It’s often lauded that South Africa is at the vanguard of e-commerce and technology as compared to other African nations. Complimentary as that is, there is a whole world out there, have we reached the standard?
The combination of first world and developing world circumstances in South Africa leaves us in a unique situation. A population that is divided between those who thirst for digital progression and those who prefer to be business as usual. I can recall, while in employment of a prominent research house, there was an effort to gather point of sale of information from informal stores in rural areas (or spazas as these stores are affectionately known as, in South Africa). The challenge was that there were no point of sale systems in place, most stores still used the old till drawer. This would have meant ignoring a sample in an industry that contributes R7 billion to the South African economy. A clear example of the old adage, first world ambitions facing third world realities.
The admission in a free South Africa that women had been marginalized in the work environment was a big step for us. The socio-economic maturity of countries and corporations are often judged by the progression of women within their structure. It was only a matter of time until South Africa would feel the impact of a feminine touch with tech entrepreneurs like Anette Muller and Barbara Mallinson, taking their opportunities to its full potential. The possibilities may exist, but as evidenced by Grant Thornton , the percentage of women in senior positions in Corporate South Africa has been stagnant from 2008 and 2013. An article coincidentally written by the company’s female deputy CEO Jeanette Hern.
As Mzansi dwellers, we have had to wait for cutting edge conveniences to hit our shores. Items have sometimes become mainstream elsewhere before South African release. Microsoft’s X-Box One, was officially released internationally in May 2013, our release is slated for September 2014. Sounds harsh, but when you consider that countries like Hong Kong, India, Singapore and Taiwan are receiving theirs at the same time, the glass is certainly half full if we are categorized with these Asian powerhouses by a colossal like Microsoft. The state of our bandwidth infrastructure is also indicative of our technological adolescence. We are at the cusp of breaking the shackles that has monopolized South Africa since our digital initiation. The increased competition is surely going to allow SA to travel the same Super Highway as the rest of the modern world. This is ideally reflected in the massive growth in local mobile data usage
In this World Cup month, it will be unfair not to mention the 2010 World, a historical moment that showcased what we can do. Which goes to show, If I may paraphrase Henry Ford, whether South Africa thinks she can or can’t, she is right.
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