Cape Town based Business Consultant, Shingirai Makosa Gives Thumbs Up To The Need and Urgency for Corporate Literacy

Cape Town based Business Consultant, Shingirai Makosa has given thumbs up to the need and urgency for corporate literacy engagements in order to raise awareness on corporate matters.

Makosa expressed his views about the importance of corporate literacy during a discussion centred on developing a shared understanding of a company in a commercial sense.

He praised the approaches being adopted in tackling matters to do with companies saiying it provokes interest and makes it easier for people to understand the concept from a different perspective all together.

“Its just eye opening, making me understand some concepts i did not consider that much as important in my understanding of the company.” He added.

As a way of making positive use of social media to attend to critical issues of life, Brian Tawanda Manyati, a fully subscribed member of the Connections2Communities (C2C), created a WhatsApp group called WHAT IS A COMPANY in order to demistfy issues assocaited with the subject.

Manyati was inspired to start the What Is A Company conversation following his participation in another initiative under the banner What is a Leader which sought to create an awareness and improve people’s understanding on leadership issues

In asking the question What Is A Company, the hope was and remains to provoke, ignite and inspire people to learn about the history of corporate civilization and what informed the establishment of companies as creatures of law in the affairs of humankind.

Even though he is yet to subscribe to the C2C Literacy iniatiave, in his interest for corporate governance issues, Mr Makosa who joined the What Is A Company group on the 13th of December 2020 when it was created said that he got attracted by its title.

In line with all C2C affiliated groups, Mr. Makosa’s what’s app group identity number is C2CWIAC00025 meaning that he is number 25 of the registered participants.

The owner and sole director of Shimak Consultants (Pvt) Ltd based in Cape Town, South Africa said that he is comfortable with discussing about his own company in these engagements since the business is part of him

“.. I dont mind talking about my company because its part of me. As you can see this is a business line linked to the company. Its very difficult to sepetate me from this company.”

This initiative of improving corporate literacy is powered by the 1873 Network and 1873 FM radio as part of the Banking on Africa’s Future (BOAF) – 10000 Points of Life (POL) initiative to convert connections into a community of connected and forward leaning people who share a common interest to use knowledge as a weapon to proper their individual and corporate advancement.

Mr. Manyati said: ‘I was inspired to take a next step forward following my extensive conversation with Mr. Mawere that exposed differences of opinion as to what a company is and the relationship of shareholders with it, the relationship of directors and shareholders, the relationship of directors and it.

I must admit that if knowledge was to be put in a bank as a depaoit, I could easily be one of the richest persons in Zimbabwe.

What I have absorbed since joining C2C does not show physically but the property that is in me has uniquely positioned me to be a very wealth person.

I am only hoping that the question – what is a company will be institutionalised in form of a course to help business actors like me to acquire the necessary knowledge to help in using companies to advantage and avoid unnecessary disputes that have characterised relationship that often go sour in corporate settings because of a lack of shared understanding on the promise and challenges of companies as agents of change and service.”

Mr. Mawere also added his voice to the campaign to improve corporate literacy: “I have learned that knowledge holds a better promise and ignorance is a true friend of prejudice and confusion.

In my life, I have experienced shareholders gossiping about directors and vice versa all because of corporate illiteracy.

Illiteracy is one of the most potent weapon to divide people.

It is not unusual to find directors who believe that their duty is to serve the shareholders forgetting that in terms of the law, directors owe a duty to the company and no other, notwithstanding the fact that it is shareholders who appoint the directors.

Just ask ten of your friends who the directors owe a duty to and I can bet 10 out of 10 would respond saying that directors are agents of shareholders and as such they owe a duty of care to shareholders.

Against this backgrop, it is important to take this corporate literacy campaign with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.’

Below is a thread shared between Mr. Makosa and Mr. Mawere in the what is a company group:

[12/15, 3:54 PM] Shingirai Makosa: So a company is also a cooperation, venture and or business?

[12/15, 4:31 PM] Shingirai Makosa: Although in a way it does. Confirmation of the beginning of life.

[12/15, 4:32 PM] mdmawere1: This group is concerned about what is a company.

Do you think that being part of this community has helped in sharpening your understanding of what is a company and what it is not?

[12/15, 5:28 PM] Shingirai Makosa: Its just eye opening, making me understand some concepts i did not consider that much as important in my understanding of the company.

[12/15, 5:45 PM] mdmawere1: Would you want to dig deeper into the history of corporate civilization as a class module or a formal virtual leaning platform?

[12/15, 5:45 PM] Shingirai Makosa: Yes indeed. It does provoke interest and makes it easier to understand the concept from a different perspective all together.

[12/15, 5:51 PM] mdmawere1: Is there anyway it can be done differently?

 [12/15, 5:53 PM] Shingirai Makosa: No its fine. We just need to keep chipping and exposing some underlying concepts for everyone to hvae a full understanding.

[12/15, 5:58 PM] Shingirai Makosa: Ok

[12/15, 6:03 PM] mdmawere1: Would you be offended if your insights are exported to the world wide web?

[12/15, 6:05 PM] Shingirai Makosa: Not at all. I stand by my views.

 [12/15, 6:14 PM] mdmawere1: Do you think that knowledge on what a company is and is not is of benefit to persona who wish to use companies as it instruments for solving human problems?

[12/15, 6:14 PM] Shingirai Makosa: Yes