Top entrepreneur - Koos Bekker

[Dave A]

Well done Koos Bekker!

Naspers MD Koos Bekker, who was instrumental in bringing the concept of pay television to SA, has clinched the South African leg of the Ernst & Young and Rand Merchant Bank's Best Entrepreneur for 2006.
Bekker was up against Enaleni CEO Trevor Edwards, Grindrod CE Ivan Clark, Wiphold co-founders Louisa Mojela and Gloria Serobe and Adam Ebrahim, CEO of Oasis Group Holdings.

Bekker's key innovations include the birth of M-Net, Supersport, MultiChoice (Satellite DSTV), and M-Web in South Africa, as well as the encryption provider Irdeto in Holland; the co-creation with other shareholders of MTN locally and Tencent (QQ) in China.

Most recently his entrepreneurial creations included the initiation of the broadband service Entriq in the US. He has also been instrumental in the transformation of Naspers since he took over in 1997, both financially and strategically.

His view on entrepreneurship includes a caution. He told Fin24 sister publication Finweek in a recent interview that entrepreneurs must often take great risks to make money. "But they aren't gamblers - because they hate losing."

He said he finds the media world exciting because it moves so rapidly and involves so many disciplines - technology, social trends, the economy, poker and a bit of human knowledge. "As soon as you think you know something, it's already outdated."
from Fin24 here

A truly formidable list of achievements.

[duncan drennan]

He said he finds the media world exciting because it moves so rapidly and involves so many disciplines - technology, social trends, the economy, poker and a bit of human knowledge. "As soon as you think you know something, it's already outdated."

Couldn't we say that this is true for almost every industry?

[duncan drennan]

Alec Hogg's commentary on MoneyWeb is also quite interesting,

For me, the content was fascinating. Here was one of the country’s business leaders raising his head above the parapet to make a rare public statement on issues most of his peers skirt around.

Bekker appealed for an “all out� drive on BEE for the next five years, but pleaded for end to all the rules and legislation thereafter. Only by having a deadline, he argued, can the country normalize and become a permanent home for its people of all races. Drawing on international history, he also made a compelling case for SA to take control of its own destiny.

One former SA Entrepreneur of the Year told me he thought the speech was brave, intellectually stimulating, and “absolutely brilliant�. Another of the past winners described it as out of place and “over my head�.

But that’s Bekker. One who inspires devotion or distaste. Support or envy. Admiration or disgust. And the man who carries SA’s hopes of unprecedented back-to-back victories in a competition which recognizes the best entrepreneurs from 39 countries.

Full story on MoneyWeb

[Sieg]

Phutuma Nathi, Koos Bekker, Naspers & Multichoice

I have a very different view of Koos Bekker and his fellow directors at Naspers. Naspers was the driving force behind "Phutuam Nathi". This is what I wrote to a friend of mine recently:

Dale -


I guess many whiteys are pissed off that this share offer, like so many others, is only for the Blacks (which, surprisingly, includes Coloureds and Indians - just like the Racial Classification of the previous government, which made us "advantaged" wit ouks spend two years of our lives wasting for them, even if we didn't want to, and ignores Chinese, European, Brazilian, Cuban and other South African people).

What makes Phutuma Nathi a bit different from the others is that it is done by MultiChoice, the same company, owned by that bastion of Africanerdom, Naspers (Nasionale Pers), from which you and I subscribe to DSTV and / or M Net. I think it really gets to us that a large portion of their subscriber base is "white", i.e. ouks like you and I that have a "white" skin colour, due to no fault of our own. So, they'll gladly take our money and encourage us to watch even more DSTV, when we don't really have much choice as far as pay tv in SA is concerned, but when it comes to saying thank you for your support, they would rather just tell us, no, we don't want to sell shares to you because you are the wrong skin colour and we have BEE to comply with, you know! What hypocrites.

I wrote to them when they first announced this "offer". I had no response. Well, I've cancelled my Finweek subs, Moneyweb subs, Runners World subs and if there was any other choice, I'd certainly also cancel Multichoice / DSTV.

I think what we all need to be aware of, is how wide the Naspers / Media 24 / Multichoice net is. Have a look at their structure: http://www.naspers.co.za/English/company_structure.asp

Some of what it controls, is in my previous e mail which I have repeated below.

I now find that somehow, Naspers apparently has a share in MTN. I have an 083 number, since 2000. Thank goodness for Mobile Number Portability: I can now move over to Cell C (the only one of the four that does not have a mighty organization like Naspers behind it. It is Saudi and I'd rather let them have my money instead of Naspers and Telkom.

I recently received notification that the Professional Provident Fund was also doing a BEE thingie (guess what: at the expense of the whities!) so I'm cancelling my PPS membership after some 24 years.

Maybe if I make lots of money next year, I can mount a Constitutional Court challenge to the racially based and discriminatory BEE Legislation.

The moral of this story is: be careful about who you do business with! Check first to see who gets your money and vote by "non-support".

Sieg

PS

I don't fill up with Shell.
I cancelled the Virgin Credit Card.
I won't fly SAA.
etc
We do have some choices.


-----



My e mail of 20th October 2006:

You will have heard about Phutuma Nathi.

This is a share offer to buy shares in Multi Choice South Africa ("MCSA").

MCSA is the broadcaster of DSTV / M Net.

MCSA is owned and controlled by Naspers.

Naspers owns M Web, Supersport, 24.com (with all that goes with that such as FIN24)

Naspers owns the publications issued by Media 24, such as Natal Witness, various magazines (see the Media 24 website at http://www.media24.com/) including those issued by "Touchline Media" such as Touchline Media, such as:
Bicycling South Africa
FitPregnancy
Golf Digest South Africa
Kick Off
Men's Health
Men's Health Living
Runner's World
Sports Illustrated
Shape
The Wisden Cricketer SA

etc etc.



Phutuma Nathi is only for "black" people. Coloured and Indian people are "classified" by Naspers as "black".



Pale ones are excluded from the share offer.



It is therefor discriminatory.



I know what I'm going to do to protest:



1. Cancel my Finweek subscription;

2. Cancel Runners World subscription;

3. As soon as there is another choice available (Maybe early next year), I'll cancel DSTV;

4. Let them know why I'm doing this; and

5. Avoid ANY of their "products" in future.



Sieg

________________________________

[Dave A]

I respect people who stand up for what they believe. Nice one Sieg.

Despite Sieg's reservations, I think it serves as inspiration to us all that one man has managed to achieve so much.

Now all we need is Koos Bekker to pop by to explain his view on the need for Phutuma Nathi and then let the debate begin

[duncan drennan]

I recently received notification that the Professional Provident Fund was also doing a BEE thingie (guess what: at the expense of the whities!) so I'm cancelling my PPS membership after some 24 years.

Personally I'm VERY unhappy with this PPS BEE deal. It sucks. Unfortunately my address hadn't been updated with them and I only got the information late. I've just actually responded in hope that I'll be heard.

[Sieg]

BEE & PPS

This is for Duncan:

The BEE transaction by PPS has apparently not yet been approved.

I received an e mail from the development manager, Andre Tait at PPS, about this recently. Apparently the matter must still go to the Board for approval. Its not too late to voice your objection: forward your e mail to him at atait@pps.co.za.

I have found an alternative to PPS via the Legal Provident Fund (which is neutral and does not need any specific BEE component) and I will be cancelling PPS as of 1 January 2007. This is so that I can still receive my allocation which is done on 31st December every year.

A few years ago PPS changed from a provident society to a company limited by guarantee, etc. We (the members) were given a long Schpiel at the time about how it is necessary to comply with the Law, etc. In retrospect, it appears that this was all just a Schlenter to get BEE through.

Maybe the board of directors of PPS will have a re-think when more members say they will resign. I have sent my objections to one of the board members directly.

Sieg

[duncan drennan]

Hi Sieg,

I've posted a new thread to continue this discussion,

http://www.theforumsa.co.za/forums/showthread.php?t=508

[Candy Bouwer]

Sieg "The Dragon Slayer"...had a nice ring to it..... now we have 2!

[Dave A]

Hee Hee - Want to get the word out - post at The Forum SA.

http://www.google.com/search?q=phutuma%20nathi&hl=en

[Sieg]

Koos & Co

I understand that "Phutuma Nathi" Koos is now so tired after putting in so much effort on Phutuma Nathi, that he is taking a year's sabbatical.

Ag shame.


Sieg


"Victorious Peace"

[Candy Bouwer]

"Victorious Peace"

[Dave A]

That had me chuckling too