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The difference between an optimist and a pessimist is that an optimist will see opportunity when faced with a problem, a close friend recently told me over coffee.
"When a pessimist looks at Eskom, they would see the death of the South African economy," the friend, counted among South Africa’s most revered entrepreneurs, told me.
"But, when an optimist looks at it, they see opportunities to innovate and build new entirely new economic sectors."
A week after our coffee in Rosebank, Johannesburg, President Cyril Ramaphosa would go on to announce what will likely be considered the most decisive action by a post-apartheid government to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.
In a speech that will go down as one of the defining moments of his presidency, Ramaphosa announced the closure of the country’s borders, the suspension of academic activities, the banning of public events and a public sector ban on domestic and international travel, amongst others.
After keeping the South African public waiting for more than two hours, a serious Ramaphosa warned that the global epidemic has already caused great damage to our local economy.
In a country facing a 26% unemployment rate, Ramaphosa warned that it is now time for South Africans to come together to face the oncoming storm.
In a country battling a technical recession, Ramaphosa asked South Africans to seize the moment.
"This is the most definitive Thuma Mina (choose me) moment for our country," said Ramaphosa.
"United we are strong, and divided we are weak and can be defeated."
Ramaphosa did not downplay the gravity of the moment, calling it a "grave emergency".
Because indeed, South Africa is facing rough seas ahead.
The tourism industry alone, employing hundreds of thousands of South Africans, will face a battle for survival the months ahead as worldwide travel comes to a complete standstill.
Entire sectors - from agriculture to manufacturing - will have to fundamentally relook at their income streams and value propositions as global supply chains get disrupted.
However, as alluded to by my friend a week ago, these testing times will also present South Africans with incredible once-in-a -lifetime opportunities.
The fate of nations (and leaders) are often defined in the actions they take in their darkest moments, and not in the decisions they make during prosperous times.
And South Africa has the opportunity to not only survive this global crisis, but thrive out of it.
"A pessimist is overwhelmed in the face adversity, an optimist is energised by it," said my entrepreneur friend.
We can either retreat and admit defeat - give up; or we can rise up, seize the moment and seal our own destiny.
The choice, ultimately, lies in our hands.
- James de Villiers is a journalist with Business Insider.
Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.
