What does the year hold… well, who knows? It is a bit like a spinning wheel and we can only hope that the ball lands on the right number and colour.

Can we expect more blatant abuse of power, more being caught with their hand in the cookie jar, more allegations of corruption, more blaming of the accuser, more denying of the irrefutable facts, more of the lack of prosecution of the real criminals leaving us with zero confidence in the justice system – it goes on and on and most of us cannot keep up with all the shenanigans that are revealed daily.

How does the Minister of Police justify spending state money to take his assistant to attend the Rugby World Cup final in France? Then there are revelations by OUTA of authorised payments, that implicate the Minister of Higher Education, of R93 579.00 for 20 branded T-shirts (costing R4 679.00 each); R264 340.00 for six branded umbrellas (R44 057.00 per umbrella); R36 300.00 to design a letterhead, and R668 200.00 to print 100 copies of the Services Seta Annual Performance Plan.

It is a critical year for elections around the world. According to The Economist: In 2024, countries with more than half the world’s population – over four billion people – will send their citizens to the polls in the next 12 months.

These are hugely significant elections with consequences for the future of democracy, the global economy, and the potential for wider armed conflict. Worrying trends will continue to evolve, including the on-going rise of right-wing populism and autocracy.

The most significant elections will take place in Taiwan, Indonesia, India, the UK, South Africa, and the US.

In South Africa, thirty years after the end of white rule, democracy itself is struggling. The Economist quotes: “Some of the happiest queuing ever took place in South Africa on April 27th 1994. On that day millions lined up to elect Nelson Mandela’s party (ANC) in the country’s first general election under multiracial democracy. Some 86% of eligible voters turned out.”

But when South Africans go to the polls this year, there will be no sense of jubilation. The country is profoundly fed up with corruption, crime and joblessness. Analysts expect turnout to be even lower than the 49% who cast their ballots last time, in 2019. It is possible that less than a quarter of the post-1994, ‘born free’ generation will bother to vote.

As pressure from impending regulations, potential economic headwinds and geopolitical tensions grow, manufacturers are increasingly looking at cutting-edge technologies to help navigate these challenges. Increased government pressure on sustainability initiatives and the growing visibility of climate change impacts, is seeing manufacturers worldwide placing a heightened emphasis on sustainability. Across industries and governments globally, there is a widespread adoption of objectives to achieve carbon neutrality.

While many manufacturers are still effectively blind to a staggering percentage of events on the factory floor and in their supply chains, Smart Manufacturing solutions will be key in the next year to reduce manufacturing inefficiencies, increase productivity and, ultimately, weather the economic storm.

Manufacturing leaders will need to embrace the new technologies to achieve a more efficient and productive operation and combat inflation. Managers will look to increase their sustainability initiatives and adopt more Industry 4.0 solutions in the coming year. Organisations that are slow to leverage these advanced technologies will get left behind.

My big question is… How do we spin the wheel so that the ball will land on change, on commitment, on prosperity and hope?