Johannesburg

Saturday

Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm.

15°C
29°C

7 day forecasts

"The Third Wors"

South Africa
News24 User

Excellence is colour blind

by "The Third Wors"
2009-11-13 11:00

I think the Black Management Forum, besides having to answer for how they get away with having an exclusionary organisation, has to explain to the public how they ever thought that Jacob Maroga was a decent CEO, based on his track record.

Chief Executive Officer actually means that you are the one driving the business, you are the one making the hard decisions, you are the one sharing in the spoils when things go well and you, sir or madam, are the one taking the flack when things go south. It's like being the head coach of a professional sports team. The buck stop with you and if your "team" is not performing, then you are without a job.

So I am interested to know, brothers of this exclusive management clan, what is your definition of a CEO? Surely being "management" experts you guys know all about it...funny then when a palpably useless executive is shown the door, you lot (along with the kindergarten) drag that dead race horse from the stables and then proceed to ritually flog the rotting carcass with chief whips of ignorance.

Hey? What's potting people?

I'm starting to think that having you comment about acceptable business practice in the modern world is a bit like asking George Bush to give an advanced physics lecture to the planet's leading scientists. Hell we may as well ask Kim Jong-il to write a book about political tolerance and get Joost to produce a video dealing with the topic of monogamy.

Don't you get tired of talking absolute shit?

Don't you long for the day when your opinions are held in high regard - instead of being the butt-end of whispered jokes in parliament's hallowed halls? Come on boys and girls, surely we can expect more from a forum dedicated to the excellence of Black Management than the empty rattling of race, every time a similarly-skinned professional is shown the door due to lack of performance.

Lots of people get fired, every year, for failing to perform their tasks (at the very least) in a competent manner.

Excellence is colour blind and the UIF queues are filled with black, Indian, coloured, Chinese and, yes it's true, white South Africans who either were unlucky and got retrenched, or got fired for being crap at their job...

Let's stop politicising everything and start calling a spade a spade, shall we?

Let's stop pretending that the world is against us just because we are of a certain race. Let's stop thinking that we are owed something, or that we are entitled to fortune and glory. Let's stop acting like a bunch of kiddies fighting over whose ball it is and let's stop building forts that exclude.

None of us deserve the spoils of excellence...if we are not excellent ourselves.

Get published on MyNews24 by sending your letter, story or column to us.
Send us your news photos

Disclaimer: All articles and letters published on MyNews24 have been independently written by members of News24's community. The views of users published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24. News24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.

Add your view to this conversation - comment below

Rate this story:

Comment on this story


spiwe 11/13/2009 11:07:36 AM
i am a black executive and have been at the helm of my company for a long time,not only when it became fashionable.The BMF and slow Julius are an embarresment to us hard working folk,infact i dint know of any self respecting black executive thyat is a member of that looser outfit,even the name itrse3lf implies racism.

KAREN 11/13/2009 11:09:48 AM
WELL DONE.

Glock 22 11/13/2009 11:09:57 AM
Awesome letter. Not everythinbg is true because some 23 year old anc "freedom fighetr" said so. I have never seen a more gulable lot that these guys

BMF Critic 11/13/2009 11:11:59 AM
Well written Mnr. Wors

My 2cents is that having a organisation like the Black Management Forum is in itslef racist. Can you imagine if there was a White Management Forum...oh how the race card would be pulled out for that one.

Jacob Maroga had 5 executives quit under his watch, that good sirs is a failure of leadership...

Bernard Black* 11/13/2009 11:12:31 AM
Ahoi Worsman. I agree 100%. Now u gonna get k k answer's...something like "Because he deserved it" Remember the ANC Comrades cannot make decisions...they dedicate their lives to serve the ANC, be there slaves & they expect nothing in return...Whatever works for them...it definately doesnt work for me!!!

Zizo 11/13/2009 11:13:44 AM
My friend, stay away from politics. your analysis are just that of an average person and also that of a non-voter. always crying but when elections come they don't make a mark to change things around. Maroga is a triend and tested professional. We will deploy him to a certain position, the leadership cannot afford to lose such an important professional like him. He's got a position already, watch the space he won't contest his "weird" resignation. Something even better is coming on his way.

Deon 11/13/2009 11:15:02 AM
The Black Management Forum consists of a bunch of Ignorant, Fakely Educated Whiners that never got the ease of cushy AA/BEE appointments.

BMF sucks 11/13/2009 11:16:53 AM
BMF is a useless, racist organisation. They defend black CEO's regardles of them being absolutely crqap at their jobs.

kabelo 11/13/2009 11:17:06 AM
Brilliant!!!

Point Blank 11/13/2009 11:17:21 AM
I also like to know how they can scream racism from the "black only" forums???

SF 11/13/2009 11:17:37 AM
Well said!

Eles 11/13/2009 11:18:12 AM
I agree with you and say its simple, find the right people for the jobs regardless of colour or gender. It is not enough to be merely deemed to be a "professional" to be a successful CEO you need to have knowledge of that particular industry and experience etc. Consider it this way if you were to start a business tomorrow and employ staff will employ your political friend or even just someone you really like or will you appoint the person who has experience and a great track record?

Gerry 11/13/2009 11:19:24 AM
Great article . We need to celebrate a job well done irrespective of the race of the person who has done that job and curse incompetence despite which race it comes from , after all race is only skin deep.

Biza 11/13/2009 11:22:12 AM
Come on now...the guy has been promoted thru the ranks since the early 90s....doesn't guarantee being a great CEO, but to say he's incompetent...

bjm 11/13/2009 11:24:12 AM
Well put and true facts. In today's SA environment you can call it revers racism. The Black Management Forum consist of black yuppies that were part of the "Tokenism" programme of the ANC. They never worked and was handed the positions they have in the corporate world, because of their support to the current administration. They are more corrupt,incompentant than the weakest African country. They do not have it to run any form of company or a government. What the previous administration and corporaye world built these new assholes are destroying and are milking the system dry. You can take them out the bush but can not take the bush out of them

Twisted 11/13/2009 11:24:28 AM
When a union representative comes across as more reasonable than a business organisation, you have to start worrying. What everyone now needs from Escom is: Tell us where you are going and how you are getting there - and how much it's going to cost. Then everyone can start planning.

Point Blank@Biza 11/13/2009 11:26:25 AM
I agree Biza, calling him incompentent is harsh, he just wasn't good enough. Nothing wrong with that, many people find themselves in that situation, nothing to be ashamed about.

Gerry 11/13/2009 11:26:40 AM
Great article . We need to celebrate a job well done irrespective of the race of the person who has done that job and curse incompetence despite which race it comes from , after all race is only skin deep.

REALISTIC 11/13/2009 11:26:47 AM
Good article. I wonder if excellence of the BMF also applied to Thomo, Mgqula, Gama, Mpofu ?

SimonP 11/13/2009 11:26:58 AM
Suggesting ANC appointed CEOs are accountable for their screw ups? How ridiculous!

HD 11/13/2009 11:36:55 AM
@Zizo : Voting doesn't help because the numbers are against the well informed, fairly intelligent and educated people. Unfortunately all you need to vote is to survive 18 years. Start linking the vote to a certain level of education and you will see a difference!

Juan @zizo 11/13/2009 11:37:22 AM
You are stupid! Eskom was RUINED by your 'professional' maroga! TYPICAL! TYPICAL!! TYPICAL!!!!!

Deon@Zizo 11/13/2009 11:42:14 AM
What planet are you from? You need some serious introspection...once you've done so you'll smell the crap around you, otherwise just lick your lips and you will also taste the crap your are talking!!!

@Zizo 11/13/2009 11:43:11 AM
If the author is an "average" person that makes you well below average. Maroga has been tried and tested and proved himself to be useless, I have no doubt he will land another ANC deployment as he qualifies (hes useless).

richard 11/13/2009 11:46:26 AM
The BMF will obviously not respond to any challenge to now make comments and respond my reviewing the fact and performance. It's always easier to shout racism instead of putting forward a well reasoned argument. Idiots!!

Juan 11/13/2009 11:55:15 AM
SA would rather loose billions of rands due to eskom's failure than go the non-pc route and admit to intellectual inferiority.

Spiderman 11/13/2009 11:55:16 AM
Didn't the BMF also recommend jz and minima? At least then it makes sense!

@point blank 11/13/2009 11:58:30 AM
Why do you think that mediocrity is ok? He was not employed in a position where average is acceptable. He was at the helm of a massive organization earning massive money so surely average is not good enough?

Alicia 11/13/2009 12:01:16 PM
Spiwe, I too know so many succesful black CEO's. Hardworking, honest and sincere. Looking after their staff.
Do not think we compare you with the people running our Paristatles...they have all been given jobs by buddies, although they have no clue as to what they have to achieve. So corrupt.
That is why, we all have to try and get rid of the rubbish and let the brains, and the hardworking people take over. We can make this country work. We are just, unfortunately in the hands of a band of very dishonest people...and even amongst them there are those wishing and praying they could get down to some real work.
I really think Bobby Godsell should come back.
Anyway, it really is a good article. May goodness, light and sanity prevail.

@spiwe 11/13/2009 12:11:52 PM
I wish we had more like you and Zolani around, proper Knowlageble debators

Jayson 11/13/2009 12:12:13 PM
Spiwe - you said it and well done for saying it.
The proof is in the pudding and there are good decent honest business executives out there that are more interested in performing, whether in their own business's or on behalf of a business owned publically, than politics, the lime light, the bonuses.

They talk about the "few millionaire elite" that have benefited from BEE... so sad when half the population are homeless, starving and jobless, but 'power & publicity hungry', politically lined idiots are allowed to ruin / run down huge corporations to the detriment of the larger SA population... At the end of it, will it still be the because of 'apartheid', as Mugabe blames the UK?

Come on guys, take heed of Mnr Wors's letter.... None of us deserve the spoils of excellence...if we are not excellent ourselves.

Cynical 11/13/2009 12:16:03 PM
Excellence may be colour blind in normal countries but here everything is about colour. I demand this, I demand that, you owe me this, you owe me that, I am entitled to everything, I can screw up as much as I like and if you hold me accountable, I'll claim racism - that, my friend, is the reality of the New SA and that is why the country is sinking ever deeper into the Third World morass.

Juan @alicia 11/13/2009 12:19:00 PM
I see what you say, but there are a mass of uneducated people who VOTE for people who give jobs to buddies, rather than QUALIFIED people. Eskom's load shedding caused job-losses to these voters. ha ha.

Jon@Zizo 11/13/2009 12:20:03 PM
You really are a first class idiot..

@ Zizo 11/13/2009 12:22:07 PM
You are 100% right Zizo, a new position awaits him, Chairperson of the ANCWL would be ideal, for that moron, and why dont you also join them then you can get noticed and become his right hand "wo-man", you idiot!

Sbonelo 11/13/2009 12:26:07 PM
Well said, now if only certain people in SA would actually listen to you.
There are no superior races here, contrary to what certain people may think.

Cynical 11/13/2009 12:26:50 PM
There is no such thing as excellence being colour blind in this colour-obsessed country. I demand this, I demand that, I am entitled to everything, I can screw up as much as I like and if I am held accountable I'll play the race card - that's the reality here and part of the reason why we are so deep in the Third World morass.

@Wors 11/13/2009 12:28:09 PM
You and Vavi are wrong. Maroga was a brilliant CEO. Did you not hear what Manyi and the Bloody Moronic Forum, and Little Julie of the Children's League say?

LOL@spiwe 11/13/2009 12:29:23 PM
Are you serious, stop lying to us, do you think we are that stupid? You're not black, look you can't even spell your name correctly. You probably remembered(we know how hard that can be for you guys) one of your garden boys names and decided to use it to assist in your attempt at discrediting the BMF by showing that there are black executives out there who hate it, in your view what you consider to be 'good' blacks who want get rid of BEE and don't vote for the ANC. Get a life.

Point Blank@point blank 11/13/2009 12:40:01 PM
What you on about? No where did I say mediocrity was acceptable?? I clearly said he was just not good enough... good greif, has everyone lost the ability to read??

Nathan 11/13/2009 12:43:35 PM
@Zizo - YOU are the perfect example of why South Africa is the way it is.

Guru@Spiwe 11/13/2009 12:44:52 PM
I salute you my friend

@Point Blank 11/13/2009 12:47:01 PM
....and the ability to write. It is grief, not greif.

Hans@biza 11/13/2009 12:50:05 PM
Agreed that he can't be all that bad after all those years as an executive. Maybe he has had one promotion too many. Everybody has a ceiling

James1 11/13/2009 1:04:03 PM
I agree. excellence is colour blind. I recently heard Mr Khosa, Chairman of Nedbank speak, and I was impressed with the statements that he made. We as South Africans must stop shooting something down because of race or politics. If the person does something good, then good for them. If they mess up, then tough on them. We all mess up at some point in our lives.

karizi 11/13/2009 1:04:43 PM
Well done; a bunch of losers supporting one of their kind

Tonsil 11/13/2009 1:19:09 PM
Spiwe - I hope that is a typo, if not you are a fraud

Point Blank@Point Blank 11/13/2009 1:24:54 PM
I give up :) Guys are sharp today :)

Thabo 11/13/2009 1:34:05 PM
lol! "Spiwe" can't even spell his name.

ja 11/13/2009 1:38:15 PM
good letter - about time that south africa becomes colour blind to appoint the right people for the job so all south africans can benifit and stop waisting taxpayers money - we are loosing the cream of the crop with affirmitive action.the poor of this country will never be elevated by the appointement of CEO'S.

Attorney @Zizo 11/13/2009 1:50:40 PM
"Deploy", "leadership"? You sound just like a militant lemming. Every time I heard Jacob Maroga speak I knew my patience was about to be tested. He couldn't put his pants on properly, let alone run a multi-billion rand parastatal. Just another nepotism appointment. Which buddy of his has egg on his face now?

CTheB 11/13/2009 1:51:20 PM
@Zizo - to quote from Friends, that's some gentle comedy, dude.

Vovo 11/13/2009 1:53:49 PM
Here we go again...

One bings up a problem at a company with a CEO who happens to be black & a mamber who happens to be white & the comments start...

Incompetent ANC, Racist DA, useless this, bad that... News 24, congrats, you are not only the first SA news site to have 1 million visitors a day, you have successfully lurred 990 000 wingers, whiners, racists, singleminded politically unmotivated bored at work uselesses together under 1 banner...

Now just watch the @vovo comments start as to how all their pathetic whining & complainng actually to them is reasonable.

Oh, and speaking of incompetent, WTF are all you ppl doing behind your desks commenting during office hours??? dam... pots callin the kettle dark grey** (**dark grey is a colour used to a similar colour percieved to be racist...)

Bunch of hipocryts

@Vovo 11/13/2009 2:00:56 PM
I work for myself... :)

Attorney @vovo 11/13/2009 2:01:54 PM
...using my lunch hour dude... But I agree in principal with your complaint...

Sbonelo 11/13/2009 2:07:24 PM
@ Vovo - I 100% agree with you.
Too many double standards from certain people, no race or creed mentioned.

Spiderman @ Vovo 11/13/2009 2:10:43 PM
Om my gosh! Guess who did not get it last night, and probably also not tonight!

I use your smoke break time to comment on News24 as I don't smoke.

Lastly, were you on top of your desk when you typed your drivel?

ZM 11/13/2009 2:12:18 PM
Volvo take a chill pill man.

Thabo 11/13/2009 2:20:35 PM
@Vovo - 100% right. Oh, by the way, learn to spell.

John 11/13/2009 2:20:50 PM
Uhm Vovo, did you post your comments from the office?

Brandon 11/13/2009 2:25:47 PM
Volvo... "multi-tasking" is your friend boet.

Ghwappie @ Vovo 11/13/2009 2:31:52 PM
What are you whining about? I can't really make it out, your spelling is too atrocious. What's that first paragraph about a black mamba? Snakes alive...

@Zizo 11/13/2009 2:32:22 PM
What does it feel like to be called a moron by every one on this site? Doesnt that tell you somthing ? Out of all the people on here only two agree's with you. Just think (if you can) about it.Surely everyone ells cant be wrong! Glock

Tebogo to spiwe 11/13/2009 2:35:00 PM
Get a life spiwe, a real life, and stop impersonating others

Nic 11/13/2009 2:37:38 PM
Vovo - can you actualy read and write or are you forcing your 5 year old to do as daddy dictates? Chill out oke!

Joe 11/13/2009 2:54:44 PM
Where is the White Management Forum to defend Bobby Godsell.

fraud 11/13/2009 3:06:07 PM
So, third sausage, are all white CEO's perfect? If not, why have they not made the headlines? Why have you not written a letter about them? We need to acknowledge and accept that in South Africa, everything is about race. Maroga came thru the ranks at eskom and is a fully qualified engineer (plus other business related qualifications). I'm not saying he did a good job, but most of you seem to jump at every opportunity to say "we told you so! blacks can't do anything..."

SPIWE on Google 11/13/2009 3:10:15 PM
I googled the name SPIWE, there are plenty of them, it is a real name .

Mister A 11/13/2009 3:11:13 PM
Good article. The truth hurts.

Babooza 11/13/2009 3:23:16 PM
Although I don't support Maroga, i think it is wrong to say he was deployed by ANC. This guy started as an electrical engineer(from Wits) and grew within the industry. He was qualified for the job. It is just unfortunate that he couldn't run eskom. I wish luck for the feature as long as he doesn't work for another government department.

Point Blank@fraud 11/13/2009 3:26:26 PM
Gee fraud, where you been? Sleeping? A little late on the responses dude, go have a beer..

Blunt 11/13/2009 3:29:56 PM
If Excellence is colour blind, why is it only whites who get top jobs in the private sector? And please dont even mention Phuthuma Nhleko because he is one in a million

@KAREN 11/13/2009 5:14:29 PM
I've got a feeling that Karen would like to disguise herself for Karizi now.

Obelix 11/13/2009 10:22:38 PM
The "Peter Principal" states that "Every person, apart from the gifted few, rises to their level of incompetance - the secret of success is to recognise this fact and remain 1 level below"!

Just how many ceo's / managers etc do we have that fit in this category?

HJ 11/14/2009 1:50:12 PM
Well said, I think the BMF main purpose is to fight for incompetance look at some of the idiotic comments given in support of the BMF.I am sure it shows the intellect behind them and their supporters

Nicole 11/16/2009 10:03:31 AM
@Obelix
I love that... and so true...

Tebogo to SPIWE@GOOGLE 11/16/2009 10:57:55 AM
I have googled the name too. It's not a South African name. Period.

Who exactly are you 'spiwe'?

Lesedi 11/16/2009 11:52:08 AM
@spiwe- you cant fool me with that rubbish . What does spiwe mean ?
@letterwriter - stop fooling yourself , the world is not a fair place . I worked for these whities for 3 yrs and I was the most hardworking in my department and I got the the lowest pay just for being African . I moved on from working for any1 and BEE works good enough for me . I am a hardworking person and I am now getting what I deserve with BEE not this thing of me being segregated .

leigh 11/16/2009 3:11:08 PM
Long live The Third Wors

Red 11/16/2009 3:42:52 PM
I think that BBEEE is undermining the hard working black people who have worked their way into top positions as no one believes that they deserve it and a lot of the times they do

merlin643 11/17/2009 2:04:43 PM
When the Eskom board asked for a strategy document outlining the way forward for Eskom as an entity, Godsell outlined the problems from an operations point of view & made proposals on how to go about fixing these operational issues.
Maroga on the other hand, submitted his strategy document, that focused on racism within the rank & file, also that there were to many whites in supervisory roles.
No wonder the Eskom board went with Godsell & accpted Maroga's resignation.

blackout 11/17/2009 2:14:35 PM
In the land of the dark, excellence and skin colour for that matter is irrelevant. Miraculously, the National ESKOM blackouts somehow resolved themselves under heaps of speculated interference and Maroga is blamed for poor leadership. I think a ANCYL rat somewhere got into the transformer box and chewed the cables.

xenephobia 11/18/2009 5:29:18 AM
SPIWE is a an African name. Maybe not with South African Roots but an African name. There are many Spiwes in Zimbabwe. Does being an African with roots out of Africa make one any less black in South Africa? Calling SPIWE a fraud has just uncovered your Xenophobic Dark Side! Besides this, who are you to dictate the spelling of a name to a person? LOL The next thing you gonna say is XENOPHOBIA is not a South African name....

XENEPHOBIA 11/18/2009 5:32:42 AM
By the way, The spelling of XENEPHOBIA as my pen name is spelled incorrectly on purpose...But that is what I chose as my pen name...HEHE

Dianne 11/18/2009 10:18:35 AM
Excellent article. Brilliantly said. As Tito Mboweni said yesterday on the Jenny Crwys-Williams show, Dedication and hard work will get you to the top and keep you there, whether you are black, white, pink, green or purple. Interesting to note that he did not think himself capable of running Eskom. I say he should be SA's next president. Wonderful man!
Your name
*
Email
*
Comment
*
 
 
 

inside news24

Weather
Traffic
Lottery
Cpt: 18-29°C High level clouds. Warm. Pta: 18-31°C Tstorms late. Afternoon clouds. Pleasantly warm.
Jhb: 15-29°C Mostly sunny. Pleasantly warm. Bloem: 13-32°C Sunny. Pleasantly warm.
Dbn: 18-25°C Sprinkles early. More sun than clouds. Mild. PE: 15-23°C Sunny. Mild.
7 day forecasts...

Jobs - Find your dream job

Cars - Search 1000's of new and used cars

AUDI

2009 Audi A3 2.0 T Sportback Manual - 24000kms
Lava Grey & Tan leather interior
R 275 000

AUDI

RS4 4.2 V8 Quattro
2007
R 529,900.00

TOYOTA

Corolla Verso 180 MPV
2007
R 154,990.00

VOLKSWAGEN

CitiGolf Chico 1.4 5-dr Phase II
2006
R 57,995.00

Property - Find a new home

BLOUBERGSTRAND

Multiple Unit R1,695,000

MIDSTREAM ESTATE

Single Residential R3,800,000

PLETTENBERG BAY

Single Residential R10,000,000

Travel - Look, Book, Go!

Luxury bush escape

Book a five-star stay at Pumba Game Lodge or Richard Branson's Ulusaba Safari Lodge and save R2 000. More details!

Free Games - TOO MUCH NEWS? TAKE A BREAK!

Kalahari.net - shop online today

Great Festive Savings on Books

Up to 30% Off ALL Books. 2.3 million titles on SALE.

Sleek New iPod Range. Order Your's Now!

iPod nano 16GB - Black, Was R2,499.00 Now R2,299.00! Save R200!

Up to 40% off Fabulous Festive Flicks

46 000 DVDs and Blu-Ray on sale now! Pre-order Up and District 9!

Up to 20% off ALL Music

100s of festive new releases now in stock! Now, Bump 25, Bon Jovi & more!

1000s of Festive Toys on Sale

Lots of Toys, free gift wrap, lowest prices on Lego Mindstorm, Ben 10, Hannah Montana & more!

Hot Deal of the Day!

Up to 30% off Books

Ends midnight, 30 November

2.3 million titles on sale! New Stieg Larsson, Jeremy Clarkson, Jamie Oliver & more!

Up to 40% Off Sale on All Books, Toys, CDs, DVDs & Games!