Hello and Welcome to my website

 IT'S ALL ABOUT IMPLEMENTATION, IMPLEMENTATION, IMPLEMENTATION AND MORE IMPLEMENTATION. And I want to do my bit.

WHY THIS WEBSITE? IT'S ALL ABOUT "IMPLEMENTATION"

I hope you will find this website about STRATEGY + ACTION = IMPLEMENTATION and its advertised services useful.

The main aim of this website is to make explicit my committment to transformation and change in South Africa. In fact, it's more than that. I agree that there is a definite need for South Africans to unite under clear and acceptable goals in order for transformation to work. I further agree that we must all pull together to help the miracle in South Africa to continue.

But the question is HOW DO WE DO IT? HOW DO WE ENSURE IMPLEMENTATION AND SERVICE DELIVERY in business and government alike?

Yes, our hearts are in the right place and we have the country's constitution and bill of rights on our side - BUT still we are failing to deliver even the most basic of services in our country.

Well, I am not going to stand on the side-line and complain or throw unnecessary stones. With this website I am stepping forward BOLDLY to make my skills available to the country. In fact I have always done so, but not in the way I am doing now.

I am a patriot, Yes. But I am also a business person. So, a unique combination of my skills and a small fee is what I am looking at. And then we can begin to seriously fix our country. "Nothing for nothing" as they say. So let's talk.

BIOGRAPHICAL & PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

 DIVERSE & ECLECTIC

I am only 54 years old, but I have been busy. I have gone from a Fitter & Turner tradesman to Cleric to Deputy Director-General of Scorpions to CEO of an Engineering company to Professor to Consultant and Business Entrepreneur. And all here in South Africa.

I have acquired experience across a wide range of sectors including: Government, Private Sector Business; Education; and as a shopfloor worker and Tradesman. And I know what IMPLEMENTATION means across all these sectors.

CURRENT ACTIVITIES

Founder and Chairman - Ruben Richards Foundation - A South African nonprofit organisation (NPO 116-249) www.rubenrichardsfoundation.org.za   or www.rrf.org.za

Peace negotiator with criminal gangs in South Africa see BBC World News clip ( click here to view) and also German Media coverage ( click here to view )

Company Director     

PAST ACTIVITIES

CEO Cape Chamber of Commerce and Industry

CEO Globe Engineering Works, Cape Town

Visiting Adjunct Professor, Graduate School of Public and Development Management (P&DM), Wits University,  Johannesburg

ADVISOR: Engineering sector - focus on scarce and critical skills (Johannesburg)

Consultant & Entrepreneur

BORN, RAISED AND TRAVELLED

Born in Cape Town. Studied and lived internationally (mid-1980's to early 1990's).

Lived in Johannesburg (1995-2006).

Currently back in Cape Town but commuting all over.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

PhD (Univ of Cape Town); BD (Zurich, Switzerland); MTh (Michigan, USA); BSocSc (Univ of Cape Town)

Mechanical Engineering National Technical Certificate 5 - Athlone Technical College, Cape Town

Facilitation of Strategic Planning - Church Community Leadership Trust

Project Planning and Execution

POSITIONS PREVIOUSLY HELD

Deputy Director-General - Scorpions (National Prosecuting Authority of South Africa)

Executive Secretary - Truth and Reconciliation Commission

Visiting Professor - Albion College, Michigan-USA; Wits Graduate School of Public and Development Management

 Lecturer - Wits University, Johannesburg

 Tutor to academically disadvantaged students - University of Cape Town

PUBLICATIONS

BULLETS OR BALLOTS: The ultimate solution to crime and unemployment in South Africa (published 2010 by Mutloatse Arts Heritage Foundation [formerly Skotaville Press]) For more information and reviews see http://www.rubenrichards.co.za/wmenu.php

2 Billion Strong - A regenerative Solution to building sustainable African cities (Eds. Gita Goven, Ruben Richards, Alastair Rendall) Reygan Publishers, Cape Town, 2012

AFRICA POISED FOR ABUNDANCE AND PLENTIFUL JOBS: The entrepreneurial gift of rapid urbanisation - Zambia Institute for Public Policy Analysis

South Africa's Skills Crisis - a paper presented at the 1st Scarce Skills Conference in Cape Town 2008 ( click here )

Upcoming: TRANSFORMATION AND CHANGE: The Survival Tool Kit for South African Executives and Senior Management.