Its day 73 of one of the most stringent COVID-19 lockdowns on the planet. Ramaphosa has admitted that the “lockdown has become a blunt tool” and that certain scientists have advised that South Africa could go down to level 1. Anecdotally, I have heard attorneys describing that they have not worked this hard in years. I guess with all these court cases against the government about the validity, rationality and constitutionality of the lockdown measures, it is no surprise that certain attorneys are working around the clock. Talking about court cases, I had the misfortune of reading Judge Tolmay’s 114 page judgment in the matter between OUTA and the SAA Pilot’s Association and the defendants (Dudu Myeni et al) yesterday afternoon. The esteemed judge has some stinging words for Myeni including:

“…Ms Myeni’s dishonesty, breach of fiduciary duty, recklessness and gross negligence…”

“…Ms Myeni not only proved to be dishonest in her dealings at SAA, but she has also been dishonest with this court…”

“…Ms Myeni’s conduct of this litigation also requires condemnation…”

Netflix needs to find a screenwriter soon to read this judgement…could be a fascinating TV series highlighting some of the most ridiculous behavior in a business context.

Anyway, I did not sit down to write this blog bemoaning the state of decline at our SOEs and the ANC’s missteps. I actually wanted to share my gratitude for the unintended consequences for me personally during the lockdown. No, I am not suffering from any form of Stockholm syndrome – I am feeling quite the opposite. However, I am still grateful for many things that I have discovered and developed during lockdown. Here is a list of 10:

  1. I have loved waking early and reading online in a predetermined order. Firstly, my emails and then Facebook to see what others have been up to. Then it’s time to browse some sports websites out of habit and fond remembrance of the days when there was live sport. The next list of websites includes BusinessLive, Daily Friend, Daily Maverick and the Financial Times. Over the past 73 days, I have gently rambled into the day, reading slowly and widely. It has been wonderful to have this privilege without the rush of meetings, presentations and consultations etc. Yes, I have had my share of online meetings but working 7 days a week has allowed for lots of time to read. I am grateful.
  2. Being forced to exercise between 6am and 9am daily during stage 4 of the lockdown was actually a good thing. It prompted me to walk every day for an hour after my leisurely online browsing. I have enjoyed greeting the usual faces in the neighborhood and feeling a strong sense of community. I have discovered streets in my neighborhood that I did not know existed. I have gotten to know the names of fellow inhabitants in our townhouse complex. Even after the lifting of the ridiculous exercise window, I am still noticing so many people on the streets in the morning. It is as if the lockdown has given birth to a whole new cohort of exercisers.
  3. I am grateful that the lockdown has exposed the ANC leaders for who they really are, a bunch of securocrats with a lust for power and limited regard for the governed population. I used to think Ramaphosa was a good guy. He seemed  genuine and a leader early on during the lockdown. That notion soon evaporated and his true colors shone through. Utterances by the ANC cabal have included:

    “…forge a compact for radical economic transformation that ensures that advances the economic position of women, youth and persons with disabilities, and that makes our cities, towns, villages and rural areas vibrant centres of economic activity…”

    “…there are new opportunities as neo-liberalism is on the retreat and the role of the state is on the ascendency and the space for progressive policies is opening up…”

    “…imperative to achieve the goals of the shared strategy of the Alliance, the national democratic revolution…”

    Photo courtesy of the SA Institute of Race Relation’s recent report “The ten year lockdown with worse still to come”

  4. I have been touched by the goodness of humanity that has come to the fore in many communities. People reaching out to feed the less privileged, people contributing hard earned cash to assist in the fight against COVID-19 and so many community outreach initiatives. My heart has warmed to business people offering products and services free of charge in these unprecedented times.
  5. I have relished embracing new online platforms such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams. It has been a good learning curve and may fundamentally change the way we do business and interact over the next decade.
  6. I am grateful for the opportunity to have expanded my skill base, particularly in Microsoft Excel and financial modeling generally. I have been facilitating financial modeling courses for years but have never had the chance to just explore with no end goal in mind. I have learnt how to use new functions such as XLOOKUP, explore data analysis and validation techniques. It’s been a godsend.
  7. I have been able to read widely in the lockdown – I may be Amazon’s top customer in Johannesburg at the moment! It has been wonderful to discover new authors. It has been awesome to be exposed to different thinking.
  8. I am forever grateful for Netflix during this time. There has been some amazing TV shows, movies and documentaries to watch every night in lockdown. Thank you Reed and Marc for persevering at Netflix and for spending billions on content. Keep going!
  9. Perversely, I am grateful that South Africa has run out of fiscal runway and that we need to think differently about overcoming our many obstacles. We need greater equality, higher employment, better education and improved healthcare for all. A crisis presents a unique opportunity to reset and rethink. South Africa cannot allow the ANC to lead us into the dystopian future of centralized government control of most things. We have seen what happens when the elected government is allowed to pursue ideological reforms and policies. The fiscus is running out of money (pity Mboweni and National Treasury as they draft the amended budget) and our leaders can no longer proclaim and prevaricate. South Africa is facing a much larger crisis than COVID-19. Think 60% unemployment (extended version), think the forgotten youth who may never experience unemployment in the next 5/10 years. Think about our country’s growing debt burden and the backlash by the global financial community which reflects its beliefs via bond yields and exchange rates. We have to find a social compact to benefit the majority instead of the selected few.
  10. Lastly, I am grateful that I ran out of white wine during the lockdown. I have discovered some amazing red wines and am now a convert.

Stay safe, be kind and do the right thing. All the best from BeechieB.