The Ballot and the Boardroom: Getting Real About Business in KZN
Grant Adlam
The voting booths are open across KwaZulu-Natal today. It is a critical civic duty, so get out there, read the manifestos, think carefully about why and who you are voting for, and put your cross on that piece of paper. But while the outcome matters, we need to keep our perspective. The macro environment will inevitably shift, whether from local election results or global ripples like Donald Trump and his overseas posturing. However, in the silos where we operate, we simply adapt.
If we obsess over political outcomes we cannot control, we lose focus on the operational realities we must manage today. What do we do today? What do people need that we can provide? In our office, no matter what the political landscape looks like when we wake up tomorrow, every day is a Monday. We still have to be in business. We tackle it and get on with the job.
This grounded reality was echoed recently at Standard Bank’s Kingsmead head office in Durban during the UNLOCK 2026 function. I attended this alongside Russell Curtis, Pria Hassan, David White and Fikile Msiza, who is the Regional Head of Business Banking KZN at Standard Bank. The message we discussed there was clear. It is about doing fewer things, but doing them exceptionally well. Russell pointed out that in South Africa we place far too much influence on politics and not nearly enough on business. Business is business and it will endure.
One of the most enlightening moments for me was hearing Fikile from Standard Bank speak. She wasn't talking about promises of government grants, handouts, or bailout packages. She made a very simple, grounded point. If you are in business, have a sound idea, and are fully compliant, getting your taxes, records, and statutory requirements completely right, anyone will lend you money because you are a bankable, sound investment.
That is how real business is built on hustle. When many of us started, no bank was going to touch us on the back of a good idea alone. We had to hassle, making one rand become four, and four become twenty. We had to barter, wheel, and deal. Think about the iconic success stories in our province, like Allan Hirsch and the Hirsch's story, or Anant Singh, or Vivian Reddy. Nobody got handouts. They worked, they struggled, and they built their empires through sheer persistence. Look at the Beekman brothers from Port Shepstone on the South Coast. They started out in a caravan park with one business opportunity and went on to build one of the top enterprises in the country. They didn't wait for some saviour to rescue them, they took responsibility and got to work.
Pria Hassan made a fantastic point when asked how she comes up with ideas. It comes from irritations. If there is an irritation or something broken in the market, fix it and you will make money. You don’t need to reinvent the wheel, just find what isn't working and make it better. After the function, the enthusiasm from the aspiring entrepreneurs and business people was brilliant. People approached me asking how we built our electronic directory, the KZN Top Business Nexus, wanting to know how it works and how they can get involved. I love that proactive approach.
During the session, Russell identified two distinct levels of thinking. On one hand, you have the external focus, where people concentrate on how they did this to us, and now what are they going to do for us. This puts all the power on some external force, like the government, which is the wrong way to look at it. On the other hand, you have the internal processes and focus, where people look at the environment and say, yes, they did it, but I am fixing it and I am going to take it forward. That is where the aha moments happen. Real entrepreneurs don't wait to be saved. They ask what localised problem they can solve today with the resources they have.
Let’s have a real look at the tangible movements right here in our province, driven by that exact mindset. Take the recent private capital expenditure at Unilever's Maydon Wharf facility, headed up by Southern Africa CEO Stefan Cloete. At the press conference, a reporting journalist asked the media representation how many more people are employed. My response to the young journalist was that, in actual fact, that is the wrong question. The real victory of that investment isn't just immediate new hires. It is that they have guaranteed that Vaseline will be made right here in a South African town for the next ten years. The true impact is the massive knock on effect for everybody downstream, including the people who print the packaging, manage the distribution, and supply the raw materials. In fact, a lot of our KZN Top Business companies win awards and get prizes directly from investing back into this exact local system.
The same applies to the Toyota Prospecton plant's R10.4 billion injection. It’s not just about the final assembly line, it’s the fact that R4.4 billion went straight into the local supply chain. We also see this with global, catalytic companies operating in our backyard like Hesto Harnesses in KwaDukuza. They make the automotive wiring harnessing and drive industrial capabilities that impact the world. Just last month, the KwaZulu-Natal Investment Conference showcased further historic investment commitments flowing into the province.
These businesses create ecosystems. They expand markets and create stability despite the political noise around them. Within our own immediate circles, we continue to drive critical training, support, and development, ensuring that our local workforce is ready for these opportunities.
So, put your vote in today, but don't let the politics overshadow the commerce. Let's shift our focus to the positive, catalytic investments happening all around us. I'll see you at the office tomorrow. Because tomorrow, just like every day, is a Monday.
