South Africa’s top political and trend analyst, JP Landman, will be addressing top businessmen and women at the Bryanston Country Club (Johannesburg) on the evening of the 6th of May 2014. In this talk JP Landman will be discussing the effect that business has on politics and conversely, the effects of politics on business, and how these two factors sculpt the political and business landscape in South Africa on the eve of the 2104 general elections. This event is sponsored by The Finance Team, Aon South Africa, Nolands and FNB Vumela.

[If you would like to attend this talk register [ HERE ] as seats are limited]

Who is JP Landman?

JP Landman is a self-employed political and trend analyst. His focus areas are trends in politics, economics, social capital and the interplay of demographics and economic growth. JP Landman has  BA and LLB degrees from Stellenbosch, studied Economics at Harvard and has obtained an MPhil in Future Studies (cum laude) from Stellenbosch (2003). In 2009 he completed a course at Oxford University on the economies of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India & China). JP Landman is a visiting professor at the University of the Free State where he lectures on trends in South Africa’s political economy and is a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Centre for International Scholars in Washington DC. He has recently publish a book “the Long View”.

The effect of business and politics on the South African economy

South Africa has the largest, most diversified and highly industrialised economy in Africa. South Africa is also influential regionally, due to its investment and political engagement in many African countries with an active role and leadership within the inter-governmental African Union.

Core constraints which directly impact South African business expansion plans include socio- economic factors such as crime and corruption, the lack of available skills in the current workforce and poor government service delivery. The effect of business and politics on the South African economy has always been a hotly debated topic and an area of concern for international businesses based in South Africa, as well as companies looking to invest regionally. South African business people agree that overregulation and complex red tape also constrict business growth and this highlights how stifling regulatory systems and processes affect the day-to-day functions within a company, but, according to JP Landman, South Africa will probably be a much better place to live in 20 years from now than it is today. We just need to get there.

“We need to take a step back and review the country’s performance with regard to the BRIC countries. Compared with the BRIC countries, South Africa, in fact, comes out as the most honest, and all of them have made good progress despite high corruption levels. When the values of society are raised, corruption will decrease. It is a process linked to values and developmental states. Take the UK, where, after many years of naming and shaming the corrupt and dishonest, they have a relatively honest society” says Landman.

Who is attending the talk on business and politics

Top South African business leaders and investors from a variety of industries will be attending this talk. It will provide a perfect networking opportunity for entrepreneurs, businessmen and women, who are looking to expand their operations both locally and into Africa. Due to its popularity, the last event was oversubscribed, so if you would like to attend click here as there is limited space still available.

There is no way of getting around it; politics has a direct impact on business in South Africa today. With the lead up to the South African general elections a mere three weeks away, there seems to be a heightened awareness of the impact of politics on business in South Africa.

Not everything printed is fact

JP Landman discusses this in his book “The long view”. In the book, JP Landman argues that if you look at the newspaper headlines, you are very likely to get swept up by this week’s drama. Very quickly you will become very negative about the country and its future prospects. All South African’s should rather take the long view.

“We need to take a step back and review the country’s performance with regard to the BRIC countries. Compared with the BRIC countries, South Africa, in fact, comes out as the most honest, and all of them have made good progress despite high corruption levels. When the values of society are raised, corruption will decrease. It is a process linked to values and developmental states. Take the UK, where, after many years of naming and shaming the corrupt and dishonest, they have a relatively honest society” says Landman.

The balance sheet of business and politics

In his book, JP presents a balance sheet of forces pushing growth up and down. The down-side forces are the familiar challenges of political uncertainty, strikes, social unrest, poverty, inequality, crime, weak public sector institutions and low productivity. The up-side forces that are listed include planned infrastructure investment, rising employment, property rights, a sound legal system, the ability to adopt new technologies, increasing relations with the BRIC countries and integration into sub-Saharan Africa. It is argued that we can muddle through with growth of 3%, as “even low growth weaves its magic”. The long view is that our bigger ambitions lie in the National Development Plan (NDP). The stepping stones to this are massive infrastructure development, the Industrial Policy Action Plan and “various proposals under the NDP”, including promoting exports, support for SMEs and a more responsive labour market. Moving beyond economics, the arguments are that government and the private sector need to trust one another, that we need an ambition to perform and that leadership is critical.

What is the NDP?

The NDP is the National Development Plan. It outlines a three-pronged strategy to address unemployment and economic growth. The first is that, in addition to boosting educational levels, we must promote industries that are labour-absorbing, such as mining, agriculture, construction, hospitality and small businesses. The second is that we must grow the more advanced sectors of the economy, such as manufacturing, parts of financial services, telecommunications and business services. The third is that we should continue to provide a social wage to enable the poorest of South Africa’s people to have a decent standard of living and to build their capabilities to get better jobs, higher incomes and a broader range of benefits.

JP Landman will be presenting a talk at the Bryanston Country Club (Johannesburg) on the 6th of May 2014. The JP Landman talk, about the effects of business and politics on the South African economy, which is sponsored by The Finance Team, Aon South Africa, Nolands and FNB Vumela, will be addressing top businessmen in Johannesburg about the influence of politics on business prior to the 2014 Election on the 6th of May at the Bryanston Country Club. If you would like to attend this talk register HERE as seats are limited.

Who is JP Landman?

JP Landman is a self-employed political and trend analyst. His focus areas are trends in politics, economics, social capital and the interplay of demographics and economic growth. JP Landman has BA and LLB degrees from Stellenbosch, studied Economics at Harvard and has obtained an MPhil in Future Studies (cum laude) from Stellenbosch (2003). In 2009 he completed a course at Oxford University on the economies of the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India & China). JP Landman is a visiting professor at the University of the Free State where he lectures on trends in South Africa’s political economy and is a Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Centre for International Scholars in Washington DC. He has recently publish a book “the Long View”

To Register to attend the JP Landman talk on the 6th of May. Enter here.