Compounding SA Political Economy Uncertainties

SOUTH AFRICA - In Brief 12 Sep 2017 by Iraj Abedian

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This year may well turn out to be SA’s most critical year for the country’s short to medium term socio-political trajectories. The ANC is in the midst of electioneering for its December 2017 Elective Congress. Irrespective of the outcome of the Elective Congress, the results will have a defining impact on the future paths of democratic evolution in the country. At present a complex political game of chess is being played on the national stage. Two prime contenders have emerged; one is the current Deputy President of the ANC, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa (CR), who is also the Deputy President of the country at present. The other, is President Zuma’s x-wife and the mother of his children, Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma (NDZ). There are a few (currently 5) other presidential hopefuls in the running too. However, there is general agreement that the race is between CR and NDZ. The two offer two diametrically divergent types of government. CR is campaigning against corruption, state inefficiency and state capture (a term meaning the use of state resources for the benefit of selected and connected crony capitalists such as the Guptas and their network). NDZ promises radical economic transformation, and basically offers a populist approach to short term as well as structural difficulties facing the economy. The two also differ in their approach towards the modus operandi of getting to the high offices of the ANC in December, and subsequently hopefully to the top job in the SA government in 2019. The ANC has decided that henceforth the local branches will select the winning candidates at its Elective Congresses, voting-in the top 6 as well as the 84 strong National Executive Committee. This b...