‘It’ll look like another Zuma state capture bid’

Political analysts this week said the appointment Nkosazana DlaminiZuma as finance minister would be unfortunate.

The University of Pretoria’s Sithembile Mbete said, although it made sense for Dlamini-Zuma to take a ministerial position before the ANC conference, it would not be wise to make her the finance minister.

“If I [were to] put Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma in any position, it would be minister in the presidency. It places her in the UN [United Nations] office, in the president’s office and provides her with an international profile to become a successor to Zuma.

“If she can push in a few quick wins in the next year or two in the name of the NDP [national development plan], then she looks more presidential,” Mbete said.

Susan Booysen of the University of the Witwatersrand said, if Dlamini-Zuma was appointed finance minister, it would almost be like a Zuma coup.

“It would confirm all of our worst suspicions of Zuma facilitating a smooth transition and that would actually show the power of the markets. If Zuma has been complaining about the power of the markets and international finance so far, he ain’t seen nothing yet if he makes that move.

“It’s not about Zuma appointing a Zuma, it’s about capture and not safeguarding public resources. And that is the message that her appointment would transmit.

“It would be a very dark day in South African politics and especially the economy if he showed that kind of disregard for the international system and the capitalist system he has endorsed and created here in South Africa. It would create suspicion about the future of the country’s economy,” Booysen said.

Political analyst Somadoda Fikeni said he did not believe DlaminiZuma would make a good finance minister. “I wouldn’t be so sure [about her appointment], given the fact that she’s not from that space as much as she has the gravitas and is high profile. Indeed, she moved