ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile says he has a plan to end government prevaricating and fix the struggling economy.
President Cyril Ramaphosa looked be a shoo-in to win a second term as leader of the ANC at its elective conference this month and president in 2024, but is now facing pressure to quit after a panel headed by a former chief justice Sandile Ngcobo found there may be grounds to impeach him. There isn’t an obvious successor if he does go, but Mashatile’s name is doing the rounds. He received the most nominations for its No 2 post.
Mashatile made no secret of his political ambitions in an interview with Bloomberg on Tuesday, the day before the panel released its report. He began his response to one question by saying: “If I become ANC president … ” before laughing and correcting himself.
Mashatile bills himself as a can-do, investor-friendly politician. He wants the government to implement reforms needed to stimulate economic growth, including turning around Eskom, which has subjected the nation to rolling blackouts since 2008.
“We know what is wrong with Eskom, so let’s fix it!” he said. “If we have to take on debt, then let us do that. If we have to bring people with expertise for the various power stations, let’s do it, including … bringing in people from abroad if we need more skills to go in there and assist.”
The need for a turnaround in South Africa is pressing, with the unemployment rate at almost 33% and public anger rife over rampant poverty, poor service delivery and ongoing corruption. While Ramaphosa has strived to attract investment and established a unit in his office to make it easier for businesses to operate and create jobs, his administration has faced criticism for failing to sufficiently follow through.
“I have met many private-sector people who are saying we are prepared to come in, but the doors are closed,” Mashatile said. The option of getting private investors to partner with the government in running state companies “must be encouraged”, he said.
It remains unclear whether Ramaphosa, who was accused of failing to properly report a robbery at his game farm but denies doing any wrongdoing, will vacate his post and the ANC is still deliberating about his future. One other possible successor is Zweli Mkhize, who quit as health minister last year after he was implicated in a Covid-19 tender scandal. He denies wrongdoing.
Mashatile declined to comment on whether he’ll consider running for ANC president at its elective conference, which gets under way on December 16. His lobbyists say they are listening to calls for him to stand and there’s no rush to take a decision. If he bides his time and wins the deputy leader post, he’d be in pole position to take over the top job in 2027.
Colin Coleman, former head of Goldman Sachs in Sub-Saharan Africa, described Mashatile as “very competent” and said he wouldn’t be concerned if he became president.
Obed Bapela, a member of the party’s national executive committee (NEC), said “the ANC will be in safe hands” with Mashatile in its top leadership.
Mashatile became the ANC’s acting secretary-general last year when Ace Magashule was suspended after being charged with graft, and then assumed the duties of its deputy secretary-general this year after Jessie Duarte fell ill and later died, giving him a visibility that has bolstered his standing in the party. His efforts to turn the ANC’s shaky finances around faltered, however, and its staff went on strike after it failed to pay their salaries.
While Mashatile has a limited track record in national government, he is a pragmatic politician and a proponent of market-friendly reforms, said Lukhanyo Vangqa, an independent political analyst.
“Compared to Ramaphosa, his asset would probably be that he is not reluctant to pull the trigger,” said Vangqa, who expects the president to quit and Mashatile to take over his job after the ANC conference. “He will act on things he pronounces.”
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Source: news.google.com
