Imameleng Mothebe: Transforming South Africa's food trade landscape

Imameleng Mothebe, CEO of the Association of Meat Importers and Exporters, says her career in the food value chain is far from glamorous but deeply impactful. From developing South Africa’s soybean value chain strategy while in government to now navigating complex trade regulations, she has worked to balance imports and exports to keep protein affordable for consumers.

When she was a young single mother who often travelled internationally while raising her children, Mothebe says her path has required resilience, hard work and a passion for making a difference – even if it’s not always pretty.

What first inspired you to do what you do – and what was the moment that really changed everything for you?

When I studied economics, I was focused on being on the financial side until I encountered development economics, and have never looked back, despite qualifying in financial economics. The food value chain has always fascinated me and it’s the only sector that I have ever worked in

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What’s the biggest challenge you’ve faced on your journey, and how did you push through it?

As a young single mother, I used to travel a lot internationally for work, having to leave my little kids in the care of a very good house helper for extended periods of time. Fortunately, my mother was still alive and active and could always assist at short notice.

What achievement are you most proud of, the one that still makes you smile when you think about it?

Over a decade ago, when I was still involved in industry development in government, I was challenged to find a solution to the development of the soybean value chain sector in South Africa, among others.

After extensive research and industry consultation, the Soybean Value Chain Strategy was born, and hailed as one of the best strategies I produced while in government. I’m proud to have led the implementation and growth of the soybean value chain in South Africa, which yielded exponential growth in soybean planting, processing and therefore a viable industry we see today, and still growing.

This initiative successfully reduced the imports of soybean meal into South Africa and improved our export capabilities to an extent.

What makes your role or career path different or special in South Africa?

The ability to engage at various echelons of hierarchy. This career makes you understand the impact of your actions on a Ma-Dlamini out in the rural areas the same as you need to understand the impact on business, the country and the world, especially trade-related matters. I was also privileged to have been afforded the opportunity to make a difference in both private and public sectors.

In my early days, at the dawn of democracy, I used to work a lot in corporate affairs/social responsibility portfolio, and this helped open my eyes to what can be if we all pull together.

How do you think the work you do is making a difference – whether in your industry, your community, or for other women?

My current role is focused on creating a conducive environment for business to succeed – both imports and exports.

This involves continuous engagement with government around the regulatory environment necessary to make this a reality. A challenging environment due to government red tape. There is a need to find a balance between the benefits of trade and national interests, which sometimes clash.

Our industry is prone to regulatory challenges and global incidences outside our control. When it comes to imports, our biggest challenge is diseases outbreaks in trading partner countries which results in closure of markets.

For niche products necessary for the manufacturing of processed meat in South Africa, such as Mechanically Deboned Meat (which is used to produce viennas, polonies etc which are the most affordable source of protein for the lower end consumers), such incidences have dire consequences for both business, consumers and the economy.

While on townships site visits at month end, I’ve witnessed the reality of a consumer faced with the option of purchasing a wing cut into many pieces so they can afford to feed a family, the queue in these supermarkets is unbelievable.  Imported protein provides a balance to domestic supply.

For example, importers import bone-in chicken which most developing countries do not utilise - they want breast meat, categorised as premium.

Our work helps the country continue to pursue this balance so we can have a robust manufacturing sector able to compete globally and fetch the much-needed forex at premium prices than the domestic market can pay for. It’s a balancing act.

What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to a young woman who dreams of following a similar path?

It’s not a rosy job, it requires hard work, determination to learn and passion for the country.

The reward is high, you can look back and say “I was there, I made a difference” – which is priceless.

Who’s been the biggest influence or mentor in your career?

My mum used to be a clerk at a development corporation, working with economists and financiers.

She would always come home and tell me about what they do and the impact of that to the country - bringing investments, creating jobs, building infrastructure. She would find a reason for me to visit her at work so I could get a glimpse, exposing me to these professionals that I looked up to. This ignited a light bulb for me after I had completed high school.

What’s one myth about your job or industry you’d love to clear up?

That imports destroy the country. International trade is about imports and exports.  A country cannot succeed only with protecting domestic industries yet expecting to export their products to the same countries they are blocking. There needs to be a healthy balance.

Imports in most cases should serve to close the gap that is created when a country exports especially, high quality, high value product. South Africa exports high quality, high value beef into premium markets, and therefore the void created by such exports must be closed domestically, mostly by imports.

Exports enable our manufacturing sector to compete globally as they have high standards to meet, while excessive protection results in non-competitive sector reliant on government protection and no incentive to innovate.

If you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would it be? 

Good financial management - start early and reap the rewards later.  Look after your health. Luckily, I was a sporty person, encouraged by my mother, and can see the results of this.

When you think back to the subjects you chose in high school or what you studied afterwards, did you ever imagine you’d end up where you are today – and how did that journey unfold?

I attended boarding school, and career guidance was non-existent. Choosing a career was about how bright you were.

Because I was not clear what I wanted to do, my grades declined, and my matric results were not great.

After high school I reviewed my future and applied myself to be able to study economics and more. I dedicate my success to the opportunities I was granted at South African Breweries and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition – these two institutions, among others, prepared me for my current role.

My late mother also played a key role in my success and was my number one fan.