Can a black CEO colour Absa’s performance?

Arrie Rautenbach has less than a week to go before he formally checks out as Absa CEO. The CEO shake up at the South African lender is the sixth in almost as many years. It has also reopened the transformation debate from proponents who believe Absa has a second chance of embracing greater inclusion after the abrupt exit of its first black CEO since 2021. Still, others believe Absa’s recent underperformance points to a deeper malaise than the colour of its top executive. CNBC Africa’s Fifi Peters filed this report.