Make better choices for the country – Nyati urges young South Africans

Eskom board chairman Dr Mteto Nyati (Photo by Gallo Images/Jeffrey Abrahams)Eskom board chairman Mteto Nyati has urged young South Africans to go out and vote so they can make better choices for the country.

Speaking in Cape Town at the Standard Bank One Young World Summit – a gathering of over 2,000 young changemakers from around the world – Nyati told participants that companies and countries are shaped by the choices made by those with a stake in them.

“When I look at our country, when I look at the world, when I look at companies, all of this is linked directly to the choices that we have made. We all make choices, but in the end, our choices make us. You are where you are. You are exactly where you should be, given the choices that you have made; if you are happy with your life, that’s great. If you are not, it means that you need to be making different choices. You are not stuck,” he said.

In a speech focused on challenging young leaders to back themselves in the face of systemic barriers and transform institutions they are part of, Nyati specifically called on South African participants to go out and vote.

“I mean, we’re such a great country; we’ve got so much potential as a country. If we can just make better choices. But that’s a good thing, which means there is something that we can do. Those of you have not voted, they need to go find a time to go vote today to help us, to help us to make better choices. So, please be conscious of the choices that you make because they are the ones that will define where you end up in life,” he added.

Held in Cape Town for the first time, the Summit features a powerful line-up of speakers, among them top US actors who include Academy Award winner Forrest Whitaker, award-winning actress Gillian Anderson of X-Files fame, Terry Crews, and Danai Gurira, the American actress with roots in Zimbabwe. Also on various panels are prominent jurist and former Constitutional Court judge Albie Sachs, former Public Protector Thuli Madonsela, Irish artist and political activist Sir Bob Geldof, former President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos, and Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, British-Iranian author and former hostage. Those further billed to speak include chairman of the board of Bidvest Group, Bonang Mohale; Standard Bank chief economist, Gulam Ballim; and sports stars Francois Pienaar, Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira, and Proteas captain Themba Bavuma.