CASE STUDIES OF
UBUNTU
UBUNTU AS AN ETHIC
GAME PLAN…
• What is the danger in using the philosophy of Ubuntu in political, corporate or
governmental agendas?
• Marikana
• Zama Zama Mine Workers
• Could there be a way of implementing Ubuntu in political, corporate or governmental
agendas?
• Triple Bottom Line
• WIPHOLD
UBUNTU RECAP
• ”Umuntu Ngumuntu Ngabantu”
• Relational morality =“Let’s think together” as opposed to “think for yourself”
• Communal aspirations and Collective existence
• Community is the source, author and custodian of moral standards
• Community centric
• Dependence
• Horizontal and Vertical Wisdom
UBUNTU AS A
POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSES TO MARIKANA AND ‘ZAMA ZAMA’
MINEWORKERS
MARIKANA
• 16th August 2012, the police shot dead 34 striking miners and wounded another 78, and
250 mineworkers were arrested following the assault
• Mine workers were demanding a wage increase at the Lonmin Platinum mine in an unoffical
industrial action strike (wild cat strikes)
• They demanded that their poor living and working conditions of miners and their families be
addressed
• There was a fatal breakdown in communication, during the wage talks, between the
National Union for Miners, and Lonmin Representatives
• Events became militaristic, hostility from security police and union personel ensued
MARIKANA
• ANC and the government have used Ubuntu as a moral guide
• Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma have both appealed to Ubuntu to orient government policy
• African renaissance; Rebuilding the Nation
• In the South African context, Ubuntu was best used in the form of collective healing and confronting the trauma
of apartheid with Tutu seeing Ubuntu as a conflict resolution philosophy.
• Truth and Reconciliation Commission of South Africa (formed to investigate and deal with the apartheid
atrocities) (1994-1996).
• Desmond Tutu (chairman of TRC): what constrained so many to choose to forgive rather than to demand
retribution, to be magnanimous and ready to forgive rather than to wreak revenge, was Ubuntu.
• Onyebuchi Eze: the TRC used Ubuntu as an ideology to achieve political ends.
MARIKANA
• Government had initially sought out communal relationships
• Zuma even invoked Ubuntu as a means to deal with labour issues in
South Africa, including Marikana
• FDisavowing behaviour that does not uphold ubuntu principles; obtaining clarity
about what happened
• Helped bury the dead, offer counselling to the communities
THEN SOMETHING WENT WRONG…
• Government failed to uphold ubuntu moral standards
• No support for the affected families
• Lack of caring and empathy
• Failure to foster reconciliation
• Lack of restorative justice
• Some have argued that you cant apply an ethic that speaks to small scale traditional african societies to
places that bear little resemblance to it like Johannesburg; ie. Cannot apply Ubuntu where the idea of the
value of things comes from market and not from the community
• Is there such a thing as the right thing to do, even when the rules do not require you to do so and/or are
against your actions?
• Difference between legality and morality
APPEALS TO BUNTU
• What are the implications of collective/communal conceptions of organisational
management and governance?
• There hasn’t been anything substantive in terms of changing the ways in which
the South African economy does business, rather there has merely been the use
of these slogans (of Ubuntu) in a rhetorical way.
• In other words, the principles of Ubuntu are merely used to promote corporate
and political agendas.
• Are the theoretical underpinnings of Ubuntu at odds with the market capitalists
that are punting Ubuntu unashamedly. How so?
DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD
• Claim: Ubuntu as a leadership/governance mechanism in business will lead to corporate
responsiveness and the continued engagement of a country in efforts to assist in the
development of the poor.
• Business has a moral responsibility beyond the shareholders but also towards
stakeholders
• How: sustainability
• Sustainability in business:
• “The goal of a sustainable business strategy is to make a positive impact on either
one of those areas. When companies fail to assume responsibility, the opposite can
happen, leading to issues like environmental degradation, inequality, and social
injustice.”
• There’s an increased push towards the triple bottom line
COLLECTIVE/COMMUNAL CONCEPTIONS OF
ORGANISATIONAL MANAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE
• The triple bottom line theory
expands the traditional accounting
framework to include two other
performance areas: the social and
environmental impacts of their
company. These three bottom lines
are often referred to as the three P’s:
people, planet, and profit.
• [Link]
y/triple-bottom-line/
UBUNTU AND THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE
• People
• “People” considers employees, the labor
involved in a corporation’s work, and the wider
community where a corporation does business.
Another way to look at “people” is, how much
does a company benefit society? A triple bottom
line company pays fair wages and takes steps to
ensure humane working conditions at supplier
factories.
• [Link]
bottom-line/
UBUNTU AND THE TRIPLE BOTTOM LINE
Planet
• The “planet” piece of the triple bottom line indicates that an
organization tries to reduce its ecological footprint as much as
possible. These efforts can include reducing waste, investing in
renewable energy, managing natural resources more efficiently, and
improving logistics.
Profit
• While every business pursues financial profitability, triple bottom line
businesses see it as one part of a business plan. Sustainable
organizations also recognize that “profit” isn’t diametrically opposed
to “people” or “planet.”
From this perspective, can we say that Ubuntu can be used as a philosophy for business
practice that is both ethical, socially committed and aimed at social transformation?
Does Ubuntu undermine the very core of business, i.e. profit?
CLASS TEST 3
• CLASS TEST 3
• DATE
• GROUP 2
• NAME FIRST, THEN SURNAME
• STUDENT NUMBER
CLASS TEST 3: GROUP 1 – VIRTUE ETHICS
1. What is the word which refers to a characteristic that leads a person
away from their purpose? (1)
2. What is an English translation for eudaimonia? (1)
3. What is the term for the middle point between two extremes in virtue
ethics theory? (2)
4. Which word refers to the lack of courage? (1)
CLASS TEST 3: GROUP 2 – VIRTUE ETHICS
1. What is a vice? (1)
2. Give one virtue of a business. (1)
3. Fill the gap: The Golden Mean is the middle point between a ____ and a ____ of
something. (2)
4. What is an English translation for eudaimonia? (1)
