Business leaders' influence 'overrated'

13 November 2016 - 02:01 By PALESA VUYOLWETHU TSHANDU

Retail tycoon Christo Wiese believes the government is not doing enough to broker relations with students and business. "Students today are justified in their grievances that they do not get enough support, primarily from government," he said. Wiese, 75, refined his business acumen as a student leader at Stellenbosch University.story_article_left1He believes that business should not be blamed for government mishaps. "Business leaders' influence is hugely overrated. People think that government should listen to business people because they understand the real world of economics, but in many cases that is a misplaced expectation."Last year he took double honours at the Top 100 Companies awards, as business leader of the year and lifetime achiever, an honour he attributed to his interpersonal relationship skills.But even Wiese cannot escape the challenges that come with running a business.In October, the JSE found Invicta Holdings, in which he holds an anchor shareholding, guilty of breaching its listing rules related to a share buyback...

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