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Betting on a Darkie: Lifting the Corporate Game

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'If you want to take the system down, provide a better alternative at least. At heart I’m an engineer. I want to encourage people to fix things, not to raise false hopes.' Mteto Nyati knew years ago as a schoolboy in Mthatha, working behind the counter at his mother’s trading store, that he wanted to fix and build things. After completing his studies in Mechanical Engineering at Natal University, he turned down a Rhodes scholarship and headed for Johannesburg to take up a position at Afrox. He was the only black engineer and the sole advice he received from his superiors was ‘don’t mess up’. He didn’t. Today Nyati is one of South Africa’s top CEOs, having steered Microsoft South Africa and MTN South Africa out of troubled times. He is currently guiding the transition of Altron from a family business, started at the height of apartheid, into a high-performing international IT company with a social conscience.

216 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 7, 2019

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224 people want to read

About the author

Mteto Nyati

1 book16 followers
Mteto Nyati is the Chief Executive at Altron, having joined the company in April 2017.

He is responsible for transforming Altron into a world-class information and communications technology company that does good business while doing good.

Mteto was Chief Executive Officer of MTN South Africa, where he succeeded in returning the mobile company to growth by overhauling employee engagement and transforming customer experience.
Over a period of 12 years, Mteto held various leadership positions at IBM in South Africa and Europe. He later joined Microsoft South Africa, where he was MD for six years.

In 2019 Mteto won the Business Leader of the Year award at the All African Business Leaders Awards (AABLA) and the IPM CEO Special Award from the Institute of People Management. He was also the joint winner of South Africa’s 2013 IT Personality of the Year. In 2004 he was named one of Yale University’s World Fellows on Global Leadership.

Mteto is author of the number one best seller, Betting on a Darkie, a book about his life as a shopkeeper’s son, family man and business leader at local and multinational corporates.
Mteto holds a BSc in Mechanical Engineering.

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5 stars
81 (49%)
4 stars
61 (37%)
3 stars
18 (11%)
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2 (1%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
Profile Image for Muhammad Khan.
132 reviews3 followers
September 26, 2019
I tend to stay away from autobiographies of people who are still alive, but this one being a local South African, piqued my interest, and say no more about the title (OMW), so I had to check this guy out!!

As I read this story, I could not help but think about Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers", with Mteto Nyati, probably proving a few of Gladwell's assertions there: background, upbringing, unique opportunities, being in right place at the right time, having supportive people, etc.

Nevertheless, Mteto Nyati shows what can be done in the pursuit of being your best, showing off a track record that is undeniable and solid. Which is good and a welcome relief especially when SA companies feel pressured to meet BEE and diversity targets by placing or advancing black CEOs for namesake "puppet CEOs" with COOs under that do the real work...

Not the case with Mteto Nyati, he is the real deal, a welcome relief to SA business, a modern thinker and a leader who values people, my kind of leader...a mentor worth seeking out IMHO.

Recommend this book to anyone currently looking for local inspirational SA leadership..
5 reviews1 follower
April 19, 2020
On completion of “Betting on a Darkie” I hesitated on writing a review, a very simple read for most readers and it documents the life of Mr Mteto.

I did find that the book however, didn’t give much insight in challenges faced by black people in corporate/ which I had expected. Where it made mention of challenges such as decision making/ racism/ political maneuvers made, these were not deeply explored.

I didn’t find that the references from Mr Mteto’s network very appropriate and enriching the book. Instead it came across as very self-indulgent and somewhat saw it as a validation to himself or to prove to the reader, his corporate character. This approach/ i found unnecessary as actions taken etc could’ve conveyed the same message without trying to “convince” the reader.

I had a lot of hope for the book given the little literature on black people in corporate and challenges faced, as a corporate black person, it left me wanting with regard to depth.

I do hope that this is a start and that publishers can further build on this.
22 reviews
September 9, 2019
This book is simple, easy to read and to understand. It is extremely relatable to me having have interacted with Mteto in real life. I appreciated understanding the reasons behind his decisions. I liked that it clearly communicated the true characteristics of a leader. It will be a personal reference book on leadership.
Profile Image for Charlie Minglez.
19 reviews5 followers
June 20, 2020
This is an interesting and inspiring story.It left me feeling like I've been working for Mteto Nyati for the last 10 days and enjoying his leadership style and motivational lessons from my own boss.I had fun getting to know him better throughout the book while following his journey watching him appy his wisdom to resolve complex situations.
I was kept entertained all the way and came out a better person.

"Leadership is more than a position.You must influence, motivate, engage and share priorities with your staff."
Profile Image for Pashnee Naidoo.
69 reviews
September 11, 2022
I have been following Mteto Nyati on social media for a while. His daily inspirational quotes resonated with me. The book was gifted to me and signed by Mteto which makes my copy so special. I love that he acknowledged his mistakes through his career. He is a true leader with a heart. His journey from humble Beginings is inspirational.
Profile Image for Rolland Simpi Motaung.
36 reviews7 followers
February 15, 2023
A qualified engineer, Mteto Nyathi has been fixing business problems with in-depth strategic thinking and emotional intelligence. His astute business problem solving capabilities have been beneficial to companies such as Tiger Brands, Nampack and IBM SA. His brilliant turnaround skills were groundbreaking at Microsoft SA, MTN SA and currently Altron. He managed to steer these companies from declining sales; dissatisfied customers; frustrated employees and traditional business models towards profitable innovative organizations with happy employees and customers.

Throughout his professional journey he has been critical of the subtle negative attitudes from the white male senior management who proclaim “there is a darkie here running wild” sentiments even post-Apartheid South Africa. The author is critical of the black professionals who also show more disdain and mistrust towards other black professionals which dismisses the assumption that black professionals “have each other backs” in corporate South Africa.

He is also critical of the burning issue of white monopoly capital and its use by different parties to justify their disdain or likes. To the black entrepreneurs he challenges that there must be an effort to stop complaining and start building innovative businesses or better yet “come with a better alternative” in order to address social ills and forge a way to effectively compete locally and globally. To the multinationals corporations, as he did at Microsoft SA, he challenges for more diversity, more understanding of the socio-economic challenges instead of egotistical and ignorant strategies that neglect black management expertise and shut out black SMMEs that could be empowered to add more value to the economy. Finally, the author challenges government to open up more platforms of strategic discussions of how private and public can better work together to rebuild and drive the country to a better future

This book is for anyone (especially black professionals) seeking an African business model of ethical leadership, strategic thinking to solve African business problems and transformational leadership toward a diverse corporate culture. It’s a book for black entrepreneurs to get an idea of how key decisions makers in corporate South Africa operate when seeking out partnership or funding. Black public sector managers should also read this book, in order to see that there are many black CEOs willing to work with government on good governance principles to move this country forward. “At heart I’m an engineer. I want to encourage people to fix things, not to raise false hopes.

Mteto Nyathi has demonstrated prolific turnaround strategic capabilities in his 30 year professional career and this book is a key contribution to African business literature that is needed now more than ever.

Rolland Simpi Motaung ©
Profile Image for Baiwai.
3 reviews
December 13, 2020
Good read and wonder why it took me so long to get started. Great insights and some valuable "life philosophies" from one who has been through the trenches and is still in the trenches.
80 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2021
A Book on Black excellence in Motion 🙆🏾‍♂

This is a great book on Black Excellence in corporate world.

Really felt inspired reading about Mteto Nyati's history and journey on how he became such a valuable business man in our Country.

I like the fact that he never waits for someone else to create the opportunity for him, his hard work and dedication makes room for him.

A great example of who we can be as Black South Africans in the Corporate world.
Profile Image for Ingrid.
143 reviews2 followers
October 25, 2020
I should have read "Betting on a Darkie" when I bought it in November 2019. But I waited and read it over 3 days starting on Friday.

When a book starts with a forward by the esteemed Thabo Mbeki:

"This is a story about a fellow South African who is dedicated to the achievement of excellence, which drives him to hate all shoddy work. This tells all us is that this is a person whose working day will not be governed by the hours he is contracted to work, but by the quality of the product he will have produced by the end of the working day."

And it shows. All the things I believe in so strongly are echoed - education, ethics, integrity, hard work, rising above it all. Yes, it is a biography of Mr Nyati's career but his absolute pride in the people he worked with, and his daughter Anda's educational success, is as clear as the sun. Not to mention the chapter by chapter words from previous colleagues and mentors praising his ethic and unassuming way of getting things done.

It makes me think too. Here I am, a white German woman, owning her own business, dealing with some inspirational people (I work with 3 incredibly inspiring black women at one of my clients who are in the executive team who I have extreme respect for and who have given me an amazing opportunity at the company in an outsourced position). Do I inspire the people I work with? If not, how can I become better? How can I give back? And is my work at the right level?

I don't know if I will ever be in a corporate executive position myself. But it is extremely important to learn from those in positions above you. I can only imagine the insights I would get during a mere dinner chatting to Mr Nyati.

If you share my ideals and strong feelings on getting educated, standing by your ethical beliefs, wanting to learn, I recommend this book full heartedly. And even if you are not in a corporate position, I would still recommend this book because you will get out of it a hope that there is still a chance for South Africa's economy if people like Mteto Nyati are at the helm.
Profile Image for Elisha Rhode.
13 reviews
July 19, 2020
I stumbled upon this autobiography by pure chance and it was the title of the book that most deeply struck me. “Betting on a Darkie” is a title that unsettled me, it truly made me feel uncomfortable. It reminded me of the treatment of black labourers. I had heard this word spewed at people countless times before. Spewed at people who endured the weight of that term, “Darkie”, and carried it like a cross. A cross built by the people who fed them the lie of lesser being. I believe Mr Nyati never accidentally chose this title and as one journeys through the recollections of his remarkable career one can see the significance of the title. Hailing from the Eastern Cape, Mr Nyati’s childhood reflects that of many black South Africans- long treks to school, helping out with the family business and a childhood entrenched in a spirit of community. The early character traits bestowed on him by his mother coupled with an emphasis on education and hard work, provides an awestriking recipe to his meteoric rise. From village boy to engineer to CEO. His tale is the embodiment of the true fight against the injustices of the past. A fight not in words and sentiments, but one grounded in the action of meaningful contribution to an emerging South African economy. The overwhelming message of this story is one of Hope. Hope that through our actions and not our cynicisms, we can build a better South Africa.
4 reviews
October 20, 2019
I've followed Mtheto's career for a while now. I have listened, read or even watched about 80% of his interviews about business, work, family and the country

This book was a cherry on top for me and it's clearly written, easily laid out, honest, and very direct. I like his approach to sokicng problems, his style of engaging his staff and motivating them. I like how he achieves his business results and how he pushes his team to the limit and how he turnaround businesses.

I have read lots of books a out US company CEOs. I read how they turned around business but I could not relate to them. Mteto bring about the African S African) perspective and clarity, especially with working with the trade unions, staff and shareholders alike.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and how he transeded arou d his family, background and his early days when he was starting up. He covers how he was a party ani. AL, he liked alcohol, fun, etc. I have not read any honest account of any CEOs life tvag I encountered on this book.

It is a must have and must read for anyone, young and old, career driven or, not this book is for you.

I'm defi ateky betting on a darkie...
48 reviews1 follower
June 17, 2020
The foreword by Thabo Mbeko gives the text a strong political undertone, seemingly an endorsement of something out of context to what the book offers, although agreeably, Thabo Mbeki refers to it as a semi-biography. Mteto gives more than just a glimpse into the corporate world, the core of it and how he has navigated that space. The last chapter which is titled after the book title gives a reflective and powerful message for the next generation South Africa.
Profile Image for Marc Fletcher.
3 reviews
October 16, 2019
As an Altron employee this provides an invaluable insight into our leaders background, career, his challenges and his motivations. The book is easy to read and often humorous and aligns to Mteto’s easy communication style. Recommended for all Altron employees, business people and anyone else who is intrigued to understand who the role model for South African business leaders should be.
Profile Image for Lungi Manzini.
16 reviews6 followers
April 16, 2020
Absolutely enjoyed reading this book. Such an inspiring story of a leader who beat all odds to become the CEO of Altron. Not a typical CEO though, engineer by training. From this book I have learnt that when you’re a leader you have to be resilient, stay humble, don’t be scared to make decisions, don’t be scared to make mistakes and always jump when an opportunity presents itself. Thank you
Profile Image for Farai Gorden.
58 reviews
March 4, 2022
Fantastic book. I liked his journey to the top and his views on how business should be run, lessons can be learnt by nations here. My take home point is how he explained the power of "and" nothing stopping collaboration at any level.
That he got those who know him and have with him to contribute to the book through chapters was a brilliant move. His straight talk approach also made me enjoy the book more.

Thank you Mteto for this one.
9 reviews
June 14, 2022
The book is a good read and an interesting leadership story.
I did feel however that the author merely scratched the surface in his stories/ experiences and didn’t give insight into what was going on internally, the battles within when making decisions or leading during turbulent times in the country.

Although you can gain some inspiration from the book, I don’t see how this can be a substitute for mentorship as the author has mentioned on several occasions.
7 reviews
March 9, 2020
What a great influential book of leadership, practicing integrity, the importance on a few observations;
1. Family
2. Team player and not just a Boss
3. Collaboration with all levels of management and staff
4. Determination and being able to show empathy and prepared to listen
5. Being relevant to your clients.
Profile Image for Nomvula Mabunda.
2 reviews
August 31, 2024
Once I picked up this book, it was hard to put it down. What a lovely and easy read. An inspiring story about a proudly South African black man, who achieves great things. I enjoyed reading about Mtetho’s life and business journey - a testament that it is possible for black leaders to lead with heart and integrity. A must read!
4 reviews1 follower
June 11, 2020
A decent read. The values and principles set forth in this book act as brilliant leadership guidelines for young South Africans and future generations. The book is not “A read me and put me away type of book” but a “when in need of guidance please refer to me type of book”.

Loved it.
98 reviews2 followers
November 23, 2021
Having worked under Mteto for a short while while I was at IBM many years ago (I was just starting out my career), I can attest to his humble and wise leadership style. The lessons in business and leadership from this book I'm sure will be echoed by everyone that has worked with Mteto.
Profile Image for Sipho.
455 reviews51 followers
July 8, 2023
An enjoyable enough memoir of South African corporate leader, Mteto Nyati.

Most of this book is about his career journey, although there are bits and pieces of his personal life thrown in there. As such, you don't really feel like you've gotten to know the man all that well after reading.
5 reviews
November 2, 2021
It felt like reading Mr Mteto's CV. I was looking for more
Profile Image for Neems.
100 reviews
November 29, 2024
Excellent! An inspiring story written in an accessible way.
Profile Image for Lwazi Bangani.
87 reviews9 followers
August 10, 2021
When I look at the life of a corporate executive, I often categorize them into the cluster of people with an uneventful past by default. However, Mteto Nyati and his past is everything but boring.

Bra Mteto revisits his rural upbringing where he grew up as a son of a shopkeeper who provided solutions to the village’s needs. He then capitalized on the opportunities provided through education to map out his well decorated career and life.

What I loved most about the book is how relatable he is as a young man. Like any other young man he had his fair share of mistakes which provided him with lessons that led him to take life more purposefully.

One other aspect I appreciated most about Mteto Nyati’s story is his gratitude for the exposure that he was provided with by others. Unlike other autobiographies from c-suite executives, he acknowledges the role that was played by the community (both social and corporate) in him being where he is today.

Betting on a darkie is an exceptional read. I recommend it.
Profile Image for Phindile.
3 reviews
July 14, 2020
An incredible book that details how Nyati's journey to Altron CEO unfolds. There aren't a lot of leadership books that are written in the South African context, especially those that touch on race. I am glad that Nyathi dared to write about race and how it can advance or hinder careers. He writes about the challenges that he faced as a black man in corporate, I think this quote summarises a view that may be shared by many. "Although I kep myself busy, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I didn't fit, that I was being avoided instead of embraced".
However, through his journey from Nampak to IBM, you get to see how he overcomes these challenges through hard work and correctly positioning himself. His IBM journey sees him rising trough the ranks and setting him to a fruitful journey of leadership. I particularly liked how he highlighted interactions with government that when fruitful yielded good results that impacted many others, when not fruitful they actually denied SAns opportunities (my view).

My only critism of the book is that I didn't see a lot of how he used the people around him to achieve his vision. It sounds as though he pushed through all by himself.

A stellar book that I would recommend to anyone in corporate or government, those who are leaders and those who are led.
Profile Image for Xavier Bapoo.
7 reviews
March 4, 2021
In the Cacophony of business books screaming strategy, quick fixes, new world wisdom and experience Mteto Nyati provides a Symphony of corporate/political strategy & experience in 13 chapters and a few other surprises that even an untrained mind could use...

His consistent commitment to excellence, moral Fibre, innovation, diversity & consistency show throughout the book leaving you with the feeling that you have been mentored by him in person.

I quote "if you can build a company that can survive South Africa today, then it can survive anywhere"

That said this is probably one of the best books I have read in 2019/2020 having made me laugh out aloud more than a few times
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews

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