It was a few months ago, around March this year, that Wandile Mntshali invited me to a round of golf.
Given our extremely hectic schedules we ultimately agreed to play after church on the Sunday of that week. Like me, he treasures his devotion time on Sunday morning, so the afternoon made sense.
As we caught up on a wide range of issues, we discussed business and his role as chairman of the team that was mobilising resources for national events and how I could help him enhance the contributions. This was a routine outing for us, like I do with many captains of industry in my effort to be accessible to each of them through what they like doing are passionate about.
He confided in me, then, that after discussing with his family he had made a difficult decision not to renew his contract when it lapses later in the year. He explained his personal circumstances as well as his evolving aspirations and also sought my opinion.
As usual, he was very well prepared and had such clarity of thought about his decision that I was convinced that for him, this was the best option at this stage of his life. It was also a selfless decision based on family considerations.
I supported him and in my mind I had no doubt that he would succeed, whatever he chose to do, because I’ve known him for more than a decade. He’s a rare combination of intelligence, confidence, integrity and humility. No wonder he led with distinction and integrity and was never followed by controversy in his professional and personal life. For those that have read Jack Welsh, Wandile is a classic level 5 leader.
This is why I was taken aback when I read in a mainstream publication and found strong suggestions that it wasn’t Wandile who made the choice to explore other aspirations but he was offloaded by the organisation for performance related matters. This is deeply regrettable since the organisation eventually issued a clear statement on this, consistent with what Wandile had discussed with me many months ago. Unmentioned sources were quoted from the organisation, in an article that absolutely made no attempt to respect this leader who always models respect in a manner most leaders only envy.
I am wondering what fuelled these conspiracy theories. I was appalled to see, in one day, the impeccable work, outstanding achievements and obvious dedication of a true Liswati CEO who never stole anything, never asked for a bribe from anyone, didn’t use nepotism or unfair selection of employees or vendors, who led the biggest mobile company with excellence for five years was now being rewarded with a carefully crafted message meant to destroy his legacy.
I refuse to ignore this. If it happens to any other leader, I will react likewise. These leaked conspiracy theories have not worked out well for those responsible. The fact that his decision was misrepresented and leaked before the formal statement was made calls for introspection by those responsible. He treated everyone with respect, and everyone will agree to this.
The least that those who knew of his decision could have done was to treat his decision with respect and not allow these malicious insinuations to reign supreme, even to the point that they found space in our mainstream media. This is unacceptable to me.
Without a doubt, Wandile is a great leader and a good man! That’s his legacy. Period.
