“I am selfishly investing in the South African economy because when I go out to recruit, I want to have a bigger pool to choose from, of local people at a local price point.”

Gerald Naidoo’s situation is not atypical for business leaders across the country, struggling against not only a lagging economy, but very real constrictions that threaten their companies’ sustainability.

The added pressure for him is that, as CEO of a small but expanding ICT services provider called Logikal Consulting, the feeder pipe of people with the most basic of skills is worryingly thin.