Reading, swimming and snorkelling are among the fun activities some of South Africa’s top CEO will partake in to unwind this festive season as they spend quality time with loved ones after a tough 2024.
Neal Froneman, CEO of Sibanye-Stillwater, will be in the bush with his family at his game farm. “What I am looking forward to is spending time with loved ones, and reflecting on how grateful and fortunate we are,” he said.
Froneman, whose career spans almost 40 years, has helped build Sibanye from a South African gold-focused miner to a diversified metals producer with a global footprint. On his to-do list is tackling DIY projects during the festive season. “I'm not really a person who can sit around for long periods, so while I’m sure I’ll try to recharge and refresh, I also achieve that by doing physical tasks,” he said.
“I’m an engineer by training and enjoy working with my hands and technical challenges. So I'll probably be working on the farm fixing or building things when I’m not with my family.”
Froneman, who has a private pilot’s licence, will also spend some time flying and reading. “I enjoy reading a lot, so when I’m not busy with a chore and have some quiet time I intend to catch up on reading strategically relevant articles and books. And I’ll use the opportunity of some rare quiet time to reflect on the future and the next grey elephants [powerful forces or trends that are likely to shape our society and environment] that may emerge.”
He said he was grateful for the support and commitment of Sibanye-Stillwater's employees and stakeholders. “ [This] has been a challenging year, fraught with uncertainty, with PGM commodity prices back to 2019 lows. In order to ensure the health and sustainability of our organisation through a potentially extended low metal price environment we have had to be decisive and react fast.”
Simon Baloyi, president and CEO of Sasol, believes in New Year resolutions, and will be focused on training for the Comrades Marathon, also known as “the ultimate human race”.
“What is a year without resolutions? One of my resolutions is to still find time to train for and complete my 10th — and maybe final — Comrades,” he said.
Baloyi said he will be spending his time at the coast, and will make the most of the warm weather by trying out snorkelling this festive season.
“I am planning to put my towel on some beach, sit under an umbrella and enjoy watching the waves. I’m looking forward to finally conquering my fear of snorkelling. This has been on my to-do list for some time now,” he said.
Baloyi said he was grateful to be living in a beautiful country with the friendliest people in the world.
“I am constantly amazed and inspired by our spirit as South Africans. We are full of hope, notwithstanding everything we face as a nation.”
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