It's just a game, right?

It’s all everyone is still talking about; the Springbok victory in the Rugby World Cup earlier this month. And while their triumph means so much to all South Africans, it offers lessons to us all about the benefits of perseverance, grit and unity.

Without sounding like I’m jumping on the bandwagon in this newsletter, the takeaway from this momentous event, for me at least, is that the victory we are all celebrating is the reward for those brave souls who invested their blood, sweat and tears in doing the hard yards, putting their all in and slogging through the pain, doubts and criticism that stood in their way.

Champions are forged in the fire of competition, and our players proved their mettle time and again on the long, difficult path from obscurity to wearing the green and gold to ultimately lifting the trophy high above their heads for the whole world to see.

Although winning the world cup may not seem to have any bearing on the mergers and acquisitions space, I can see at least two clear comparisons. Firstly, both require a long, arduous process during which doubts creep in, and detractors try to derail all that has been achieved to that point. Secondly, and more importantly, both offer incredible potential rewards that validate the commitment and dedication of those involved.

A further benefit of the South African victory is that South Africa itself is again on the map – even if this is just temporary. However, it’s why we are being noticed that’s important. The victory of the Springboks and the tremendous support they enjoyed from the people of our country, shows the world that South Africa is not only about failure and corruption and crime. It shows the resolute determination of the people to celebrate, to choose hope over despair and once again dream about building a better, brighter future. It casts a positive, more reassuring glow on South Africa.

And this is a great thing for us, especially with regard to international investors looking to put their money into sound investments. As we have maintained all along, South Africa remains a viable investment destination when all is said and done. Here’s a quote from an interview with our MD, Andrew Bahlmann about foreign investments in South Africa;

“[…] certain sectors [are] definitely hot. An example there would be ICT, or certainly industrials. I think it all comes down to global competitiveness. We often forget as South Africans that everything is relative. Somebody operating out of Europe is facing their own challenges with the likes of Brexit.”
For the rest of the interview, click this link https://www.moneyweb.co.za/moneyweb-radio/foreign-direct-investment-trends-in-sa/ 

Unfortunately, many in the international arena may have been blinded by the doom and gloom about the South African economy doing the rounds over the past months, but hopefully the Springboks’ victory can help sweep away some of the misconceptions.

The South African victory at the World Cup won’t necessarily be a game changer (no pun intended), but it is a refreshing change that might make at least some foreign investors take a closer look at South Africa once more as a viable place to put their money.

It’s funny to think that so many benefits could flow from one rugby match. But this one match has reminded us all who we really are. We are proud South Africans and we have so much to offer the world!

Warm Regards, 
Rick Grantham