Perspective: There’s a white Zulu on my stoep

The Ilembe Chamber always manages to attract an exceptional calibre of speaker for their Gala dinner.

This year was no exception, with not one but two gems. They were our new KZN premier, Sihle Zikalala, and marketing expert GG Alcock, whose book ‘Born White, Zulu Bred’ attracted a lot of attention a few years back. His latest book is ‘Kasinomic Revolution – The Rise of African Informal Economies’.

While I have not had the pleasure of reading any of Alcock’s books, after last night I plan to devour a copy soonest. Alcock was quite a character. He is in fact a Zulu. With a white skin. Now doesn’t that just mess with all your preconceived ideas on race and culture in South Africa?

He was raised in a mud hut in Msinga, one of the poorest and most violent parts of KwaZulu-Natal. His community activist parents Neil and Creina Alcock raised their two sons in a Zulu community where there was no running water and electricity. The family lived simply, just like the local people and Alcock grew up hunting and herding with his Zulu mates.

When he joined the business world he discovered that his unique upbringing gave him an unusual perspective and insight into the informal economy and he has used his knowledge to help big brands target this little understood and enormously powerful segment of the market. Alcock shared case studies that illustrated how the informal economy should be taken far more seriously.

He estimates that the informal sector makes up 7% of the country’s GDP. But he says, government and financial services do not recognise businesses like spaza shops or the muthi market and do not offer them support, to the economy’s detriment. The muthi or traditional healing industry alone, he says, is worth about R3 billion per year, or six percent of the entire national health budget.

The spaza sector is worth R250 billion, with local stores selling goods cheaper than the grocery giants. He said we view the informal sector as survivalist or subsidence business only, but that nothing could be further from the truth.

Despite its size, government support and financial services are not offered to the informal sector, and this is a key issue holding the country and ordinary people back. Great food for thought, especially in light of the Chamber’s own role in supporting small business. Alcock’s insights also put the ‘white monopoly capital’ idea on its head. KZN premier Sihle Zikalala spoke with charisma and was well received.

It’s nice to have an Ilembe man (from Ndwedwe) in the Premier’s seat for a change. His presence last week should also be noted as a good omen as far as the Chamber is concerned. I suspect we can look forward to good things to come from both Chamber and man. Certainly his decision to have a small inauguration ceremony on Monday to save money was a great start.

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