What Turning 65 Looks Like Through The Leadership Microscope Turning 65 is often described as reaching a milestone, but in truth it feels far less like arriving at a destination and far more like gaining a different vantage point. With time (and age), there comes a quieter kind of clarity. It does not feel loud […]
Every Power Wants What’s Under Our Feet, But We’re The Only Ones Not Cashing In Allow me to tell you what’s happening out there, because sometimes when you’re inside the room you stop noticing how absurd the room has become. Washington is scrambling. Beijing is consolidating. Brussels is in a quiet panic about supply chains. […]
When Physics Meets Politics One of the great misunderstandings in both science (and society) is our assumption that balance means equality. We instinctively think balance should look like a perfect fifty-fifty split…equal weight, equal outcomes, equal distribution. But nature has never worked that way. In fact, the universe teaches us something far more sophisticated. In […]
(And Neither Does The Future) In the past few weeks I had lots of time to just walk amongst my Ankole cattle on the farm, reflecting on the past, but also contemplating the future. This happens in the time my family and friends are preparing to ‘force’ me to celebrate my 65th birthday. I can’t […]
We have become very good at explaining each other to ourselves. We reduce complex lives into simple categories. We assign intent based on race, class, or background. We convince ourselves that we understand one another, when in reality, we are often responding to narratives we have inherited rather than truths we have examined. Projecting… I […]
Why South Africa is Losing More Than Just Mines There’s a comforting storyline currently making the rounds in our industry. It suggests that the exit of major mining houses from South Africa is simply part of a “global portfolio optimization” or “smart capital allocation”. The narrative is clean: capital goes where returns are highest, companies […]
Why Energy Reality Still Beats Energy Hype There is something quite fitting about a breakthrough involving breadcrumbs landing in the middle of Easter. A season built on symbolism, renewal, and, if we’re honest; a fair amount of optimism. Because right now, the global energy conversation feels exactly like that: inventive, hopeful… and occasionally detached from […]
Are We Actually Progressing, Or Are We Just Being Busy Bodies? I had the privilege of chairing Resources for Africa PGM Industry Day earlier this month. It was, by most measures, a strong event with great content, robust debate, and a sense that this sector still matters in a world increasingly obsessed with batteries and […]
A Reflection There are conferences where people attend because they have to. And then there are days like this year’s Resources for Africa PGM Day, where people attend because they want to. The difference shows. High attendance, engaging discussions and, perhaps most importantly, a room that was willing to listen as much as it spoke. […]
March 16, 2026 What If The Biggest Mistake Resource-rich Countries Make Is Believing That Mining Is Where The Real Value Lies? For as long as I can remember, South Africa has been debating beneficiation. Every few years, the conversation returns with renewed energy, usually accompanied by the comforting idea that if we simply beneficiate more […]
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