The slowdown in the economy has made it increasingly difficult for The Big Issue magazine to continue providing the level of support it needs to continue its work. It is for this reason that a series of business breakfast events will be sponsored by and hosted at the Table Bay Hotel, providing the perfect opportunity to introduce the public to The Big Issue and its ethos and, more importantly, to discuss firsthand the big issues of the moment.
The Cape Town Press Club has come on board to co-host the event in support of The Big Issue and its vendor base who rely on the magazine to earn a living and the project’s social work to empower them.
The Big Issue believes in giving vendors ‘a hand up, not a hand out’. Most Big Issue vendors live in townships, informal settlements, and shacks. They are entrepreneurs working to support themselves and extended families. The Big Issue focuses on moving vendors into regularly paying jobs and as such has been hugely successful. This well put together publication, which discusses the ‘big issues’ that surround us, is a popular buy at robots or traffic intersections.
The first breakfast will be held on Tuesday 10 March 2015 from 8:15 until 10:00 with much acclaimed executive director of the Impumelelo Social Innovation Centre, Rhoda Kadalie, kicking off the series.
Known as a human-rights activist, academic, and newspaper columnist, she will be speaking on ethical leadership. She believes that building an ethical culture requires ethical values and leaders that do the ‘right thing’. Kadalie tells a story of the time when she visited Sweden and suggested that her host ignore the ‘Don’t drink and drive’ rule. The host blurted out, “We just don’t do that”.
“In the same way, ethical behaviour needs to be part of the DNA of the nation,” Kadalie says.
To hear how you can be involved in ‘doing the right thing’, join The Big Issue at the Table Bay Hotel with Rhoda Kadalie on Tuesday 10 March. Tickets can be purchased at https://www.webticket.co.za/at a R160 each.
