His aviation project will create a whole infrastructure. Within
the basic conception the project includes plans for a school
and university and a whole micro-?nancing project
designed and championed by Advocate Abie Mohammed,
whose micro ?nancing project in KZN forms the basis for
this scheme.
So, can you imagine a world where everyone has a job?
Reza can, he can imagine it, and he's actively trying to do
something to make that imagination a reality. And while he
dreams these big dreams for his business and for his
community and for his country he's also chasing his own
dreams … Now that's what we call vision.
If and when Reza's dream takes ?ight he will empower
people, he will train suppliers and service providers and he
will create opportunities that encompass the whole
spectrum from food services to component suppliers and
sub-contracting businesses across the entire value chain.
“It's entirely in our interests to train our employees, to
empower our partners and to help our suppliers and service
providers to build better businesses. It's also key to us that
we are not just looking to create low income, low skill jobs.
We're looking at serious up-skilling – we don't want to just
create low level opportunities, we want to create higher
level jobs and develop the skills that will attract new
opportunities for us and for the work force we are helping to
build.”
So, without giving away the details (Ed: We were sworn to
secrecy about the BIG idea that sits at the heart of this
project, but believe me, it's astonishing!) this project is a
massive endeavour and a huge vision, with Reza hoping to
take his new products to market and make his ?rst sale in 5
years.
“It's very dif?cult to go backwards. But ?rst you need to start
forward motion and gather momentum. But, when we get
this right, we'll be using existing South African skills that are
currently being unused, we'll be saving jobs and we'll be
creating more jobs. And we'll do all that while building a
business that we want to build, making something that will
make us proud and make us a very nice pro?t.”
But, while all this talk of global aviation projects and big
business dreams is impressive, what is really impressive is
the humanity and the heart that informs every word and
every aspect of this discussion.
“Everyone deserves a decent life. Did you know that the
Communist countries had the lowest inequality and longest
life spans. Inequality leads to social ills. But my dream is not
to reduce everyone to the lowest common denominator. I
think that capitalism with a conscience and sensible sense
of social justice can deliver bene?ts to the whole society. My
ambition is for the highest common denominator not the
lowest – I want to lift people up.”
“Chasing money is fun. But it's what you do with that money
that really counts. Once you have the money you can
decide where it goes and point it in the right direction. As
doctor I can help one person. But if I can help to build a
business and effect fundamental changes in a whole
community then I can build hospitals and help thousands of
people at a time.”
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CORPORATE SOCIAL REVIEW