Dr Nthabiseng Moleko: Revivalist visionary for the nation

For Dr Nthabiseng Moleko, University of Stellenbosch Business School (USB) development economist and deputy chair of the Commission for Gender Equality, being excluded from a high school tennis team on the basis of race became a turning point. That experience, she remembers, “pushed me towards the pursuit of justice. University was also a pivotal moment in my development, where I learnt about global inequalities between the richer and poorer nations.”

Undeterred by her early brush with the realities of racism, Moleko used that experience as motivation to reach great heights. She became the first black South African to be appointed as a core faculty member at USB, where she teaches economics and statistics.

Moleko has served in various business and academic entities, as chief executive of the Joe Gqabi Economic Development Agency, a researcher at the Eastern Cape Socioeconomic Consultative Council, a member of the board for the National Empowerment Fund’s investment committee and Ikhala Technical and Vocational Education and Training College Council.

With August being Women’s Month, Moleko maintains that despite the country having made strides in closing the gender gap, much more needs to be done. The gender wage gap and racial and gender discrimination in the labour market are still rife.

“We have low participation of women in productive sectors, racial and gender barriers to entry on both board representation and executive level in the private sector.”

Turning to societal violence, Moleko says statistics point to “a broken nation, with the highest rape incidents in the world, ever-increasing femicide levels and heart-wrenching sexual assault cases in our communities”.

“We need to respond to gender-based violence (GBV) as an epidemic, how we have responded to Covid–19 – with adequate resourcing, tracking, consistent government and media focus, as well as capacity support. While effective policing and oversight of the criminal justice system is necessary, more important are preventative measures that eliminate the root causes.

“Support to victims of GBV is crucially needed. Legislative changes, private sector participation and transformation are key to addressing some of the other inequalities listed. Gender inequality limits a nation from reaping the benefits of all its citizens. South Africa in this time of crisis requires the best from its citizens to optimise outcomes,” says Moleko.

She concedes that to revive its economy, it is important for South African leadership, labour, government and business to show a united front in applying strategies to grow the county’s embattled economy.

“A house divided against itself cannot stand,” she maintains. “The past 25 years has seen the implementation of actions that benefitted an elite minority, existing well-established companies.”

New entrants from the majority of previously excluded South Africans have been left out.

“All agree the economy needs revival, but the fundamentals should prioritise industrialisation, labour absorptive strategies, building domestic food production capabilities and enhancing rural development while building state capacity. “The status quo cannot remain.”

What does government need to do to stabilise public debt, removing structural constraints to growth?

“The country needs a coherent economic plan vested in transforming the outcomes of current economic policy, which has resulted in lacklustre growth, de-industrialisation and mammoth unemployment,” says Moleko.

“There is no economic plan supported by unions, the private sector and the state. The plan should be focused on building industrial muscle in both urban and rural areas, increasing market access of new entrants through the removal of barriers to entry in key economic sectors.

“This requires alignment of all state entities towards this goal, with the long-term intent of building new industries and sectors. “The use of monetary, fiscal and social policy tools should be coordinated to respond to the colonial investment growth path that SA has not moved from post-democracy.”

To stabilise debt, the country needs to grow, but also use alternative sources of capital.

“South Africa has deep and extensive capital markets and pension funds that are inadequately used for national development. The time is now to benchmark Canada, USA and many Latin American countries in creating an infrastructure asset class for national development.”

To address glaring poverty, Moleko wants to see the livelihoods of rural communities improved.

“It is not enough to provide infrastructure, but important to build economic nodes and improve market access of small, medium and micro enterprises, fast-tracking enterprises in these regions. This will change the path of uneven development we have been unable to break.

“The model of growth driven by malls – a sign of consumption driven growth – needs to be reviewed. Most malls neither sell local products, nor are the value chains of retail chains owned by those communities residents.”

Moleko holds an honours degree in business science from the University of Cape Town and an MPhil in development finance from USB, having completed her PhD in development finance at USB. She is the first SA woman to be conferred a doctorate in the discipline.

The author of Been Chasing Destiny – a call to all to better the nation – is currently reading three books: The Economic Disasters of the 20th Century, Crisis Economics and From Third World to First: The Singapore Story: 1965-2000. “And I always read the Bible,” she adds.

– brians@citizen.co.za

For more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.