Accelerate Cape Town CEO, Ryan Ravens
FROM THE CEO
The Constitutional Court’s Wild Coast judgment last month should be read by every business leader in this province, and not as an energy story, but as a leadership lesson. Shell did not lose on geology or economics. They lost because affected communities had not been properly consulted. Years of technical work and reportedly more than a billion rand of investment did not compensate for a failure of judgement and empathy.
Recent studies suggest that developing our offshore oil and gas, and the infrastructure and ancillary industries around it, could add materially to GDP and create tens of thousands of jobs. Whether we realise any of it depends less on the seismic data than on whether leaders can hold economic ambition and social licence together, rather than trade one against the other.
That is the argument in this week’s focus article. AI will do the modelling, the permitting analysis, and the scenario planning. It cannot earn consent and community buy-in. Judgement, ethics, empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking are now the scarce inputs. The lesson from the Wild Coast is that their absence could represent a binding constraint on our growth.
FOCUS ISSUE
AI: Leadership in the Age of Intelligence
As AI becomes increasingly embedded in the workplace, leadership itself is evolving.
While technology can process information faster than ever before, qualities such as judgement, ethics, empathy, creativity, and strategic thinking remain distinctly human. In many ways, the rise of AI places an even greater premium on leadership.
Leaders are now tasked with navigating new questions around governance, risk, workforce transformation, and responsible adoption. They must balance innovation with accountability, while ensuring their organisations remain adaptable in a rapidly changing environment.
Successful AI adoption will not be determined by technology alone. It will depend on leaders who can create clarity amid uncertainty, build trust, and guide their organisations through change.
The challenge is not whether leaders can use AI, but whether they can lead effectively in a world where AI is becoming part of everyday business.
π€ Question for members: What leadership skills will become most important as AI continues to reshape the workplace?
MEMBERSHIP SPOTLIGHT
Strengthening the Network
ACT is delighted to welcome Fairbridges Wertheim to the network.
With a history dating back to 1812, Fairbridges is recognised as one of South Africa’s oldest and most established law firms. Over more than two centuries, the firm has built a reputation for providing trusted legal and strategic counsel to businesses across a wide range of sectors, helping clients navigate complex commercial environments and opportunities for growth.
Its extensive experience and deep understanding of the business landscape will bring valuable perspective to discussions shaping the future of the Western Cape economy.
π€We look forward to Fairbridges’ contribution to the network and to the insights and collaboration that will emerge through its participation in the ACT community.
Click here to listen to Fairbridges Director Zaeem Soofie who discussed the Wild Coast judgment on METRO FM, weighing due process and community rights against energy security and investment.
π WHAT WEβRE WATCHING
- Post-ruling investment: Whether other offshore operators along South Africa’s coast β including TotalEnergies’ ongoing work off Mossel Bay – adjust their community consultation approach in light of the Wild Coast precedent, or whether the ruling becomes an isolated setback rather than a shift in practice.
- Regulatory response: Whether government moves to clarify environmental authorisation and public participation requirements for offshore exploration following the judgment, or whether companies are left to interpret ‘proper consultation’ case by case.
NUMBER OF THE WEEK
R23bn
R23 billion in annual GDP and 20,000 jobs is what industry estimates say South Africa forfeited when the Constitutional Court barred Shell’s Wild Coast exploration (BusinessTech, citing Energeo Alliance).
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