Book Club: Sam Montši, the man who refused to stay in his lane

He smashed through glass ceilings, never apologised for who he was or is and never allowed himself to be swept downstream.

Sam Montši, an industrialist and businessman, is someone who does not hold back. He does not have to, either, and fear nor circumstantial challenge seem present in his vocabulary.

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Montši’s memoir, Defying Barriers, published in April this year, is the account of a life built on refusing to be boxed in, to stay put when staying put meant dying, and to accept that the label someone else pressed onto him had nothing to do with who he actually was.

Born in Orlando West, Soweto, in 1945, Montši moved to Lesotho just before he turned twelve, rose through the civil service there to lead the Central Planning and Development Office and later the Lesotho National Development Corporation, before a military regime made staying a matter of life and death.

He returned to South Africa, to South African Breweries, as the first black General Manager in the group in Apartheid days, then built businesses across fishing, property, shipbuilding and mining, amongst others.

You describe yourself as living between worlds, never quite South African enough for some, never quite Mosotho enough for others. Did that outsider status hold you back?

Not at all. If anything, it worked in my favour. Being perceived as not belonging made it easier for me to act in circumstances that people with deeper roots would have found difficult.

They were expected to respect certain norms and cultural practices that at times constrained hard-nosed decisions, like dismissing individuals with connections in high places. I had no such obligations.

After graduating, you turned down your first job offer. Why?

The offer came from a Vereeniging-based company as a human resources manager, but only for non-white people. It pigeon-holed me because of my race during Apartheid.

In Lesotho, I had no such restrictions. There, the sky was the limit, and despite some people considering me an outsider, I felt at home there.

You were effectively told to leave Lesotho in the 80s under threat from the military regime post a coup.

It was scary. People had been killed, and some had disappeared. I feared for my family and my life, and I was lucky that Colonel Letsie took pity on me and warned me of the danger.

I could either go to Kenya or come back to South Africa. Meyer Kahn (South African Breweries) had offered me a job and in South Africa we would be close to family.

We agonised about what life would be like under apartheid, but it was a matter of survival, life or death for me.

You became the first black General Manager in the SAB Group during the final years of apartheid. What did that actually feel like from the inside?

It was challenging in many ways. White executives were not used to, and some not amused by, being managed by a black person.

The unions had identified SAB as a target to send a message to the apartheid authorities, and I found myself in the middle of it, a black man running a not insignificant part of a targeted organisation.

I determined that by being authentic, businesslike and open with colleagues, staff and union leaders, I could play a meaningful role in bridging divides.

Sam Montsi’s memoir is a great read. Picture: Supplied Which obstacle tested you the most?

The toughest was tackling the monopoly of established businesses in the deep-sea hake trawl sector. It took guts, careful planning, experienced professionals and networks to confront the Director General and Minister of Sea Fisheries.

The full story is in chapter 14 of the book, Fishy Business: Surmon Fishing.

What qualities does an entrepreneur need to survive difficult environments?

You have to believe in yourself and be willing to work hard, but also smart.

One of my own mistakes was not planning meticulously enough and spreading myself too thinly across too many sectors.

Three decades into democracy, what has South Africa got right, and where has it lost its way?

Transformation must happen in a country where black people were marginalised for decades. But it should not be driven by vindictiveness or exclusion.

The nation is best served by harnessing the talents of all its people to create wealth and prosperity as fast as possible, with measures that ensure that wealth reaches the previously disadvantaged.

Special steps must also be taken to identify talent among the marginalised and help them develop, but not in a manner that demeans them or creates the impression that they are inferior.

What is the single message you want South Africans to take from ‘Defying Barriers’?

Believe in yourself, but be authentic. Work hard and smart. Nothing is impossible.

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