Billionaire Christo Wiese’s message to the South African government
South African billionaire Christo Wiese said the government should focus on law and order and get out of the way of the private sector, which is fixing the country’s problems.
He shared his opinion about South Africa during a discussion with Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh on the SMWX podcast.
Wiese is one of South Africa’s most successful businessmen, having built numerous retail giants, including Pepkor and Shoprite.
He served as chairman of both Shoprite, which owns Checkers, OK Bazaars, and Usave, as well as Pepkor, the parent company of Pep Stores, for decades.
He describes himself as an incurable optimist who believes that South Africa is the best country in the world to live in.
One of the main reasons Wiese is optimistic about his home country is its people, whom he describes as good and friendly.
“I believe most of the people in South Africa are good people. There are other countries where you cannot say that of people,” he said.
He explained that, in the end, the fact that the majority of South Africans are good people will matter.
He is also optimistic about South Africa due to its strong private sector, which helps address many of the country’s challenges.
“South Africa differs from failed African nations in that it has a vibrant, large, competent, and committed private sector,” he said.
“Whatever the government cannot do, and there is a lot, the private sector can fix in a short period.”
Wiese believes that if the government gets out of the way, the private sector can solve the country’s numerous problems.
“A year from now, South Africa will be unrecognisable. All we need to do is get rid of our ideological hangups.”
Law and order should be a priority in South Africa
Wiese said the South African government should focus on ensuring there is law and order in the country, as it is the primary function of the state.
He cited Senior Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong, who said the primary function of any government is law and order.
“If you let law and order slip in a country, you have a huge problem,” Wiese said, explaining that it is the foundation of a healthy society.
He added that Argentina’s President Javier Milei shares this view and has turned the country around in a short period.
Milei said the top priority for creating a prosperous Argentina is restoring the rule of law and the sanctity of contracts.
Wiese said the revelations in the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Criminality, Political Interference, and Corruption in the Criminal Justice System are shocking.
He said many South Africans ascribed the problems in the police and judiciary to incompetence, but more nefarious reasons have now come to light.
“We knew for a long time that something was badly wrong in our judicial system. However, we did not know the rot was that deep,” he said.
He said people were appointed to positions where they could not perform their functions and were set up to be corrupted.
“It is very worrying, and hopefully, it will be one of the factors which will make South Africa change direction,” he said.
Wiese urged the South African government to take decisive action to resolve its problems and create a more prosperous country.
He said that one of the major obstacles to doing the right thing is absolute ideologies which do not serve South Africa’s needs.
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