Dr Iqbal Surve’s invaluable lessons on humility and respect

HUMILITY, treating everyone with the same level of respect, whether they are the king or queen or prince, or president, or someone that cleans toilets, continuous learning, and seeking psychological help are some of the tips, secrets, and values shared by Sekunjalo chairman Dr Iqbal Survé, which he described as key to success.

- GCWALISILE KHANYILE

Dr Survé was speaking at a recent gathering of nearly 500 employees who represented various companies under the Sekunjalo Group, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, where he expressed gratitude for everyone' con-tribution to the company.

He shared secrets to success, building integrity, and making an impact on those around you. That, with all his crucial points skillfully embedded in little stories and humour, which occasionally left everyone in stitches.

Detailing the family values he lives by — treating people the same, and key lessons learned as a medical doctor while treating patients and working with political prisoners, before venturing into business, he said family values have to be practised, as difficult as it is to do so.

Dr Survé said these values opened doors for him that he never imagined.

He said there was a time when he and other doctors had to look after political prisoners, those who were tortured, and who spent a long time in prison.

Itstarted with what was then the reha-bilitation programme using post-trau-matic stress disorder tools, developed in Scandinavian countries to help people that were destroyed, because yes people are very brave when they go through that — being in prison for 15, 20, 25 years and more for their beliefs and their values, Dr Surve said.

“And I worked with them because it was difficult for them to adjust to their families, difficult for them to adjust themselves. And quietly, with a group of many other doctors and physiotherapists, we did the work to get people back into society. Many of whom became our lead-ers in the first government of our country post 1994,” he said.