• 3 Comments
  

THREE very significant developments this week:
1. Joel Netshitenzhe, architect of policy under Thabo Mbeki has been elbowed out of Jacob Zuma’s presidency.
2. The Economic Development Minister, Ebrahim Patel, the nominee of Cosatu and the SACP to Cabinet has been placed in charge of economic policy development, a role that until now appeared to fall under Planning Minister, Trevor Manuel.
3. Manuel has been removed from Cabinet’s economic cluster – the group of ministers responsible for driving spending plans and government finances.
Manuel remains in a very powerful position in Zuma’s office, but his ability to influence economic policy development and the direction of government spending has been reduced by this shift.
Patel is likely to increase the state’s involvement in the economy, increase the regulation of the private sector and move against increasing the flexibility of the labour market.

Related posts:

  1. Gordhan ignores the left and follows the Manuel path
  2. Alliance Summit: Scene set for showdown over Manuel
  3. Manuel fights back to claim some authority
  4. Furious battle over economic policy – Has Zuma stuffed it up?
  5. Zuma’s expansion of government is costing us dearly

 

Comments

 

Madoda Mshengu

October 21, 2009 at 11:50 am

Zuma has always been a populist, he goes with the wind no matter where the wind takes him, he is a shame to all Presidents that the ANC has ever had in that he is toothless. He relies on who ever is in power and tries to appease them inorder to protect his glaring flaus, its a deadly shame that in this era of the country’s history we have a President like him at the helm, these are indeed very dark days.

His latest ploy of dining with the communists is nothing more than his true colours that change everyday as a chameleon as perfectly dipicted by Zapiro, this is made manifest by the power that communists have over government as evidenced by the direction or lack of direction that the country is taking. All of these factors have a bearing of Zuma looking at protecting his skin post 2012, as seen in the recent communist victory in ANC Provincial elections where the National Treasurer of the SACP Phumullo Masualle won provincial chairperson. This victory of the most powerful province in the land is testament of the sword that communists have in their hand in determining who reins supreme in 2012, and as such Zuma will appease them till kingdom come as long as they keep him in power.

Our country has become a smoldering republic where the advert of animal farm is daily life, this indeed is a dark era. If our President was a communist we would understand everything that is happening but since he is a populist without any ideological orientation then that makes him valnerable to any strong motive force and as such he will follow any channel because he has no fixed views of his own. Yet this is the man we as South African have intrusted our future on…is the jury really still out.

 

Judge Motata

October 21, 2009 at 12:48 pm

Isn’t it that THE MOJORITY is in the left whereas the MINORITY is on the right?
Patel’s responsibility is to implement ANC policy not COSATU policy!!!

Please Ray, stop this “rooi gevaar” nonsense of yours, sies!!!

 

Larry Goodfella

October 21, 2009 at 2:02 pm

The MAJORITY does not know their left from their right.

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