The African National Congress retained power in South Africa’s April 22 general election with a slightly reduced, but still overwhelming, majority in the parliament which, as expected, elected ANC leader Jacob Zuma president of the country.
While Zuma’s appointments did not bear out earlier concerns of a leftward lurch, they do represent a decided change in emphasis. His electoral campaign assures a greater emphasis on poverty alleviation, service delivery and crime prevention and a less internationalist approach to foreign economic and foreign policy. The degree to which South Africa will, or will be able, to turn inward will be watched closely.
Zuma’s key appointment was that of former finance minister Trevor Manuel as head of a new National Planning Commission to coordinate policy-making and develop a National Plan. Manuel’s appointment serves the dual purpose of retaining the well-regarded former minister in the cabinet and aspiring to a well-coordinated policy apparatus. Skeptics have questioned whether creating a super-cabinet committee in fact will make for smoother policy-making or lead to bureaucratic infighting.
Manuel’s replacement at Finance, Pravin Gordham, who originally came out of the South African communist party, has led the South African tax collecting agency where he earned a formidable reputation with business as a no-nonsense manager. The Financial Times quoted him as saying the new arrangement would create “more cohesion and greater balance.”
Source: All Africa
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