Rational Perspective

It’s been my privilege to have followed Magda Wierzycka’s progression from the time she helped build Coronation Fund Managers through to leading a turnaround at African Harvest and as the creator of financial services disruptor Sygnia. And then to watch in admiration as the super-smart qualified actuary transformed into an anti-corruption crusader – the unlikely pioneer of a fightback against South Africa’s seemingly inevitable slide into a corrupt failed state. One of my most popular tweets of the past year was the one where I suggested that Magda possessed more testicular fortitude than most male CEOs. But the business community’s highest profile maverick has paid a high personal price, needing full-time bodyguards and being regularly attacked on social media as the system’s antibodies fought back. We caught up yesterday in London where she is exploring global opportunities for her company – and reflected on how South Africa managed to reverse away from the abyss, what happens next and that infamous conve