OBITUARY: The legacy of Sifiso Dabengwa

Life is like a field of newly fallen snow — where we choose to walk, every step shows. Sifiso Dabengwa’s footprints show a man who has lived a life of purpose.

His untimely death may have robbed our beautiful country of his wisdom but he left behind an army of professionals that he inspired to create a future of positive societal impact and global competitiveness.

I first met Sifiso while doing an MBA in the early 1990s at Wits Business School. I was studying part-time, and he was studying full time. We did some elective courses together.

Sifiso was razor sharp when it came to corporate finance and strategy. I was not surprised to see how well he executed MTN Group’s geographic expansion strategy. Today MTN is ranked the fourth most valuable company in Africa. Sifiso was behind this great achievement.

Sifiso was at home when it came to building organisational capability. This kind of work is generally under appreciated. It does not grab headlines. It requires attention to detail. It also demands having an eye for talent.

I remember that when I was leading Microsoft SA, for three years in a row he would come knocking on my door trying to convince me to join the MTN Group. He always got a “no” response until he didn’t. He was persistent.

That is leadership. I learnt from Sifiso how to provide air cover for one’s direct reports while giving them the space to lead in authentic ways that allow them to be their best selves.

Sifiso threw me into the deep end at MTN SA. The company was underperforming largely due to poor customer and employee experience. As difficult as the task at hand was, what gave us comfort and motivation was that we had a leader that had our backs. We had a leader that was a servant first. That was Sifiso. At the core he was driven by a strong belief that all human beings are capable of greatness. Each of us comes into this life with unique capabilities that should be nurtured. We are all born to succeed.

This school of thought clashes with those that believe whites are superior to other groups. Sifiso made it his mission in life to disprove this crazy notion of supremacy through his daily deeds. He demonstrated through his actions that there is no group that has a monopoly on excellence. He was a proud African who embraced diversity.

He knew that we are stronger together. He consciously built his own knowledge and skills to be globally competitive. He was an independent thinker who took on big corporate challenges and saw them through. He was comfortable with both strategy formulation and execution. He was different. He was the difference.

Sifiso trained as an electrical engineer. He spent his mid-career at Eskom. It was there that he pioneered the implementation of the national electrification programme, dramatically increasing electricity access for SA households. In 2018, Sifiso returned to Eskom as a board member, appointed by the presidency. In October 2023 when I accepted the role of Eskom chair, Sifiso served as a coach. I will forever be indebted to him for his wise counsel.

Sifiso abhorred corruption. He had seen how his country, Zimbabwe, was destroyed by it. In our sessions on Eskom, apart from restoring operational excellence, we also focused on how to strengthen business controls and build an ethical culture. These are the interventions that Dan Marokane and his leadership team are currently driving. As the board we have prioritised consequence management.

Sifiso loved his adopted country, SA. He saw huge potential in the Government of National Unity. His only ask of us as leaders would be to focus on getting things done.

• Mteto Nyati is a Yale World Fellow and Eskom chair