- PROFESSOR ERNST VAN BILJON

Today, anthropologists and archaeologists fiercely debate what the exact location of the biblical 'Garden of Eden' could be. Is it somewhere in the Middle East? Some say modern day Iraq; others believe it is in Israel or Egypt. But, what about Southern Africa, as recent anthropological findings may suggest. Yes, we speculate and will continue to do so for as long as man stays interested in its origins. For many of us this debate is of academic importance. 'Paradise' is where our hearts are and where we are at peace with our environment. Where there is natural beauty (and this we often experience in different ways); where everything is more pure and perfect than elsewhere; and where we will invest our souls and of-course our money! And this brings me to the issue that I wish to explore in this article: What do we need to do to create an 'investors paradise' in our own Eden, the South Cape?

The South Cape will not merely become a paradise for local, foreign and international investors because of its natural beauty. Yes, it helps. In fact it helps a lot! But, what is equally and probably more attractive than beauty and quality of life is the right climate, the environment that will attract investors. Creating this 'climate' I call the SEEDS process; an appropriate analogy when referring to Eden. If you plant the right seeds and nurture it, you will have a beautiful garden. Let's consider each of the elements of SEEDS.

Firstly we need service and together with that excellence. That's right, they will invest if we can service their every need, satisfy their every whim, as far as it is value-adding of-course. Value for money is what investors want. From the airport to the guest house to the golf course to the restaurant to the bank to my business and back to the airport. You see, it is no use for you and me to say that we provide a good service. We should get our partners in this value chain to also do their bit towards service delivery.

Okay, so we provide a good service, better than most, and they pay for it, but how ethical are we in our dealings with investors. In recent times, the business and political arena worldwide have been rocked by scandals, corporate cover-ups and business ethics issues. Investors and tourists are saying: No more. So, do we see the Presidents Cup as a nice way of making a few quick dollars or a unique opportunity to create long-term wealth and sustainability? Yeah, they need to bring their dollars, but let them leave with some dollars and a feeling of satisfaction that will spur them on to return with more dollars and all their friends with their dollars and most importantly business ideas.

So, you provide an excellent service and you are also ethical. That's great. But, it is in no way unique. They also do this in Nepal and in Chile and in the USA and in … What we need is to be different; to differentiate ourselves from other investors' paradises. This is the cornerstone of competitive strategy, of creating a competitive advantage. How do we do this? By focusing on and reinforcing our current strengths, e.g. clean industries and technologies like biotechnology research and development (it is already happening); world-class golf estates (need I say more); agri-business and agro-processing (spread throughout the region); adventure tourism (we must grow this sector); furniture and timber clustering (a traditional strength); medical tourism (now this has great potential) and lastly life-changing tourist experiences.

The last and perhaps one of the most crucial elements of an investors Eden is social stability and good order. And here local government, community leaders, chambers of commerce, law and order agencies and politicians must play a role. Yes, they must create the right social environment, but they can't do it on their own. They need civil society, and that is all of us, to create a fair, equitable and stable social order. Let us not stand on the sideline and criticize as we, good South Africans often do. Let us take the lead and show that this region can be a winning region one where social harmony and stability are real.

So, to investors I wish to say: Invest in our Eden, we will plant the seeds of growth, long-term sustainability and ever-lasting returns. To all business people in and communities of the South Cape, I would like to say: Let's make it happen, let's make our investment garden better than any other in the world.