If you thought 2016 was a challenge, brace for greater turbulence in 2017

IF YOU thought 2016 was difficult, wait till you meet 2017. Economically it will be challenging as growth lags and unemployment continues.

In the same breath, opposition politicians will continue to oppose President Jacob Zuma, who is forever attracting bad publicity.

Last week, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said next year was going to be a difficult year politically, geopolitically and economically, warning that as a result of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump as US president, a number of trade deals may be renegotiated.

However, all eyes will be on Zuma, who has several pending court battles that may cost him his job.

The Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein will in February hear arguments presented by the president and the National Prosecuting Authority on why it should allow them to appeal the spy tape judgment.

Should Zuma lose the appeal, more than 700 charges against him that include corruption and money laundering may be reinstated.

Zuma has also taken the public protector’s State of Capture report for review, which is expected to be heard in the first half of the year.

The report found that he may have violated the Executive Ethics Code and recommended that Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng establish a oneperson judicial commission to further investigate allegations and evidence relating to state capture by, among others, the president’s controversial friends, the Gupta family.

The battle between the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid), the police and the Hawks will also come to a head in 2017.

Last Monday, Gauteng Hawks head Prince Mokotedi opened a case against Ipid boss Robert McBride, former Hawks Gauteng boss Shadrack Sibiya, private investigator Paul O’Sullivan and crime intelligence officer Candice Coetzee.

They are accused of conspiracy to murder, treason, espionage and several other crimes.

This happens as Ipid is investigating acting police commissioner General Khomotso Phahlane over the purchase of his R8-million home in an exclusive estate north of Pretoria.

Police Minister Nathi Nhleko has defended Phahlane, asking how anyone could determine that he could not afford the house on his salary just by looking at it.

Nhleko said the fighting within the police could be fuelled by a report that Zuma had received into suspended police commissioner Riah Phiyega’s fitness to hold office.

Should the findings be against Phiyega, Zuma may have to fire her. The report could also be made public in the new year.

The ANC is to hold its policy and elective conferences in June and December respectively.

The elective conference will elect Zuma’s successor and the road to the conference will paralyse government activities.

Most senior ANC leaders are in government and they will try to retain their positions in the ANC national executive council.

Already the party is torn between electing the outgoing African Union chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa as its next president.

The dominant faction in the ANC, led by provinces like KwaZulu-Natal, Free State, North West and Mpumalanga, seem to favour Dlamini-Zuma, who also has Zuma’s support.

The conference is important for the ANC because the elected leadership will have to ensure the party wins the 2019 general elections following a poor performance at this year’s local government elections.

The party lost three metros – City of Johannesburg, Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay – to the DA or DAled coalitions.

There are other municipalities which are also being governed by the opposition.

Opposition parties, especially the DA and EFF, have successfully launched court cases against Zuma that have found him wanting, so their fight to discredit the ANC will continue. These parties are hoping to win the 2019 elections.

Moipone Malefane is politics editor of Sowetan