THE GATHERING 2026: Fixing failing cities is in business’s own interest, leaders say
Business leaders say fixing South Africa’s struggling cities can no longer be viewed as charity, arguing that functioning municipalities are essential to protecting businesses, their employees and the markets they depend on.
Business leaders insist that repairing South Africa's ailing cities is not charity, but a necessity for safeguarding commercial interests. During a session at Daily Maverick's The Gathering in Cape Town, University of the Free State Chancellor Bonang Mohale emphasized that businesses must stop treating municipal interventions as CSR projects and instead see them as investments in their own future markets.
Mohale argued that the well-being of businesses and South Africans are inextricably linked, stating, "When business does well, ordinarily, South Africans do well." He highlighted the decline of public services, such as the SA Post Office and the growing reliance on private healthcare, as evidence of how private companies can step in when government fails.
Denise van Huyssteen, CEO of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, shared an example of businesses stepping in to fill the gaps created by municipal dysfunction. She noted that businesses contribute significantly to the municipality's revenue and have used their technical expertise to help address infrastructure issues, such as the city's sanitation system. This collaboration has led to improvements in service availability, though there have been recent declines.
Ozzy Nel, CEO of SA Harvest, stressed the importance of identifying the right partners, using data to understand the issues, and building scalable solutions. He emphasized that corporate involvement in municipal improvement must become part of a business's culture, not a one-off project.
While acknowledging the potential for reputational risk, Van Huyssteen argued that the consequences of inaction were far worse. She highlighted the need for practical interventions, such as collecting tires to prevent them from being used in protests during a national stayaway. For Ozzy Nel, the key is to ensure that these efforts are embedded within a business's culture, rather than being dependent on a single executive's enthusiasm.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
