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Worldviews and Mango Smoothies
Transet, Nedbank and homeward bound
28 September 2012
Peter and I, coming down after the Transnet session - unusally, I'm carrying my bag
Gary over a mango smoothie and double espresso, out of shot
Windows of means of exchange 1
Windows 2: Peter and Gary
Day started with a wonderful breakfast with some 20 people from Transnet, led by Sue Lund, group sustainability manager. Rather than doing a presentation, I had asked that the Transnet people introduce themselves and share some of their challenges, with me chipping in as we went around the table.
There was a good deal of humour in the proceedings, which I always see as a good sign, though Transnet has clearly been under intense pressure in recent times -- the government sees it, alongside Eskom, as key to creating the foundations for South Africa's economic future.
Transnet runs the country's harbours, railways and pipelines, among other things. I had been sent a copy of their sustainability report, which was useful background, though I had only had time to skim it. That process, however, had whetted my appetite to dig in deeper later on. The report I got was the 2012 edition, while all I can find on the internet is the 2011 report.
Once again, it's fascinating that Transnet is using (like Yellowwoods, who we visited yesterday) the 'dividends' approach, across a triple bottom line structure.
Since the event was off-the-record, I can't dig into the detail of the conversations, but suffice it to say that I found them rivetting, even though this is a company that, among other things, is charged with ensuring that even greater volumes of South African coal is shipped out to global markets. I can't but see that as a massive Achilles heel.
After a wonderful interlude with mango smoothie and espressos in the sun, we went in for amazing (vegetarian) lunch with Nedbank, and then on to a wider event in the afternoon, the latest in a series of quarterly 'Nedbank Thought Leader Series,' where I did a version of my standard presentation, followed by a debate facilitated by CPSL director Peter Willis. For more on the sustainability agenda as seen by Nedbank, see here.
Following an accident earlier in the day, the electricity periodically failed, with the Nedbank generators then switching in, but with the result that the auditorium's lights and the projector would die momentarily. A slightly lower energy session than some others, but some great questions from the room.
On the way out, we admired the astonishing displays of different forms of exchange and money in the lobby, in front of which I caught images of Peter and Gary, and vice versa. Then off to the Gautrain station, for a train out to the airport.
When we arrived, Gary, Peter and I had beers and chips in a pub worrying called 'The Keg and Aviator'. Then up to the lounge and, despite warnings that planes might be delayed, the 747 took off on time, though there were a couple of big bumps as it went through powerful winds on the way out. As we winged over Africa, I read Dan Pink's extraordinary book, A Whole New Mind. Utterly remarkable; mind-bending, in fact.
Throughout, I energetically scribbled notes in my Moleskine notebook, as a braided, Amazonian stream of thoughts poured out. Underlying it all, however, was a sense that, despite the intense -- and possibly even existential -- threats facing South Africa, there is a huge amount of fascinating thinking and work going on there. I immensely enjoyed the trip, very much as I used to relish the annual trips we did with Murray Edmonds to Australia and New Zealand.
Can't wait to go back to South Africa in February.
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