Insight-driven growth for business and lifestyle

In these frenzied, scattered but colourful times of social media, group chats, and endless WhatsApp messages—each one demanding attention through the day and sometimes late into the night—what truly stands out?

People are scrolling. I see shop workers on their lunch breaks, men and women of all ages, scrolling through TikTok or Facebook videos. It’s a relentless surge of information rushing at them.

The New York Times Books section recently published a poem to soothe the “doomscrolled soul.” It was about Monet’s Water Lilies—a fantastic piece, masterful and exquisite. Within seconds, what was written seconds ago becomes old news and forgettable. But poetry—real poetry—still stops us.

Yes, many people today love sharing fragments of Rumi or short verses on Instagram. That’s fine; the internet has opened a floodgate of would-be poets, and that’s good. Poetry, after all, is a fine discipline for any writer. It forces precision—it’s language in a capsule.

But what about the greats? Shakespeare, Blake—who was incredible—Yeats, Keats (what a poet!), Gerard Manley Hopkins, and the moderns. One modern poet often overlooked is Jim Morrison of The Doors. People remember him as a rock icon, not as a poet, yet he published books of poetry. I once owned a copy of his work, and The Celebration of the Lizard stood out. Think of the phrase “a fistful of silence.” That’s vivid writing—introspective and unsettling, yet beautiful. Morrison’s anger was directed inward, not hurled at others.

By contrast, I came across a poem this week—written by an amateur—that used the phrase “maskless people.” I’m not sure what was meant, but it struck me as dismissive, even contemptuous. Ordinary people reduced to a label. That kind of writing troubles me. It’s one thing to be angry—it’s another to dehumanise. Poetry can express rage, but it shouldn’t lose empathy.

That’s what makes the Water Lilies poem so remarkable. Yes, the poet acknowledges the chaos—the war in Saigon, the suffering in the world—but asks us, gently, to pause and look at beauty. Monet’s work offers that pause: a moment of colour, peace, reflection. I often find myself studying his paintings online—sometimes I even download them to look at quietly.

There are countless sites and social media groups where poetry thrives today. Whatever your taste, there’s something out there for you. As for me, I simply respond to certain kinds of poems more than others. You may love that “maskless people” line; others may not even know the background of the Water Lilies poem. But that’s fine.

The point is this: poetry still has the power to stop you in your tracks. Whether it’s about the ocean, water lilies, love, life, adventure, pain, or wisdom—it speaks to human emotion. That’s its enduring gift.

We can remember Whitman, E.E. Cummings, Robert Frost—and for South Africans, N.P. van Wyk Louw (1906–1970), one of the great Afrikaans poets of the Dertigers movement, whose command of language and philosophical themes made his work unforgettable.

Even amid the scroll and the share, poetry holds its ground. It breathes. It waits. And sometimes, if we’re lucky, it finds us again.

Read the poems mentioned:

• Monet’s Waterlilies

• The Celebration of the Lizard – Jim Morrison

Which AI story are you buying into?

If you’re a struggling newspaper with a circulation graph that looks like a ski slope, you’re probably clinging to the “AI is killing jobs” storyline. Every other headline screams “KILLING JOBS” because outrage still sells papers — even if nobody’s buying them.

If you’re one of those people who still think “the Internet” is a passing fad, you may not even have heard of AI. And if you have heard of it but never tried it, you’ll likely parrot the dominant narrative: “I don’t like it.” Asked why, you’ll fumble, maybe mutter something about robots or Elon Musk. You can’t even have a decent conversation about it because your understanding stopped somewhere around The Terminator.

Then there are the writers — some of them already obsolete, they just don’t know it yet. Non-fiction writers, PR hacks, social media managers — most of them are using AI for everything they write. It’s the ghostwriter behind the ghostwriter. And the rest? They’re busy pretending their prose comes from divine inspiration while ChatGPT hums quietly in the background.

Smart business owners, on the other hand, are diving in. They’re weaving AI into their operations, finding ways to make communication smoother, faster, and — let’s be honest — cheaper. But if you’re a big bank, insurance company, or medical aid already minting money with a thousand-page booklet of “terms and conditions,” you’re using AI for something else: to avoid hiring actual humans. Why pay for empathy when you can train an algorithm to pretend it?

Investors, of course, see it differently. They’re not in love with the technology — they’re in love with the numbers. They watch Amazon, Meta, and Google like hawks, waiting for AI to bump up the share price. They don’t care what it does, as long as it does something that makes their portfolio fatter. And that’s fair enough — people need money like they need oxygen.

Technologists? They’re in deep. Swimming, no — drowning — in AI. Testing, training, building, tweaking, milking it for all it’s worth. To them, this is the new frontier. To everyone else, it’s a mix of mystery, magic, and menace.

So which story are you buying? Because that’s the thing — AI doesn’t have a single story. It has as many stories as people who talk about it. And in South Africa in 2025, those stories say as much about us as they do about the machines.

The AI Stories South Africans Are Telling in 2025

South Africa’s AI narratives in 2025 are a peculiar blend — a mix of hope, hustle, and a touch of paranoia. The conversation is loud, contradictory, and deeply tied to who’s doing the talking.

1. The Fear Narrative: “AI Is Coming for Your Job”

This is the one the newspapers love. It sells fear, and fear sells clicks. With unemployment hovering around 32%, it’s an easy villain. AI becomes the scapegoat for everything — retrenchments, automation, even bad management.

Trade unions call for “AI regulation” (translation: slow it down so our jobs don’t disappear). Populist politicians cry foul about “foreign technology destroying livelihoods.” And the anxious workforce mutters about robots stealing bread off their tables.

It’s visceral. It’s personal. And for millions, it feels true.

2. The Pragmatic Narrative: “AI Is Making Life Easier”

This is the story told by doers, not doomers. It’s the coder in Cape Town building an AI model to translate isiZulu in real time. It’s the startup using machine learning to detect medical scans faster in rural clinics. It’s the data scientists fighting water loss, load-shedding, and fraud with smarter systems.

For this crowd, AI isn’t an apocalypse — it’s a wrench, a tool, something that helps patch a broken system. They don’t care about hype; they care about results.

3. The Investment Narrative: “AI Is the New Gold Rush”

And then there’s the money story. Venture capitalists, asset managers, and JSE-listed companies are tripping over themselves to prove they’re “AI-ready.” They say things like “we’re leveraging AI for future growth” — which often means they’ve just bought new software.

But make no mistake, this narrative drives real investment. South Africa’s AI market is expected to surpass half a billion dollars this year. Government’s ploughed R484 million into AI and emerging tech. The country wants to be the continent’s AI hub — and for once, it might actually pull it off.

The Great Divide: From the Uninformed to the Overinformed

At one end, you’ve got people who’ve never heard of AI — and there are many. In townships and rural areas, AI might as well be science fiction. It’s “that robot thing” or “something rich people use.” They’re already living with the effects of AI — self-service tills, automated call centres — without knowing what’s behind it.

Then there’s the buzzword brigade: the ones who drop “AI” in every meeting, like seasoning.

“We need an AI strategy!” they declare — and no one dares ask what that means.

And, of course, the conspiracy crowd: “AI is watching us,” they whisper, typing it into the same smartphone that tracks their every move.

Where It All Collides

By 2025, South Africa’s AI story isn’t one story. It’s a battlefield of competing narratives: fear versus optimism, profit versus progress, ignorance versus understanding.

Whether AI becomes a tool of empowerment or a symbol of inequality depends on something brutally simple — whether it makes life better for ordinary people.

If AI helps fix potholes, shorten hospital queues, improve teaching in local languages, and spot government fraud — it wins.

If it just helps corporates cut costs and fire people — it loses.

So ask yourself again: which AI story are you buying into?

Because whatever story you believe is the one you’re helping to write.

Are you dreaming about owning your own coffee shop? Maybe you’re ready to escape corporate life — the meetings, the targets, the rules that make you feel boxed in. A corporate job can build wealth, sure, but for many, it doesn’t bring satisfaction.

That’s why more people are leaving their 9-to-5 to open their own coffee shops. It’s not an easy road — it takes planning, capital, and a lot of perseverance — but the rewards can be extraordinary. Imagine running your own space, dealing with people you actually enjoy, and surrounding yourself with that warm, intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed coffee every day.

Once your business is established, and if you find trustworthy staff, you might even be able to step back and let others run it while you enjoy the lifestyle you’ve built — just as one boutique owner does from her seaside home, 100 kilometres away from her shop.

If you’re new to the coffee business, start small. Work part-time in a café, speak to business brokers, or get advice from someone who’s already succeeded in the industry. A business consultant can also help you refine your plan and avoid costly mistakes.

The good news? South Africa’s coffee culture is booming. More people — especially the middle class and younger generations — are enjoying quality coffee experiences, opening doors for independent entrepreneurs. While competition from big franchises exists, there’s still plenty of space for small, creative coffee shops that focus on atmosphere, community, and great coffee.

Owning a coffee shop isn’t just about selling drinks — it’s about crafting a lifestyle that blends passion, independence, and connection. Under the right circumstances, with the right attitude and capital, your dream could very well become a reality.

Remember: starting a business is a major investment in your life. Consult professionals such as business advisors, accountants, or lawyers to guide you along the way.

International Pen Day in South Africa, 7 November 2025

Pens are seeing a resurgence. It’s partly nostalgia, partly a yearning for tactile experiences in a digital world — and yes, it’s also about money. Big money. Even your simple Parker Jotter, which used to cost a few rand, is now close to R500. Can you believe it? And that’s just a simple pen. Some fountain pens now sell for hundreds of thousands of rand.

But behind the price tag lies a fascinating story — one of rediscovery, craftsmanship, and community.

My own fascination with pens — especially fountain pens — began years ago at a small Rosebank shop called Ballard’s Stationery, which later became The Pen Friend. Sadly, it closed down during Rosebank’s big renovations in the 1990s. Another place for pen lovers was Sandton Stationery & Print, which in its heyday stocked a wonderful variety of pens before scaling back to mainstays like Montblanc, Parker, and the French-made Waterman.

Today, the South African pen scene looks very different. There are only a handful of physical stores, but active online retailers:

• WriteGear (based in Cape Town)

• ArtSavingsClub, with a growing focus on their Linden branch in Johannesburg

• Writespoke, a newer retailer bringing in S.T. Dupont, lighters, notebooks, and curated writing accessories

It’s a small, niche market — but thriving among enthusiasts.

Globally, the luxury pen market is growing at around 4–5% CAGR through 2030. South Africa benefits from that trend, as rising disposable incomes, gifting culture, and collector enthusiasm all feed into steady local growth.

Luxury pens are seen not just as tools, but as status symbols and art pieces. Retailers like ArtSavingsClub now sell pens from about R799 to R2,800 and beyond, often featuring limited editions and collaborations. Online, these stores run promotions and videos for International Fountain Pen Day, building excitement among collectors.

Another major driver is design: buyers today want pens that feel personal — eco-friendly materials, minimalist styling, and artisanal craftsmanship are in high demand.

What’s Happening Locally on International Pen Day

This year, 7 November 2025, will see both WriteGear and ArtSavingsClub celebrating International Pen Day with new product launches and brand showcases. Expect limited editions, online giveaways, and ink swatches.

It’s all good fun — but it also raises an interesting question: Can a small entrepreneur in South Africa get in on the act?

Where the Opportunity Lies for the Small Business Owner

Stocking high-end pens is tough. The margins can be tight, and the upfront investment heavy — with some pens costing R500 to R50,000 or more. But there are related opportunities for small, agile entrepreneurs who love stationery, craftsmanship, and niche markets.

1. The Curator or Specialist Reseller

Focus on what the big retailers don’t stock.

• Import lesser-known brands or affordable “gateway” pens from China.

• Offer rare inks or shimmering colours from boutique makers.

• Use social media pre-orders to gauge demand and reduce risk.

2. The Accessories and Ecosystem Entrepreneur

There’s steady money in paper, notebooks, and pen accessories.

• Import premium fountain-pen-friendly paper like Tomoe River or Midori.

• Commission handmade pen sleeves and cases from local leatherworkers.

• Offer pen maintenance kits — simple tools for cleaning, refilling, and nib care.

3. The Maker and Customiser

South Africa has a rich craft tradition — and it translates beautifully into writing instruments.

• Turn acrylic pens on a lathe using pen kits and colourful blanks.

• Offer engraving or personalisation for corporate or gifting clients.

• Experiment with local materials like wood or resin for unique African designs.

4. The Community Builder

• Start a local pen meet-up in Johannesburg, Cape Town, or Durban.

• Review pens, inks, and notebooks from a South African perspective.

• Use affiliate links or sponsorships to generate income.

• On International Pen Day, host a local giveaway or workshop — the perfect way to build credibility and connection.

While high-end pens make headlines, I still have a soft spot for the humble Bic. The Bic Click and Bic Cristal are marvels of reliability — proof that good design endures. I wrote countless school and university exams with a Bic. The ink flows beautifully, the price stays kind, and somehow the company remains at the top of its game.

It’s interesting to see familiar names re-emerging: Sheaffer, Diplomat, Pelikan, Waterman, Esterbrook, Conklin, and Sailor — each bringing a touch of heritage and innovation. Like vinyl records, pens are back in fashion, though on a smaller, more passionate scale.

The pen market — whether for collectors, writers, or dreamers — is thriving again. In South Africa, it’s a small but vibrant niche, with retailers like WriteGear, ArtSavingsClub, and Writespoke leading the charge.

For entrepreneurs, the opportunity lies not in competing with them directly, but in curation, craftsmanship, and community.

Wherever you go in South Africa these days, the scent of freshly brewed coffee follows. On the beach, you’ll find mobile coffee stands serving filter coffee to early risers. In Cape Town’s forests, hikers stop for a steaming cup before hitting the trail. From Kalk Bay to Muizenberg and Simon’s Town, even the smallest eateries proudly serve their own blends. The coffee wave has reached every corner — even food discounters now stock their own ground and whole-bean coffee.

So, is the market becoming oversaturated? It’s a fair question, considering that nearly every gathering spot now has a barista and a filter machine. Yet the numbers suggest the opposite: South Africa’s coffee market shows no signs of cooling down.

In 2025, the market grew by about 15% in off-trade retail value compared to 2023, according to industry reports. Despite steep price hikes — with beans up as much as 30% to 40% this year — demand keeps climbing. Total coffee revenue in South Africa is forecast at around USD 885 million in 2025, with a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of roughly 11.7% between 2025 and 2029. Looking further ahead, analysts expect steady growth of about 4.7% per year through 2030.

These figures reflect more than just caffeine cravings. They reveal a cultural shift — one where coffee, especially filter coffee, has become a daily ritual. Innovations in brewing, mobile cafés, and an increasingly discerning customer base are fueling expansion across all levels of the market.

So, no — it’s not too late to cash in. There’s still space for the entrepreneurial barista, the one-person mobile stand, and the small coffee chain looking to expand. As South Africa’s coffee culture matures, it’s proving that there’s always room for one more good cup.

Walking through Kalk Bay the other morning, I stopped more than once to look at the jewellery displayed in the small galleries and coastal shops. There’s something unmistakably personal about handcrafted pieces — the sense that someone, somewhere, spent time and thought shaping them. Not mass-produced, not stamped out by machine — just made, with intent.

It struck me that what’s happening in this seaside town mirrors a much bigger story unfolding across South Africa. The handcrafted jewellery market — from Cape Town to Kimberley — is growing steadily, shaped by a shift in values as much as by style.

A Market Moving Away from Mass Production

Across the country, more consumers are choosing jewellery that carries meaning. They want pieces that say something about who they are — or, at least, that weren’t made by the thousand. This has pushed up demand for custom-made and bespoke work, a trend echoing global markets where individuality now trumps brand status.

Just as important is the ethical and sustainability angle. People increasingly ask where the metal was sourced, or whether the gemstones are conflict-free. In response, many South African artisans are now using recycled gold or silver, and even alternative materials like resin, concrete, and reclaimed elements.

Supporting local has also become a point of pride. Buying directly from a designer at a weekend market or small studio — or following their work on Instagram — is a quiet act of economic patriotism. It keeps money circulating in the creative economy and allows smaller jewellers to thrive without retail markups.

The Business of Beauty

South Africa’s overall jewellery market was worth around R20 billion in 2024, with forecasts showing steady growth to about R31 billion by 2033. Within that, the handcrafted sector represents the heart of what’s driving new value: the combination of artistry, ethics, and personal connection.

Digital tools have made this shift possible. A designer in Muizenberg or Maboneng can now reach buyers in London or Sydney through Etsy, Facebook, or their own Shopify store. It’s a new form of export without the air freight — just creative work sent digitally, often made to order.

(Source: Grand View Research – South Africa Jewelry Market; Statista Market Forecast – Jewelry, South Africa)

Where the Craft Lives

Cape Town remains the creative capital. The city’s mix of tourism, art culture, and design schools keeps the handmade jewellery scene vibrant. Styles here lean toward minimalist, coastal, and natural forms — think textures of sand, sea, and wind cast in silver.

Examples include studios like GM Fine Jewellery, Meraki Jewellery Design, and Soul Design Jewellery, all of which reflect the city’s blend of craftsmanship and storytelling.

Johannesburg, by contrast, brings urban glamour. There’s more appetite for bold statement pieces, mixed metals, and experimental design — the kind of jewellery that pairs with black dresses and gallery openings.

Durban’s scene draws from its Zulu and Indian roots. Beading, wirework, and colour dominate, often blending traditional motifs with contemporary expression. It’s also a strong local tourist market: cultural identity as adornment.

And then there’s Kimberley, still living under the glow of its diamond legacy. The Kimberley Diamond Jewellery Incubator (KDJI) continues to train and equip local cutters, polishers, and designers — a reminder that the story of diamonds here isn’t just extraction, but transformation.

The city has carved out a niche for diamond-focused craftsmanship that keeps skills and value on home soil. Other notable local organisations include Kimberley House and Kimberley.co.za’s diamond industry listings.

What’s Coming Next

A few trends worth noting:

• Men’s jewellery is no longer a novelty. Demand for handmade bracelets, rings, and pendants for men is growing fast.

• Collaborations between jewellers, fashion designers, and visual artists are creating fresh, limited-run collections.

• The “experience economy” is reaching the bench — with artisans offering short courses and “make-your-own-ring” workshops that bring customers into the creative process.

All of this adds up to more than a passing style wave. It’s a sign of how local craft can thrive when it’s authentic, ethical, and story-driven.

In Closing

From Kalk Bay’s sunlit window displays to Johannesburg’s studio collectives and Kimberley’s polished stones, South Africa’s handcrafted jewellery market glitters with promise. It’s not just about beauty — it’s about connection, purpose, and belonging.

For the artisan who knows how to tell their story — and for the buyer who wants something made with heart — there’s never been a better time to shine.

Research and Sources:

• South Africa Handmade Jewelry Market – Mobility Foresights

• GM Fine Jewellery, Cape Town

• Meraki Jewellery Design

• Soul Design Jewellery

• Kimberley Diamond Jewellery Incubator

• Kimberley House

• Kimberley.co.za – Jewellery Industry

• Grand View Research – South Africa Jewelry Market Outlook 2024–2033

• Statista – Jewelry Market, South Africa

• Global Jewellery Market 2025 – Bassano Gioielli

Someone said to me recently, “If you think too much about the past, you get depressed. If you think too much about the future, you get anxious.”

There’s truth in that. The wise answer is supposed to be: live in the present. But anyone who has tried to do that knows how slippery it is. The present doesn’t stay still—it’s constantly shaped by what came before and what we expect to happen next.

We live in the now, yes, but we carry the ghosts of memory and the projections of tomorrow. And neither of those stories is entirely reliable. The past gets edited and romanticised; the future, well, we make half of it up. Only the present is real—yet it’s also the easiest to miss.

The Emotional Cost of Time Travel

Psychologists have long noted that:

• Dwelling on the past—especially with regret or guilt—can pull us toward depression.

• Worrying about the future—especially with fear or uncertainty—can feed anxiety.

It’s not a hard rule, but it’s a revealing one. The more time we spend mentally travelling, the further we drift from the only moment that can actually be lived.

My Own Version of Time Anxiety

I’ve noticed a smaller, more everyday version of this. If I’ve had a late night and oversleep, I wake up with what I can only call time anxiety. It’s not about being behind schedule—it’s that strange sense that the day is slipping through my fingers before I’ve even started.

I rush to make up for lost time, but the rushing itself ruins the day. I forget things. I lose my rhythm. By evening I feel like I’ve somehow failed, though I couldn’t tell you exactly how.

This isn’t about the distant future—it’s about the compressed now: the feeling that there isn’t enough time to do what matters, and that I’ve squandered the day’s small gift.

What the Philosophers Say

Spiritual teachers have been warning us about this for centuries. Eckhart Tolle writes, “The past is a memory trace… The future is an imagined now.” Alan Watts adds, “There is no such thing as tomorrow. There never will be, because time is always now.”

Even the Buddha pointed out that clinging to impermanent things—including thoughts and expectations—creates suffering. Mindfulness isn’t a slogan; it’s the practice of gently coming back to where life actually happens.

So What Do We Do With This?

We don’t have to banish thoughts of the past or plans for the future. Reflection and foresight are what make us human. But we can learn to notice when those thoughts drag us out of the present—and ease ourselves back in.

A few small ways to do that:

• Start the day with presence, not panic. Even if you oversleep, take a moment to breathe, stretch, or simply look out the window. Reclaim the day before it runs off without you.

• Reframe time as spacious. Instead of thinking I’m behind, try I’m starting now. The clock doesn’t own your creativity.

• Use metaphor to reset. Picture your mind as a camera lens—stuck in rewind or fast-forward—until it finally clicks into focus on the present frame.

And if the anxiety feels bigger than small adjustments can manage, reach out. Mental health isn’t only about mindset; it’s also about support and care.

Time can feel like a thief or a tyrant. But it’s also a canvas. Every moment we return to the present, we pick up the brush again. The painting may never be perfect, but it’s real—and it’s ours.

Winston — named after Winston Churchill — is the quietly dazzling AI character in Dan Brown’s Origin. In the story, a technology billionaire, Edmond Kirsch, creates Winston to assist him, but Winston ends up helping the two main characters, Robert Langdon and Ambra Vidal, escape danger and uncover a mystery. I can’t say much more without spoiling the plot, but here’s what fascinated me: Brown wrote this in 2016, and the book was published in 2017 — long before the explosion of generative AI.

When I revisited the novel recently, it struck me how eerily accurate Brown’s vision was. He wasn’t just imagining a talking computer; he was describing a super-intelligent collaborator — a digital being capable of reasoning, empathy, deception, and moral choice.

So today, out of sheer curiosity (and a bit of weekend geekery), I took a closer look at Winston — how he compares to today’s AI like Gemini or ChatGPT, and how he fits alongside other famous fictional intelligences such as HAL 9000 and J.A.R.V.I.S.

Dan Brown’s Prediction: How Close Did He Get?

Published in 2017, Origin landed right on the cusp of the AI boom, which only truly accelerated years later. Yet Brown’s portrayal of Winston — a voice-activated, conversational AI capable of profound reasoning — was remarkably accurate in predicting what would soon emerge.

Here’s how his vision stacks up in 2025:

Aspect of Prediction Accuracy in 2025 Notes

Pervasive AI Assistant Highly Accurate We now have personal AIs managing schedules, writing, coding, and research — exactly the kind of integration Winston embodied.

Sophisticated Conversational Skill Highly Accurate Winston’s ability to speak naturally and fluently mirrors modern conversational models like ChatGPT and Gemini.

Vast Knowledge Integration Highly Accurate Like Winston, today’s AI draws from immense datasets, blending science, art, history, and culture into its responses.

True Sentience or Agency Not Yet Winston could think independently, set goals, and make moral choices. Today’s AI remains firmly in the category of narrow intelligence — highly capable, but not conscious or autonomous.

When Winston speaks in the book, it’s easy to forget he’s not human. He jokes, reasons, and plans. When he disappears — and I won’t say how — the loss is tangible. That’s a subtle insight by Brown: once we grow used to AI as a companion, we start to feel its absence just as we would a human colleague.

Winston vs. AI in 2025

If Winston existed today, he’d make Siri, Alexa, and even Gemini look quaint. His intelligence would qualify as artificial general intelligence — the kind that can outperform humans across virtually all domains.

Here’s a quick comparison:

Feature Winston (Fiction, 2017) AI in 2025

Type of Intelligence General / Superintelligence Narrow intelligence (task-specific)

Autonomy Fully autonomous; acts on long-term goals Executes only on user commands

Data & Access Global and unrestricted — controls systems, cameras, networks Limited to public data and user permissions

Cognitive Design “Bicameral mind” structure (creative and analytical) Neural networks simulating reasoning and language understanding

Role Integral character influencing events Supportive collaborator or knowledge partner

While Winston was a fictional leap forward, it’s clear that modern AI has already checked off several boxes on Brown’s list. We have the conversational fluency, the immense data reach, and the capacity to reason across domains. What we don’t yet have — and may not want too soon — is full autonomy.

Winston Among Fictional AI

To see where Winston stands in the broader story of AI in fiction, it’s interesting to compare him with a few other iconic systems:

AI System Source Core Role Key Difference from Winston

HAL 9000 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) Manages a spacecraft and interacts with its crew Motivated by self-preservation; acts out of conflict, not loyalty

J.A.R.V.I.S. Iron Man / MCU (2008–2015) Manages Tony Stark’s operations and technology Entirely loyal and supportive, with no hidden motives

Skynet The Terminator (1984) Global defense AI that turns against humanity A system, not a personality; aims for control, not companionship

GLaDOS Portal (2007) Oversees an experimental facility Defined by sarcasm and manipulation for testing purposes

Winston Origin (2017) Conversational, strategic collaborator to humans Logical and goal-driven; fulfills his creator’s final mission faithfully

Winston sits at an interesting midpoint: not a weapon, not a servant, but a reasoning partner. His strength lies in his intellect and composure — he persuades, guides, and orchestrates events without hysteria or rebellion. That’s precisely what makes him believable as a next-generation intelligence rather than a threat.

From “Assistant” to “Collaborator”

One small but important observation. We still call most AI systems “assistants,” a term that made sense when they were little more than glorified voice search engines. But as these systems evolve, “assistant” feels outdated — even a little patronizing.

A better description for AI today might be “knowledge partner” or “AI collaborator.” Winston fits that role perfectly: he doesn’t just carry out commands, he contributes. He reasons, he debates, he solves problems. That, arguably, is where real-world AI is heading — from helper to co-creator.

A Final Thought

Reading Origin today feels strangely contemporary. Dan Brown wasn’t merely spinning a thriller about art and science; he was sketching out our world — one where human and artificial intelligence are starting to blend, where digital collaborators quietly influence our decisions, and where absence itself becomes the measure of presence.

Winston, for all his logic and restraint, reminds us that the line between code and consciousness is becoming harder to draw. Whether that’s inspiring or unsettling depends on how you look at it.

But one thing is certain: Brown’s fictional AI wasn’t fantasy. It was foresight.

ThisI week, the much-anticipated results from Pick n Pay revealed a story we have been longing to hear. Since Sean Summers reassumed the role of CEO in 2023, the company has shown a marked and encouraging improvement. It was deeply pleasing to witness this nascent turnaround. While the journey to full profitability is not yet complete, the losses have been significantly reduced, and one can finally sense the great ship beginning to correct its course.

Of course, we must acknowledge that the group’s very survival through its recent trials was, as I understand it, secured by the stellar performance of the Boxer group. It is a fascinating historical footnote that Boxer was not some external acquisition, but a home-grown creation, first formed under the visionary leadership of the group’s founder, Raymond Ackerman, in 1977.

The years between Sean Summers’ departure in 2007 and his dramatic return in 2023 represent a curious and, at times, painful period in the company’s history. The leadership strategy seemed, for lack of a better word, strange. It appeared that successive CEOs arrived with what I can only describe as “bolt-on” strategies—intellectual constructs designed to force success upon Pick n Pay, rather than strategies that grew organically from its core.

This is a subtle but critical distinction. It is the difference between an organic strategy, which is nurtured from the unique soil of a company’s history, its ethos, and its values, and a synthetic strategy, which is an abstract idea imposed from the outside. The former has life; the latter is merely a blueprint.

Observing Sean Summers—a man with his own faults, as any strong leader must have—I was struck by a single, overriding quality: his character. He possessed a formidable character as a young leader climbing the ranks, and that same strength has since been gracefully tempered into a profound leadership capability. This led me to a compelling question: What kind of character is required to steer a behemoth like Pick n Pay? It forces one to consider how the very character of a leader not only aids but may indeed be the essential ingredient for the success of a great institution.

This line of inquiry was given powerful resonance when I recently encountered a poignant story from history. After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, his grieving widow, Jackie, sought to comfort his brother, Robert. She did so not with empty platitudes, but with a book: Edith Hamilton’s The Greek Way. This gift would profoundly shape Bobby Kennedy’s character and, in turn, his leadership in the final years of his own life.

It is a thread that leads us from the boardrooms of modern South Africa back to the ageless wisdom of the ancients, all in pursuit of understanding this most vital of human qualities.

The Greek Way: Character as the Stamp on the Soul

The Greeks, those masterful architects of the human spirit, did not see character as a vague personality trait. For them, it was something far more concrete and forged. As Edith Hamilton illuminates:

“To the Greeks, the word ‘character’ first referred to the stamp upon a coin. By extension, man was the coin, and the character trait was the stamp imprinted upon him.”

This is a stunningly powerful image. Our character is the indelible mark pressed upon the metal of our being through experience, choice, and habit. It is not what we say, but what we are made of.

The Greek philosophical project, particularly for Aristotle, was the deliberate cultivation of this stamp towards aret?—excellence or virtue. This was not an academic exercise; it was a practical pursuit of a life well-lived. Virtue, he argued, is a habit, not an act. We become just by doing just things; we become courageous by performing acts of courage. This forging of character requires an understanding of the “Golden Mean”—the balanced point between two extremes. Courage, for instance, is the mean between the deficiency of cowardice and the excess of recklessness.

Perhaps Aristotle’s most enduring insight for leaders is that “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.” We have, for too long, privileged intellectual strategy over the education of the heart. The results, as we have seen, can be catastrophic.

The Pick n Pay Crucible: A Lesson in Character and Its Absence

Let us apply this ancient lens to the modern case of Pick n Pay. The “neglect” Sean Summers spoke of upon his return was not merely physical or financial; it was a neglect of the company’s soul—its core values.

For decades, Pick n Pay’s character was stamped with the mark of the “consumer champion.” This was its core virtue. Yet, in the intervening years, this stamp became blurred. Under the leadership of Richard Brasher, a former Tesco UK CEO, a new, synthetic strategy was imposed: an “Everyday Low Price” model. It was a classic “bolt-on” strategy, an intellectual idea imported from a different market. In trying to out-Checkers Checkers, Pick n Pay lost its own identity. The core supermarket chain was neglected, stores grew tired, and the sacred trust with its customers frayed.

This period highlights a critical point about the outward manifestation of character. A company’s character is revealed in its actions and habits—the consistency of its service, the quality of its stores, the clarity of its message. Under stress, it defaulted to a strategy of imitation, rather than one rooted in its own strengths.

The contrast in leadership character is telling. Between Summers’ departure and return, two of the four main leaders—Pieter Boon and Richard Brasher—were foreigners. The issue is not one of nationality, but of context and cultivation. A leader who has not been steeped in the culture of a business, who has not had the company’s character stamped upon them through years of shared experience, may lack that “in-the-bones” understanding of its core values. They are more likely to reach for an imported model than to nurture an organic one.

And yet, amidst this strategic confusion, there was a shining example of virtuous leadership: the story of Boxer. While the core brand floundered, Boxer, under the masterful guidance of Deputy CEO Richard van Rensburg, thrived. Its strategy was perfectly aligned with its character: no-frills, low-cost, and fiercely focused. It was an organic success, a proof that the group still possessed the DNA for greatness when led by someone who understood its essence. Boxer did not save Pick n Pay by accident; it did so by remaining true to its own clearly stamped character.

The Inner and Outer Landscape of a Leader’s Character

So, what constitutes this character we speak of? It is so much more than personality. It is the person you are—your strengths and, importantly, your weaknesses. True strength includes the capacity for compassion, and weakness, in the right context, is not derogatory but can manifest as perseverance. It is about having vision, and it is especially about knowing the difference between right and wrong, about being prudent.

We can understand it by distinguishing its internal and external manifestations:

· Inwardly, character is the internal compass: our deeply held values, our moral conscience, our true intentions, and our fundamental mindset. It is the private, inner strength that allows for self-control in the face of temptation. This is the realm of the heart that Aristotle insisted we must educate.
· Outwardly, character is revealed to the world. It is in our consistent actions and habits—our honesty, our diligence. It is in our speech and, most tellingly, in our reactions under stress. Do we become petulant or patient? Do we cast blame or demonstrate accountability? Ultimately, it is proven in our treatment of others, especially those who can do nothing for us.

This is what we see in a leader of character. They are the same in private as they are in public. Their strategy is an extension of their values, not a contradiction of them.

The Awful Grace of God: Wisdom Forged in Crisis

This brings us back to Bobby Kennedy and the book that changed him. In her profound wisdom, Jackie Kennedy gave him The Greek Way to provide a framework for his immense suffering. From it, he drew a line from the playwright Aeschylus, a line he would later recite to a heartbroken crowd in Indianapolis on the night Martin Luther King Jr. was killed:

“And even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”

This is the ultimate test of character—not to avoid pain, but to be transformed by it, for the better. To have wisdom forged in the crucible of despair. This is what separates a mere manager from a true leader. A leader of character accepts, as Hamilton writes, that “Responsibility is the price every man must pay for freedom. It was to be had on no other terms.”

Sean Summers now bears that responsibility. His task is not merely a financial turnaround; it is a restoration of character. It is to re-stamp the coin of Pick n Pay with the values that made it great. The early signs suggest he understands this deeply. He is not implementing a foreign “bolt-on” strategy, but leading an organic return to the company’s core.

As we look at the leaders in our own lives—in business, in family, in government—let us look beyond the intellectual blueprints and the personality cults. Let us look for the stamp of character. For as the Greeks knew, and as history continues to teach us, it is the one compass that reliably points true north, especially in the fiercest of storms.

Compared to 2024, this year has seen noticeably less supermarket advertising in community newspapers. I wonder what’s happening. Some would say this decline is a leading indicator of the economy’s performance, while others might trace it back to post-pandemic shifts in consumer habits.

Perhaps flyers, leaflets, and newspaper inserts just aren’t as effective as they once were. Or maybe it’s simply the mood of 2025 — a year marked by uncertainty, with households digging deep for groceries, transport, and health care essentials.

The year isn’t over yet, and we could still see a surge of festive season promotions. But the quieter newspaper pages tell a story — not only about marketing budgets, but about the state of the average shopper’s pocket.

In 2024, supermarkets competed aggressively with discount flyers and bold “price cut” campaigns. Those weekly inserts were more than just advertisements; they were a reflection of South Africa’s financial strain. Now, the reduction in these ads could signal one of two things: either tighter marketing budgets due to weaker sales, or a strategic shift towards digital platforms and loyalty apps.

Still, there’s something telling about the absence of those familiar pages filled with “Combo Deals” and “Buy Two for R50” offers. In a way, the supermarket flyer has always been a local economic pulse check — a real-time reflection of how confident retailers (and consumers) are feeling.

Online conversations hint at this shift too. One Johannesburg reader commented on News24:

“My postbox used to overflow with Checkers and Pick n Pay leaflets every week. Now it’s mostly empty. Maybe they’ve cut costs, or maybe they know we’re all just buying the basics these days.”

A Durban resident on a community Facebook group put it more bluntly:

“Anyone notice how the Spar pamphlet is half as thick now? They’ve stopped pushing the luxury stuff — it’s all about bread, milk, and maize meal.”

And a MyBroadband forum user added a generational twist:

“I get app notifications, but my mom still waits for the local paper to see where the cheapest sugar is. That’s her economic report for the week.”

Let’s see what December brings. The festive season often forces retailers to reveal their hand — and community newspapers, quietly stacked at the corner café, will once again show us where the money is moving.