The Human Rights Challenge In South Africa

Happy Human Rights Day to you.

I hope you had a restful and relaxing weekend. I did. I dropped my kids off with their mother on Friday, and then pretty much slept for much of the time. In between, I squeezed in two road trips. On Saturday I visited Simon, my dear friend and long-time Heavy Chef partner, at Backsberg Wine Estate. On Monday I braaied with my vagabond buddies Don and Lauren on a deck overlooking a spectacular sunset at Scarborough.

I felt happy and privileged to have been able to recharge my batteries. It’s my Human Right to enjoy the trappings of this beautiful country. After all, we believe that this country belongs to all of us, right? That we should have access to the quality of life that we all deserve.

These are the Human Rights that we celebrated today.

Pic: Dr. Rethabile Sonibara of Molo Mhlaba School in Khayelitsha is an example of an individual that is choosing to make a difference in her community.

Yet, something is obviously amiss. Not to bring too much of a downer to this message (yes, I do believe life requires us to enjoy ourselves when we can), but we should also recognise that the Human Rights we are celebrating are not being enjoyed by everyone, equally.

On Monday, an individual named Sisonke posted on a public forum in my suburb in Cape Town the following message:

Good day everyone. I'm writing this for help from anyone who can. I stay next to the dumping site and I have been struggling with the rats, they are destroying everything in my shack and eat our clothes. The new thing now they climb into the bed at night and bite us while sleeping. I have been asking for help from our councillor with no success.

Sisonke lives in the Hout Bay valley, in an area called Imizamo Yethu, about three kilometres away from where I am sitting right now. Hout Bay is a typical example of Africa’s extreme contrasts, with extreme wealth living alongside extreme poverty.

This message broke my heart. How can we expect people to be fulfilling their potential when rodents are attacking them in the night? How can we stand united and take our rightful place as a sovereign state when our neighbours are living in such squalid conditions?

There are thousands of stories such as this and there are many ways to respond to them.

We can point fingers, cast aspersions, elicit fear, obligation, guilt.

We can shout on social media or commiserate on mailers like this.

At my entrepreneur education company Heavy Chef, however, we believe that problems are the onus of entrepreneurs to solve. Entrepreneurs are not scared of problems.

These challenges drive you, motivate you and stir something in your belly. Right?

There is something in the constitution of entrepreneurs that drive you to change the world, for the better.

For me and my team at Heavy Chef, it is our purpose to inspire you and empower you. You are a Marvel superhero, in real life.

If you have already taken up this baton, I first want to express my gratitude to you - and then encourage you to keep fighting.

I know that this journey seems hard - sometimes insurmountable - but, it’s imperative that you continue. If you have the opportunity to make a difference, to provide solutions, to transact, to bring in income, to hire a few people, to purchase goods and sell something - you’re part of the reason why I believe that people like Sisonke will find respite.

Entrepreneurship is certainly not a silver bullet. The solution to Sisonke’s plight is multi-factoral. We also need communities to rally together. We also need our leaders to step up. We also need miracles and magic.

Already on the neighbourhood forum, I see my community rallying around Sisonke, offering solutions, direct messaging, coming together. The magic of the human spirit is already shining.

At the same time, the miracle of entrepreneurship must accelerate change. This is not about race, about cultures, about socio-economic tiers. It’s about using technological platforms, providing innovative leadership and deploying creative strategies.

I encourage us all to balance the enjoyment of the Human Rights afforded to us with the responsibility of looking after our neighbours, particularly those who are distracted by terrible real-life challenges around them.

There is work to be done. Let’s lean into the challenge, together.