President Cyril Ramaphosa has expressed his sadness at the passing of futurist Clem Sunter, who died of cancer at the age of 81.
Sunter was a business leader — including CEO and chair of Anglo American’s gold and uranium division — who in the 1980s helped to develop a scenario for the future of South Africa. This was at a time when the liberation struggle was heightening pressure on the apartheid regime.
The “High Road, Low Road scenario” predicted contrasting futures for the country based on political choices and economic policy options.
Sunter leaves his wife, Margaret, children Katy, Dave and Rob, and seven grandchildren.
“Clem Sunter was a pioneering, incisive leader who cared deeply for our country and focused the attention of political movements, of his peers in the economy and of ordinary citizens on the character and future of our nation, said Ramaphosa.
“He made us think of the terms and conditions of transformation and of the South Africa we needed to build for an inclusive, prosperous and peaceful country. From consultations with leaders to his books and the passionate sharing of his ideas with communities, Clem Sunter made his insights accessible to all of us.
“Today we continue to explore futures for our country, and as we do so, we honour Clem Sunter’s ground-breaking reflection on who we are and what we can be.”
TimesLIVE
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