From English shores to a New South Africa

Having been  in the consulting industry now for over 17 years and having returned to South Africa a year ago from Europe where I completed a 3.5 year re-engineering assignment with a multinational, I find wherever I go now in South Africa there’s talk of a Masiphembe – a “Let Us Create” philosophy (Engineering News circa 1999). I recall the article, back in 1999, claiming that after the walls of apartheid had come crashing down many companies and industries had suffered instead of prospering. New catch phrases like “partnering arrangements”, “down scaling” and “re-engineering” prevailed. A sudden realisation at the time that, to become world class, an organisation had to produce quality products almost came too late for many, e.g. the steel industry.