international cosmetics giant MAC, releasing two limited-edition makeup kits. She also co-owns the Black Pearl haircare line with Afrobotanics and holds ownership in Black Rose Gin. To date she has 4.9 million followers on Instagram. Zandile Tshabalala is a Soweto born fine art painter who graduated with a BA(FINA) degree at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2022. In her work, she uses acrylic to depict narratives around the inclusion of black women within the art canon and was primarily influenced by the lack of or displacement of black women within nineteenth century Western art. Her works have been seen in exhibitions in South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Great Britain, Germany and the United States. 47:56 Africa Fashion International is a Marketing, Retail and Development Platform for African Luxury Fashion. It was founded in 2007 by Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe , a long-standing member of the Harvard Kennedy School and the World Economic Forum, with the aim of promoting refined African fashion brands on the global stage. 51:14 Ndebele designs are vibrant, geometric patterns traditionally painted on the exterior walls of homes by Ndebele women in South Africa. These designs, characterized by bold colors and black outlines, are more than just decoration; they are a form of cultural expression, carrying symbolic meanings related to Ndebele life, including marriage, coming of age, and status. 51:53 The actual phrase cultural appropriation first appeared in print in 1945 and is attributed to the late professor Arthur E. Christy. And it's been a topic of very heated debate ever since. 52:32 In Zulu, ‘Bayede' is a royal salute, meaning ‘Hail the King!’ or ‘All hail the King!’. It's a term of respect and honour specifically used when addressing the Zulu monarch. The term is also used to honour other prominent individuals or high officials. Bayede is also the brand name of a South African wine founded by Antoinette Vermooten and launched in 2009. 54:04 What’s a ‘Covfefe’? Trump Tweet Unites a Bewildered Nation 55:21 A bunny chow is a South African street food consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of bread filled with flavorful curry. It typically features Durban-style curry, which can be made with lamb, chicken, or vegetables. The bread acts as both a container and a utensil for scooping up the delicious curry. 57:19 The term ‘ escalator ' was originally trademarked by the Otis Elevator Company as their brand name for their moving staircases. However, due to widespread adoption and generic use by other companies and the public, it lost its trademark status and became a generic term for any moving staircase. This resulted in Otis losing the opportunity to exclusively own the term and its associated brand recognition. 58:44 Listen to episode 12 of the AfricanOptimist with Thebe Ikalafeng 58:51 2% of brand s that are trademarked come from Africa 4 TIME STAMPS 00:00 – Introduction 00:26 – What is Intellectual Property (IP)? 00:53 – Africa's share of registered trademarks 01:15 – Guest Introduction: Lita Miti-Qamata 02:40 – Workshop for creatives and IP 05:25 – The Five Types of Intellectual Property 08:51 – Trademarks vs. Brands 11:17 – Copyright explained 12:21 – Trade secrets and confidential information 14:43 – Patents and designs 16:45 – How long does IP protection last? 19:31 – Registering and protecting your trademark 22:00 – The value of a registered trademark 25:20 – Trademarks as business assets 27:55 – Enforcing your rights without registration 31:20 – How to start the trademark application process 34:20 – Choosing the right owner for your trademark 36:13 – What can be trademarked? 38:20 – The Nice Classification system 41:00 – Prioritizing what to protect 44:09 – Staggering protection as your business grows 47:08 – Trademark ownership and rights 50:59 – Registering in other countries and regions 54:02 – WIPO and international registration 57:36 – First to file vs. first to use 01:00:14 – Working with Thebe Magugu (fashion designer) 01:08:26 – Cultural appropriation and IP 01:13:48 – Can you trademark common terms? 01:17:12 – What fails to get registered? 01:21:25 – The state of trademark registration in Africa 01:24:48 – Closing remarks and where to find more information 5 TRANSCRIPT AfricanOptimist ep14 Lita Miti-Qamata Transcript .pdf Download PDF • 151KB Back to top ^

< Back to all guests #10 Gus Le Breton - on influencing EU law, the challenges of processing wild-harvested fruit, the future power of baobab harvesters and the need for ‘courage, my son’ 18 June 2024 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Gus Le Breton, widely known as the African Plant Hunter , is a distinguished botanist, entrepreneur and conservationist specializing in the diverse flora of Africa. With a deep passion for indigenous plants, Gus has spent decades exploring and documenting Africa's rich botanical heritage, focusing particularly on the medicinal and nutritional properties of native species. As the Board Chair of the African Baobab Alliance, Gus Le Breton leads initiatives to promote and protect the iconic baobab tree, known for its extraordinary health benefits and ecological importance. Under his leadership, the Alliance fosters sustainable harvesting practices, supports local communities, and drives international awareness and market development for baobab products. He is also on the board of Trustees of the FairWild Foundation , responsible for the the FairWild Standard . The standard ‘has 7 Principles and 24 Criteria addressing three themes: the ecological, socio-cultural and business requirements for sustainable wild collection’. Gus' extensive knowledge and commitment to sustainable development have earned him recognition as a leading voice in the conservation of African plant life. Through his work, he continues to champion the economic potential of indigenous plants, aiming to create sustainable livelihoods while preserving Africa's natural biodiversity. 2 Episode Description It is hard not to think of the Greek myth of Sisyphus when you listen to Gus Le Breton tell the unfolding story of the production and sale of the African indigenous baobab fruit. Much like the Greek king Sisyphus who was condemned by the Greek god Zeus to keep rolling a stone up a hill only to see it roll back down again when he reaches the top, Gus seems to face a new challenge just as he deals with an old one in this telling of his baobab tale. At face value, this episode seems like an entrepreneur’s story of how to create and export an indigenous food. But it is so much more than that. It is the open account of the struggles and successes of an almost 30-year journey to make the unique African baobabs (a keystone species of the planet) economically viable, in the hope that this can reduce poverty for its wild harvesters and lead to the long-term preservation of this ancient resource. It is also a masterclass in the details of what it takes to get to market, influence legislation and create demand for what nature has to offer, but many take for granted. And unlike Sisyphus, Gus did manage to successfully push some big boulders over the hill, and also loves his work and does not see it as punishment, but his cautionary tale still holds. Perseverance is key. A note on Sisyphus In 1942 French writer Albert Camus used the myth of Sisyphus in his book with the same name ‘Le Mythe de Sisyphe’ to illustrate how absurd and meaningless life is. In it he marvels how futile the human need is to find meaning in one’s life, given the ‘unreasonable silence’ of the universe in response. In a surprising twist however, Camus ends on an optimistic note, as satisfaction can be found in the task itself, and not in a short-term outcome. ‘The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man's heart.’ Camus writes. ‘One must imagine Sisyphus happy.’ 3 Show Notes 00:00:53 Giants of Africa - The Little Big Baobab Book by Dr Sarah Venter 00:01:07 ‘The Panke Baobab in Zimbabwe , which had a circumference of 25.5 m (83 ft 7.9 in) and had nearly 400 m3 (14,126 cu ft) of wood and bark, was at least 2,450 (±40) years old when it collapsed and died in 2011. This not only makes it the oldest hardwood tree to be accurately measured but also the oldest known angiosperm (flowering plant).’ 00:01:16 A guide to South Africa's biggest baobabs: The quest for quiet giants . 00:01:27 The Legend of the Upside-down Tree 00:01:35 A Savannah is a grassy plain in tropical and subtropical regions, with few trees 00:01:46 The three-minute guide to the Boabab fruit 00:02:07 About Gus Le Breton 00:02:30 The African Plant Hunter Youtube channel 00:04:38 Traditional uses and local perspectives on baobab (Adansonia digitata) population structure by selected ethnic groups in northern Namibia and some modern uses 00:13:06 Beauty in Baobab: a pilot study of the safety and efficacy of Adansonia digitata seed oil 00:14:44 Safire is the Southern Alliance for Indigenous Resources 00:15:46 'On behalf of this network, the French NGO CRIAA (later Phytotrade) commissioned specialist research into the properties of the oil. Through this process, MDA was alerted to the potentially high commercial value of marula oil as a cosmetic oil, giving scientific weight to the marketing claims regarding marula’s magical properties, also highlighting commercial potential in the pharmaceutical and food industries. This included the fact that the marula fruit contains up to four times the Vitamin C of oranges, and the oil has a range of properties that make it attractive to the cosmetics industry: Marula oil is naturally processed. This high-stability lipid is under research and development for the natural products and cosmetic sector.' in 'Bridging the Gap: A Strategy for the Commercialisation of Marula Products from the Wild: Creating Incomes for the Rural Poor’ , 2001 00:16:23 Southern African Marula Oil Producers Network - no online presence found for the network, but they features in this interesting presentation: 1st Regional Workshop on Marula Sector Development , November 2019, by Cyril Lombard. Also worth a read; there's lots to learn in this pdf: ’ Catalysing Market Development ’ chapter 9 00:16:35 Marula Natural Products 00:16:53 Body Shop make-up made with marula oil 00:17:41 The Gods Must Be Crazy is a film by South African director Jamie Uys (1921-1996) that came under fire for its stereotypical portrayal of ‘Bushmen’, now referred to as San. In the film, a pilot carelessly throws a Coke glass bottle out the window, and it lands in the middle of a community of San in the Kalahari desert of Botswana. What unfolds is the effect that the one and only Coke bottle, symbolic for throwaway consumption culture, has on this nomadic community, depicted in the film as a group without any violence, crime, punishment or ownership. Read interviews with the director about the 1984 here and here to make up your own mind about some of the criticisms of the movie at the time. 00:21:35 EU Novel Foods Regulatory Framework . Also quite interesting, a short comparison of food regulations around the world . And, some European companies planning to launch in the US or Singapore before EU , because the approval process is quicker and more efficient. 00:21:55 A GMO , or genetically modified organism , is a living plant, animal or microorganism that has been subjected to biotechnology. GMO developers use biotechnology to alter that living organism's fundamental characteristics. Biotechnology includes techniques such as using synthetic genetic sequences to change the organism's genetic material (i.e. DNA or RNA), or forcing the combination of very unrelated organisms that would not normally reproduce in nature. 00:26:06 Phytotrade Africa 's aim is to create social and economic value through the sustainable use and conservation of southern African plant biodiversity. 00:26:45 The European Food Safety Authority is an agency of the European Union set up in 2002 to serve as an impartial source of scientific advice to risk managers and to communicate on risks associated with the food chain. We cooperate with interested parties to promote the coherence of EU scientific advice. We provide the scientific basis for laws and regulations to protect European consumers from food-related risks – from farm to fork.’ 00:28:52 The European Food Safety Authority introduced a separate category of Novel Foods based on a traditional food 00:31:36 Wild harvested means the gathering of plants that have grown without human intervention. These ingredients are found in the wild, often in their native origin. Without resources like temperature control, fertilizers and pesticides, wild grown plants must use their own defences for survival. Read: WILD CHECK - assessing the risks and opportunities of trade in wild plant ingredients, 2022 FAO report . ‘Thousands of consumer products around the world contain ingredients obtained from wild plants. Wild harvest accounts for some or all of the harvest of the majority of plant species in trade (between 60-90 percent). Wild-harvested plants often come from the most biodiverse ecosystems on Earth and many have been used traditionally or by local communities for generations. While these products have global markets and provide critical sources of income, they can also have deep ties to particular cultures and places.’ (Opening of Executive Summary) 00:32:42 The Fair Wild Foundation’s mission is 'to enable transformation of natural resource management and business practices to be ecologically, socially and economically sustainable throughout the value chains of wild-collected products. Our vision is a fair and wild world where biodiversity is conserved through sustainable harvesting; collectors, workers, and their communities are respected and treated fairly; and resilient businesses participate in responsible value chains'. Excerpt from the 2023 report on Fair Wild Standard.' Read the 2023 updated Fair Wild Standard . 00:34:12 ‘So you want to be a baobab processor?’ Part 1: Understanding Your Market ; Part 2: Powder Processing ; Part 3: Oil Processing 00:40:44 African Baobab Alliance 00:41:17 Emerging research on the benefits of baobab 00:45:14 Amarula is a cream liqueur made from the marula fruit, and is sold in over 100 countries in the world. 00:48:26 Whitley Neill Whitley Neill Gin is a premium gin brand crafted in small batches using a combination of traditional and exotic botanicals, including juniper, coriander seed, angelica root, cassia bark, orris root, and citrus peel, along with less common botanicals such as cape gooseberries and baobab fruit. One of the distinctive features of Whitley Neill Gin is its African-inspired botanicals. 00:51:48 The Acai palm is a species of palm tree cultivated for its fruit (acai berries), hearts of plam (a vegetable), leaves and trunk wood. 00:52:36 Check out ‘Revitalise’ , which uses baobab puree in this smoothie 00:53:02 Look out fo this baobab Twinings superblend tea 00:53:38 'Baobab (Adansonia digitata L., Malvaceae) is a multi-purpose tree species native to Africa. Its fruit pulp of the African baobab has very high vitamin C content, fifteen times that of orange, and can be used in seasoning, as an appetizer and to make juices. Seeds contain appreciable quantities of crude protein, digestible carbohydrates and oil, whereas they have high levels of lysine, thiamine, Ca and Fe. They can be eaten fresh or dried, ground into flour and thus added to soups and stews. Processing eliminates a number of anti-nutritional factors present in the seed. Also, watch: Baobab’s superfruit, Africa’s gift to you 00:54:38 The science of superfoods: Really beneficial, or just marketing? 01:04:12 Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. It entered into force on 12 October 2014. Access and benefit-sharing (ABS) refers to the way in which genetic resources may be accessed, and how the benefits that result from their use are shared between the people or countries using the resources (users) and the people or countries that provide them (providers). 01:09:38 The African Baobab Alliance 4 Time Stamps 00:00 Introduction to Baobab and Initial Reactions 00:38 Welcome to the African Optimist Podcast 00:51 The Baobab Tree: A Natural Marvel 02:06 Gus le Breton: The African Plant Hunter 03:52 Challenges in Commercializing Baobab 05:23 Early Efforts and Setbacks 07:11 The Struggle with Industrial Agriculture 10:31 The Journey to Market Baobab 20:16 Navigating Regulatory Hurdles 31:46 The Importance of Wild Harvesting 34:04 Processing Baobab: Challenges and Solutions 38:36 Challenges of Traditional Baobab Processing 39:43 Ensuring Quality and Standardization 40:35 Formation of the African Baobab Alliance 42:11 Collaboration vs. Competition 44:11 Creating Demand for Baobab 48:14 Marketing Challenges and Success Stories 54:37 The Superfood Debate 57:13 Importance of Research and Consumer Awareness 59:25 Fair Trade and Value Distribution 01:07:29 Future Prospects and Investor Insights 01:08:38 Final Thoughts and Encouragement 5 Transcript AfricanOptimist ep10 Gus le Breton .pdf Download PDF • 141KB Back to top ^ More on Gus Le Breton Website The African Plant Hunter Business Gus is the Founding Partner of B'Ayoba , the only baobab producer in Africa to be Fair Wild -certified. He is also the Founding Partner of Katavi Botanicals , KAZA Natural Oils , Hutano Foods , River Brewing Co , Victoria Falls Distilling Co . Videos The African Plant Hunter Youtube channel ‘So you want to be a baobab processor?’: Part 1: Understanding Your Market Part 2: Powder Processing Part 3: Oil Processing Other Articles Director's Report on the Wild Plants Dialogue , African Wildlife Economy Institute, 2022 Bridging the Gap: Phytotrade Africa's experience of the Certification of Natural Products , by Welford and Le Breton, Forests, Trees and Livelihood s, 2012 Africa’s “forgotten” food crops key to support climate-resilient, healthy and profitable food systems , Food Ingredients Food, 2023 Baobab trees all come from Madagascar – new study reveals that their seeds and seedlings floated to mainland Africa and all the way to Australia , The Conversation , June 2024 How We Made it In Africa This episode is featured on the online business publication How We Made it In Africa . Read all about it here .

< Back to all guests #15 Melusi Mhlungu - What do a Creative Optimist and a South African Optimist have to do with the City of Jozi? 11 April 2026 FIND BELOW 1 Guest Bio 2 Episode Description 3 Show Notes 4 Time Stamps 5 Transcript 1 Guest Bio Melusi Mhlungu is an award-winning creative with a career spanning global agencies such as David Miami, Ogilvy Chicago, and Johannes Leonardo in New York, where he spent seven years honing his craft. His work has earned recognition at Cannes Lions, The One Show, D&AD, Clios, Sport Clios, and the Loeries, where he was named the 2016 Young Creative. Over the years, Melusi has brought bold ideas to life for leading brands including Vodacom, Toyota, Old Mutual, FNB, DStv, KFC, Cadbury, Coca-Cola, Budweiser, Burger King, Nando’s, NBA, Goodbye Malaria, Adidas, Uber, and Instagram. He is now the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of We Are Bizarre , and a founding partner of Jozi My Jozi , a movement dedicated to making a meaningful difference in the lives of the people of Jozi. 2 Episode Description After a long break, I am cranking up the AfricanOptimist podcast again. I have spent the last while working on the ‘economic engine’ (thanks coach Karl Gostner!) behind the podcast, my business ‘StoryBanking’. But I have missed the people who are shaking things up all around us, so am back with the headphones, recording and listening to some pretty amazing stories. I waited quite a while for this first interview. The aim was to start with something that involves something bigger being built than a business or service. Something that could set the tone for the rest of the interviews going forward, based on community and a fighting spirit. When I stumbled upon JoziMyJozi , I knew I had found it. A movement ‘of the people’, with a vision to fix something that many had abandoned as ‘broken’. And a relationship between two men, that gave birth to it. In this episode, founding partner Melusi Mhlungu describes the moment on Constitution Hill when the seeds were sewn for the creation of JoziMyJozi as a brand that nobody owns. He shares a love letter to his home town Johannesburg that inspired the branding of JoziMyJozi , and why the movement took a decision to ‘start with the actions’ (not brag about what they were intending to do, but to just ‘get shit done’). He explains why patience is the superpower of the motley crew of JoziMyJozi doers, and how when they got a no, they just carry on, not waiting to get a yes. The episode is infused with Melusi’s infectious and enduring optimism, about life, South Africa’s youth (‘people who are not stuck in the reality of now’) and ultimately, South Africa’s City of Gold. If you feel down about Joburg, and the world in general, this episode is for you. People here can ‘geshido’!™ 3 Show Notes 02:05 Soweto was established in 1904 as a ‘ghetto’ for black people, moving people away from Johannesburg’s city centre after the bubonic plague had broken out in the town centre, in an area known as Brickfields. Once the brick makers had been removed 25km south, to Klipspruit, the area was fenced and razed to the ground. With the creation of Klipspruit, Soweto was born. And it is in Klipspruit where South Africa’s Bill of Rights has its roots. In 1955, several thousand people from around the country gathered to ratify the ANC’s Freedom Charter , a document setting out the ordinary aspirations of black South Africans for equal rights in the land of their birth. Much of what was contained in the Freedom Charter made it into chapter 2 of South Africa’s Constitution, its Bill of Rights, and many other areas of the constitution. In late 1954 and early 1955, roughly 10,000 'Freedom Volunteers' were dispatched across South Africa to collect 'freedom demands' from township residents, villagers, factory workers, and people in rural areas. Submissions were received in various formats, including written documents, letters, scraps of paper, and reports from local meetings detailing the desires of the people. Sub-committees of the ANC's National Action Council gathered these varied demands, sorting them into categories and synthesizing them into a draft charter. On June 25–26, 1955, around 3,000 delegates gathered in Kliptown, Soweto, to approve the final document, which was read aloud, clause by clause, and approved with shouts of "Afrika!" and "Mayibuye!". The resulting Freedom Charter , with its famous opening, "The People Shall Govern!", was not officially adopted by the ANC until 1956, but its legitimacy stemmed directly from the "bottom-up" submission process. ( I have never been able to ascertain what happened to those hundreds of pieces of paper. If you know, let me know!) Today Soweto is a vast neighbourhood, where more than one million people live. It’s an area of 200km², with over 355 000 households. It was only in 1963 that it adopted the name Soweto, an acronym for South Western Townships. Many an extraordinary South African was born here. 02:16 Melusi created two back-to-back Super Bowl commercials, a rare achievement. It’s such a big deal, because the pinnacle of American Football is also the pinnacle of TV ads, with over 100 million people watching the ads before the game even airs. The first was ‘ My Boyfriend has a food problem’ (2019), created for the frozen meals brand Devour. It details the woes of a long-suffering woman addressing her boyfriend’s addiction to ‘frozen food porn’. The ad sought to position the product as an intense and alternative to standard frozen food. A ‘clean’ version needed to be created for the Super Bowl broadcast and a longer ‘uncensored’ online version to generate buzz. The campaign included a " 1-83-FOODPORN" hotline . Here’s local coverage of the ad: ‘Melusi Mhlungu wins big with Super Bowl food porn ad’ The second ad was called ‘Typical American’ (2020), and redefined stereotypes by showing ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things, aiming to unify a polarized nation. The 60-second spot featured scenes of heroism and community service - like firefighters and volunteers - to showcase American spirit. If you want to hear the back story to these two ads, listen to the next episode with Melusi Mhlungu, due mid-April 2026. 02:40 Nando's is a South African-founded international restaurant chain famous for its Afro-Portuguese flame-grilled peri-peri chicken. Originally founded in 1987 as an out-of-the-way Portuguese restaurant called Chickenland in the south of Johannesburg, it specializes in chicken marinated for 24 hours in spicy chilli sauce, served in various heat levels with sides like chips and coleslaw. The name and flavour peri-peri are inspired by the African Bird's Eye Chilli (PERi-PERi (pepper-pepper)), which Portuguese explorers brought to Mozambique in the 16th century. The restaurant was developed further from its Chickenland origins by Robbie Brozin and Mozambique-born Fernando Duarte, who together purchased a 67% stake in the restaurant, where they frequently had lunch. In 1990, they bought Chickenland entirely, rebranded it as Nando’s, and brought in other partners, including the Enthoven family who acquired a 30% stake. Nando's is known for its ‘home away from home’ atmosphere, featuring southern African art and music, and it often brands itself through witty, humorous advertising. It operates over 1,000 restaurants in 35 countries and has a significant presence in the UK and Australia, (obviously) besides its extensive presence in South Africa. NOTE: In 2025, Melusi’s agency We Are Bizarre, was appointed as the new lead creative agency for Nando’s South Africa. The agency won the pitch to handle the Through-The-Line (TTL) creative business for Nando's South Africa, marking a significant change in the brand's agency lineup. This move follows the departure of M&C Saatchi Abel, which had been the ATL lead agency since 2015, and the end of VML South Africa's ten-year partnership with Nando's in May 2025. We Are Bizarre confirmed the appointment on social media, thanking the Nando's team for ‘choosing to flame-grill your brand with our fire’. 02:41 Robert Brozin , known as ‘Robbie’ to most, is a South African entrepreneur, businessman and co-founder of the Nando's international restaurant chain. Robbie was born in 1959 in Mpumalanga, South Africa. After stepping back from Nando’s in 2020, Robbie’s passion for making a difference grew. He now champions changing lives at Nando’s; co-founded Goodbye Malaria; is a Constitutional Hill trustee; is helping to secure the future of Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital; and is part of the JoziMyJozi team who are working hard to revitalize Johannesburg. Robbie’s philosophy of having fun while making money and changing people’s lives is at the heart of his personal philosophy. 03:13 Long-time creative guru Brett Morris is executive creative chair at the Nahana Communications Group. His work in advertising has been recognised numerous times at major award shows including Cannes and by his peers in the industry. In 2014 Brett was appointed Group Chief Executive of Nahana Communications Group and has since been voted by his peers as most admired agency leader in Johannesburg for five years in a row and three times across South Africa. He was a mentor to Melusi in the early days of his career, and is a long time friend. 03:41 Constitution Hill is a former notorious prison complex in Johannesburg, South Africa, that was transformed into a human rights precinct and living museum . It houses the highest court in the country, the Constitutional Court, serving as a powerful symbol of South Africa's journey from apartheid-era oppression to democracy. In 2024, Constitution Hill was recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site , offering a living museum experience. Visitors can tour the Old Fort, Number Four (native jail), and the Women's Jail, where leaders like Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi were held. 03:47 The Flame of Democracy at Constitution Hill in Johannesburg is an eternal flame lit on December 10, 2011, to mark the 15th anniversary of the signing of South Africa's Constitution. It symbolizes freedom from oppression and serves as a reminder of constitutional rights, situated in the stairwell of the former Awaiting Trial Block , a prison section built in 1928 where thousands, including activists like Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi, and Robert Sobukwe, were detained. The flame was officially lit by former Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe on December 10, 2011. It was brought from Qunu in the Eastern Cape (Nelson Mandela's home) to Johannesburg to signify the transition. The flame serves as a focal point on Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, and other significant national days to remind citizens of their rights and the responsibility to uphold democracy. 03:51 Preamble to the Constitution of South Africa We, the people of South Africa, Recognise the injustices of our past; Honour those who suffered for justice and freedom in our land; Respect those who have worked to build and develop our country; and Believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity. We therefore, through our freely elected representatives, adopt this Constitution as the supreme law of the Republic so as to Heal the divisions of the past and establish a society based on democratic values, social justice and fundamental human rights; Lay the foundations for a democratic and open society in which government is based on the will of the people and every citizen is equally protected by law; Improve the quality of life of all citizens and free the potential of each person; and Build a united and democratic South Africa able to take its rightful place as a sovereign state in the family of nations. May God protect our people. Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika. Morena boloka setjhaba sa heso. God seën Suid-Afrika. God bless South Africa. Mudzimu fhatutshedza Afurika. Hosi katekisa Afrika. 08:25 Anglo American plc is a major British multinational mining company headquartered in London, recognized as one of the world's largest producers of platinum, diamonds (via De Beers ), copper, nickel, iron ore, and metallurgical coal. Founded in 1917 in South Africa, it operates globally, focusing on mining resources essential for modern life and industrial growth. It was founded by Ernest Oppenheimer and historically had deep ties to South African mining, later shifting its headquarters to London in 1999. The company operates in Africa, South America, Australia, North America, and Asia. It is a leading producer of platinum (approx. 40% of global output), diamonds, and holds significant copper, nickel, and iron ore assets. It has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and a secondary listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. 09:19 JozimyJozi 23:20 Adam Craker is the Chief Executive Officer at IQbusiness, the largest South African management and technology consulting firm and a majority-owned subsidiary of JSE-listed Reunert Group, since July 2023. As an ‘activist CEO’ Adam is an ardent lobbyist for government and business collaboration, though he places the emphasis on education as the key ingredient to drive an inclusive future for all South Africans. Adam has forged strong partnerships between IQbusiness and various NGOs and social enterprises, such as SmartStart, Tomorrow Trust, Harambee, Partners for Possibility and the National Mentorship Movement to act as catalysts for positive trends in education and self advancement. Three social enterprises resulted under Adam’s leadership as CEO – the COBRA Initiative, SAtion and JoziMyJozi. 25:32 The Mandela Bridge is located in the heart of the City of Johannesburg, serving as a bridge between the vibrant student precinct of Braamfontein and downtown Joburg. The area is part of a massive rejuvenation drive, filled with sites of cultural and historical significance, with the bridge being the conduit for all traffic to and from the area. The Mandela Bridge was recognised as being 'an outstanding civil engineering achievement' by the South African Institute of Civil Engineers. It cost R38 million and is the largest cable-stayed bridge in southern Africa. The vast quantities of construction materials that went into its creation underpin what a feat of engineering it is. It took 4,000 cubic meters of concrete, 1,000 tons of structural steel and 500 tons of construction steel to realise the seemingly weightless pinnacle that gleams with the promise of the new. The bridge is 284 meters long, 42 meters high at the north pylon and 27 meters high at the south pylon. 25:53 ABSA originally stood for Amalgamated Banks of South Africa , formed in 1991 through the merger of UBS Holdings, Allied Bank, and Volkskas Group to unify its operations across the continent. While it was formerly known by this acronym, the entity now officially operates simply as Absa Group Limited or Absa Bank Ltd, having rebranded from Barclays Africa Group in 2018. The name reflected the merging of several large financial institutions and is a major South African financial services provider based in Johannesburg that offers retail, business, corporate, and investment banking services. In 2004, Absa was the first of the big four banks to sell a direct stake (10%) to a Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) consortium (Batho Bonke). It utilizes data to track the health of the SME sector, providing crucial insights into economic trends. With over 41,000 employees it is one of the largest branch networks in South Africa. 28:00 Bea Swanepoel is the founding CEO and former leader of Jozi My Jozi , beautifully described as ‘the coalition of the willing’. As of early 2026, she transitioned to leading the national expansion of the JoziMyJozi model as CEO of NewCo Trust which will focus on the rollout of the Jozi model to other South African cities. She previously worked as a project manager at Anglo American , where she was involved in managing the company’s move out of the CBD, which sparked her dedication to revitalizing the city centre. 32:42 Despite the hardship, African youths are the most mentally stable in the world. (Significant sub-title: 'Wealth isn’t necessarily a benefit when it comes to mental health, a new report released in February shows, and nowhere is this more evident than in Africa.' If you look at the key factors affecting youth mental health, this finding is not surprising: * Key factors affecting youth mental health include family relationships, spirituality, early smartphone usage, and ultra-processed food consumption.) ( Instagram post ) 4 Time Stamps 00:00 Welcome 01:23 Love Letter to Johannesburg, the City of Gold in South Africa 02:52 Meeting Robbie Brozin 05:25 Choosing to Come Home 11:38 The Letter Becomes a Brand 14:21 Movement for the People 19:03 Designing an Imperfect Logo 22:23 Actions Before Promises 24:19 Early Doubts and First Wins 28:54 Optimism as a Superpower 33:49 Closing and Next Episode Back to top ^ The indomitable Melusi Mhlungu, Founding Partner of JoziMyJozi and creative force behind its branding. His journey from being entranced by adverts between soap operas as a kid to having two back-to-back commercials air at the the US Super Bowl can be heard in the next upcoming episode on the AfricanOptimist podcast.

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About AfricanOptimist Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here... Go to all episodes A Case fo r Optimism Kevin Kelly It is extremely difficult to create a desirable future without first envisioning it. To imagine is really the first step in creating anything. History is filled with accounts of people who held an optimistic belief others thought unlikely, or even impossible. This optimistic pre-visualization is a necessary component of change. Since we cannot be certain of the future, optimism is only a belief -- a stance that could be incorrect. On the surface, an optimistic belief might seem no more valid than the stance of pessimism. But the deep history of new ideas makes it very clear that the optimistic stance of believing something is possible is a requirement to make anything new real, and is thus more powerful than pessimism. In the long run, optimists shape the future. About the host Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here...

#WhyWeLoveAfrica SEYCHELLES Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here... Ashley Jones Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here... Tess Brown Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here... Lisa Rose Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here... Kevin Nye Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here... Alex Young Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here... Andrew Cole Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here... Debbie Green Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here... Alissa Rose Collapsible text is great for longer section titles and descriptions. It gives people access to all the info they need, while keeping your layout clean. Link your text to anything, or set your text box to expand on click. Write your text here... Key Demographics:

< Back to Home MEET THE HOST MOST LIKELY TO SAY: There is always a solution. Sanja Göhre is a multi-skilled audio-visual and content producer whose career spans over 25 years . She has travelled widely to cover stories from a range of different countries , including Albania, Angola, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Greece, Kenya, Mozambique, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Thailand, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Some of her most formative professional years were spent in Geneva, Switzerland, where she worked within the United Nations system for four years, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the newly founded The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria . Back home in South Africa, she led a small research team working on the National Heritage Monument’s Long March to Freedom (a collection of 100 life-size bronzes of some of Africa’s most iconic liberation heroes) and then managed 10 southern African countries as Senior Communications Manager for the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). Sanja has a Bachelor of Arts in Economics, Journalism and Politics and a Joint Honours in Economics and Journalism from Rhodes University, South Africa, and a Masters in Social Sciences from the Open University, United Kingdom. She is an avid advocate of human-centred design and has added to her skills by studying UX Design through the Interaction Design Foundation, as she believes the discipline of UX thinking can be usefully applied to some of Africa’s most pressing problems.

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