Crises are springboards for entrepreneurship, but will SA seize the opportunity?

In 1987, Paul Harris, Gerrit Ferreira and Laurie Dippenaar founded RMB Holdings and went ahead to acquire Momentum and launch Discovery in 1992 - both tumultuous times in South African history.

The 1987 stock market crash could have forced the recently registered, bank-controlling company to adjust its growth ambitions and the transition to a new South Africa while the 1992 referendum to abolish apartheid could have tempted RMH to shelve its acquisition plans.

But they didn't. These periods of crises have proven to ignite entrepreneurialism in SA, says futurist, economist and business trends analyst, Bronwyn Williams.