02 May 2024
By: Vida Booysen
Dr Sam Motsuenyane, one of South Africa’s most influential business leaders and a silent force behind the development of black commercial farmers, died at the age of 97 on 29 April.
Motsuenyane was an advocate for self-development and believed people should solve their own problems rather than waiting for someone else to help, according to his autobiography, A Testament of Hope.
He was a great friend of agriculture who believed a country’s industrial development is led by development in the agricultural value chain and that it begins with the processing of primary agricultural products on farms. He strongly advocated that black farmers should not only play be subsistence farmers but develop as commercial farmers.
Motsuenyane, born on 11 February, 1927, on the Eignaarsfontein farm near Potchefstroom, was a founding member of the National African Farmers’ Union, which aimed to assist in the development of black commercial farmers.
The Sam Motsuenyane Rural Development Foundation was established in 2006 to uplift rural communities and develop their agricultural skills. The foundation has established agricultural development projects, such as vegetable gardens and communal farms, in Gauteng, North West and Mpumalanga.
Motsuenyane was also the driving force behind a citrus project of the Winterveldt United Farmers’ Association which created numerous job opportunities in the impoverished area north of Pretoria. Motsuenyane and his wife, Jocelyn, lived in Winterveldt, where he also farmed citrus.
Innovative businessman
However, Motsuenyane is best known as one of the founders of the National African Federated Chambers of Commerce (Nafcoc) in 1964 and established African Bank in 1975 to bridge the gap in financing for black enterprises.
He started the bank with R70 and quickly persuaded other members of the black community to raise the R1 million needed to open the first branch in Ga-Rankuwa, according to African Bank’s website. Under his leadership, Nafcoc grew to 100 000 members, according to the website of the Sam Motsuenyane Foundation.
“Dr Motsuenyane’s leadership style was characterised by his willingness to listen to others, his ability to find consensus, and his commitment to justice and equality,” the foundation said in its tribute.
“He understood that the success of his organisation depended on the success of its members, and he worked hard to ensure that they had the resources and tools to make their businesses a success.”
The business organisation Sakeliga said Motsuenyane set an admirable example as a businessman, philanthropist and advocate of independence and market solutions instead of state intervention.
In November 2013, in his speech at the reception of an award from the Free Market Foundation, Motsuenyane said that without high economic growth, social problems cannot be solved. In his speech, he criticised the government for the bureaucracy and overregulation businesses face.
“If our existing labour laws, as well as the prevailing bureaucracy and excessive corruption, create an environment in which it is difficult for entrepreneurs to do business freely, new job opportunities will not be created and new enterprises will not be established,” he said, according to Netwerk 24.
In 2002, Motsuenyane received the national award, the Order of the Baobab, for his contribution to the business world and community development.
