Car makers reflecting the spirit of ubuntu

Ubuntu is not a phrase you would normally associate with the hard-nosed business world, but it can be fostered alongside the balance sheets if, as a major manufacturing company, you allow your suppliers to also work for your competitors.

That’s what Ford South Africa is doing in encouraging small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) to become part of its local supplier network.

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Esther Buthelezi, Ford’s local transformation manager, says this strategy can help make small businesses more sustainable – and create even more jobs. And, as she points out in an opinion piece today, a job created is likely to be for a breadwinner, so families are getting the opportunity for a better life.

“It’s a step towards financial security and a step away from generational poverty,” she says.

Another multinational giant in our motor industry, Volkswagen, is also investing heavily in supporting new players in its supply chain, as well as running a number of outreach programmes in education and social upliftment.

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This is the dividend from having an attractive environment for foreign investors – those committed to a long-term partnership with our country. In not putting profits ahead of people, such companies truly reflect the spirit of ubuntu: “I am because we are…”