Brook Valley Talks
The Brook Valley Talks: IT and Digital Scene in South Africa – Part 2
26. Oktober 2022
„We are more than an extended workbench – that's what sets us apart from other markets"
In the last interview, we reported on the fact that a professional IT and digital scene has developed in South Africa, which German companies have not yet identified as a sourcing potential. In the new episode, Felix Finger, Managing Partner of Brook Valley, talks to Anthony Robinson, Executive Chairman of technology and IT consultancy Saratoga in Cape Town, about specialization, the roots of entrepreneurship in the IT and digital scene and the differences to other markets.
Felix Finger: Software developers, UI/UX specialists and data science – these are the strengths of the South African IT and digital scene. Anthony, does that also describe your perspective?
Anthony Robinson: For all these topics you can certainly find excellent people here in the main urban centres such as Cape Town and Johannesburg. But I'm not sure I would see this specialization as our strength. I see much more that we have above all great generalists – who not only implement the specifications of large companies as an extended workbench, but who are really in a position to develop their own ideas, to drive them forward, and to offer real advice to their customers. We have a very entrepreneurial attitude here, which clearly distinguishes us from traditional supplier markets such as India or Southeast Asia. That is our great asset.
Felix Finger: 'Generalist because of the European-influenced university education' – why is entrepreneurship particularly strong in South Africa?
Anthony Robinson: We are still children of the apartheid era. It was a hard time. The country was economically isolated, and many suffered real privation. Only those who had good ideas and who drove hard to translate them into factual action were able to prevail. All of this makes us massively entrepreneurial. We think of the world differently than classic IT and digital scenes in emerging markets.
Felix Finger: Despite an unemployment rate of more than 35 percent in South Africa, you also complain about a shortage of skilled workers. How does that work together?
Anthony Robinson: South Africa is a complex country – in every respect. Even today, we basically have something like a 'first world' and a 'third world' economy. The IT scene is at the first-world level. Those with the right skills are in very high demand. The 'war for talent' has been going on here for a long time.
Felix Finger: What needs to happen to make German industry more aware of the opportunities in South Africa?
Anthony Robinson: Spread the word: We South Africans don't just have IT and digital experts who implement. We have excellent generalists who can consult on an equal footing in the same time zone – and thus become part of international development teams. We have excellent, generalist training programs. We have a good, so far quite stable price level. And culturally, we equal Europeans in many ways.
Felix Finger ist Managing Partner bei Brook Valley. Anthony Robinson ist Executive Chairman von Saratoga, einem IT-Beratungsunternehmen in Kapstadt.