South Africans have a phrase for tackling a problem when the obvious solution isn’t available: ’n Boer maak ’n plan.

Roughly translated, it means finding another way, or working with what you’ve got.

This week, a South African-founded business in Britain provided a fitting demonstration of the idea.

When PepsiCo announced on September 23 that it was discontinuing ProNutro, the iconic South African breakfast cereal, after 64 years, Biltong & Bangers didn’t simply join the thousands of people lamenting the loss of a familiar taste of home.

Instead, in ’n-Boer-maak-’n-plan fashion, it skipped the hand-wringing and asked PepsiCo – how much do you want for it?

The UK-based business, which says it has been selling ProNutro for 18 years, put forward an expression of interest in acquiring the original recipe, relevant intellectual property, production know-how and old equipment.

It readily acknowledged that it doesn’t know much about running a cereal operation.

But it does know South African consumers. It knows the UK market. And it believes there are enough capable people in South Africa to work out the production side – potentially keeping ProNutro South African while creating jobs in the country.

Ironically, PepsiCo’s announcement came the day before South Africa celebrated Heritage Day. Biltong & Bangers’ response was fitting: “Because perhaps the most South African thing we can do on this #HeritageDay (besides light the braai) is refuse to accept that something cannot be done.”
Whether the proposal goes anywhere is not the point. What matters is the instinct behind it.

A problem appeared. A business saw an opportunity. And rather than asking who else might solve it, it started asking how it could make a plan.
That is also a useful way of thinking about the wider UK–South Africa business relationship.

Beyond outsourcing
For years, much of the conversation has centred on outsourcing. The UK has skills shortages; South Africa has skilled professionals. South African teams can provide services to UK companies, often with the advantages of compatible working hours, language and established business connections.
All of that is true. But it may be underselling the opportunity.

The more interesting question is not what work a UK company can send to South Africa. It is what a UK and South African business can build together.
That could mean a South African software team becoming part of a UK company’s product development operation, South African financial expertise contributing to a new service, or a UK company drawing on South African knowledge as it develops an offering for African markets.

The common thread is strategic integration, not standard order-taking. The South African business isn’t sitting at the far end of the supply chain waiting for instructions – it’s part of the thinking.

Competing on value, not price
If the proposition is that a UK business can employ someone in South Africa for less than it would cost to employ someone in London, the relationship becomes vulnerable to the next country offering a lower price.

The more interesting proposition is value. South African professionals can bring technical expertise, commercial experience, different perspectives and knowledge of a market that is both sophisticated and distinctly different from the UK.

South Africa has established strengths in finance, technology and global services, with local firms accustomed to operating across complex, diverse markets.

That doesn’t automatically make South Africans better at solving problems. But the ability to find practical solutions is valuable in any business environment. In other words, it is the spirit of ’n-Boer-maak-’n-plan – don’t stop at the problem; look for a way to make things work.

The ProNutro proposal illustrates that value. Biltong & Bangers understands the South African customer in Britain and the dynamics of both markets.
It sees a commercial opportunity where another business might simply see a discontinued product.

The diaspora is an economic asset
Perhaps the most underused asset in the UK–South Africa relationship isn’t a company or a government programme. It’s people.

South Africans living in Britain often understand the UK business environment while retaining professional, family and commercial connections to South Africa. They understand how both sides communicate, as well as the expectations and frustrations. Most importantly, they can see opportunities between the two markets.

Biltong & Bangers shows the value of having a foot in both markets. Rather than simply looking for another supplier, it is exploring whether South African production could serve a UK customer base.

Rather than mere outsourcing, this represents a diaspora business applying its understanding of both sides to unlock a new opportunity.

People who understand two markets don’t simply provide labour. They provide context. Organisations such as the South African Chamber of Commerce UK can help connect that context with the businesses and opportunities that can turn it into action.

Perhaps the next chapter in the UK–South Africa business relationship is about making that plan together.