Walter Mampane is a soft-spoken and down-to-earth man I met on several occasions at social gatherings. I had a vague idea that he was involved in business but unsure of the specifics.
As the media bombarded us with stories and images of public representatives running helter-skelter in December inspecting and trying to register spaza shops, I was one of the people who were rather depressed by the spectacle.
It depicted black people as the spaza people and the ones who only reacted when our children were dying from ingesting snacks bought from those same spaza shops.
Laws, bylaws and regulations exist to safeguard the health of citizens. Why did it have to take the lives of our little ones to force us to do what we should be doing as a matter of routine?
I phoned Mampane and requested to visit his business to learn what he was up to, and he readily agreed.
It turned out that Mampane is the CEO of Polokwane Chemical Suppliers-Phatsima, situated in Laboria, an industrial area in Polokwane. They manufacture and distribute detergents, polish and cleaning materials.
Mampane took me around, showing me the different departments, such as the raw materials, manufacturing, quality control, packaging and dispatch sections. Impressive! We are indeed not just spaza people.
We complain a lot in this country about the fact that the economy of South Africa is concentrated in the hands of a few white corporates. This was deliberate, intentional and sustained over many centuries, resulting in enormous wealth accumulation by whites and concomitant impoverishment of the black majority.
It stands to reason that if this unsustainable picture is to change, we have to be deliberate and intentional in supporting black people in the economy. This means that black businesspeople like Mampane and his peers in their many endeavours should be supported.
If the concentration of the South African economy in just a few white companies, and therefore its inability to grow and create jobs, is to be broken, then we should massively support black businesspeople.
Allowing this inequality and injustice to continue is likely to lead to widespread discontent, political and social strife.
The state should, through the huge procurement budget and other measures, ensure the promotion of black businesses.
There is a saying that if you have seen one mall in South Africa, you have seen all of them. This is because all malls are owned by the same people and are occupied by the same suspects in banking, retail, pharmacies, eateries and jewellers.
Black people are absent in all malls, except as buyers. It is particularly galling considering that the ubiquitous malls have invaded villages and townships, where the majority of black people live, destroying black shops, butcheries, etc in their wake.
A few friends and I have long decided that, as much as possible, we would buy our necessities from black entrepreneurs, big and small. For instance, I try to buy fresh produce from people selling on the side of the road or in the streets. Apart from being much cheaper, you draw much satisfaction from the fact that you are supporting people who really need the money.
One sometimes wonders why municipalities do not demarcate small squares on the pavements, and allocate them to individual traders so that there could be order on the streets.
Traders, so allocated, would be responsible for cleanliness and order on their patch so that the pavements would allow people to move with ease and comfort.
Poverty and inequality are a menacing reality in South Africa. Unless the state and the citizens do something to share the fruits of the economy, things might unravel very soon. It is simply unsustainable to have wealth concentrated in the hands of a minority race while the vast majority wallow in abject poverty.
The likes of Mampane need our support so that they succeed.
- Mangena is former president of Azapo and a former cabinet minister
