OH MY GODONGWANA
With the budget out the way, SA needs the finance minister to take a leading role in guiding it out of the wilderness
Fifteen years after it happened, I still cannot work out what it is judge John Hlophe thought he would achieve by visiting the offices of Constitutional Court justices Bess Nkabinde and Chris Jafta back in 2008.
Apparently Hlophe visited Nkabinde and Jafta in their chambers — separately
— and bent their ears about the little matter of one Jacob Zuma, the perennial corruption accused, that was before their court. Hlophe made it known to them that he believed Zuma — here we go —
was being persecuted.
He then apparently told Jafta that, in this matter before the Constitutional Court, sithembele kinina. This is Zulu for “we trust in you”, or, loosely, “you are our last hope”.
Trust in you to do what, exactly? President Cyril Ramaphosa suspended Hlophe in December 2022 pending impeachment proceedings. This followed a 2021 ruling by the Judicial Service Commission that Hlophe had improperly attempted to influence the two judges to violate their oaths of office and that he was guilty of gross misconduct.
Anyway, I love that expression: “Sithembele kinina.”
I wanted to send the minister of finance, Enoch Godongwana, a little note this week with just those words.
At this time of hopelessness and despair, when our country faces significant political and economic headwinds, it is to him that we turn: We trust in you, you are our last hope.
The role of finance minister has declined in South Africa in the years since Trevor Manuel’s heyday. In September 2008, when the ANC “relieved” Thabo Mbeki of his duties as South Africa’s president, the international community was on tenterhooks about what would happen next. When 14 cabinet members, including Manuel, resigned alongside Mbeki, panic gripped the financial markets.
It was only when Thoraya Pandy, Manuel’s spokesperson at the time, issued a statement that the resignation had simply been a courtesy and Manuel “was willing to serve the new administration in any capacity”, that calm was restored. No-one gave a toss about the other 13 ministers. Manuel was key.
Manuel played a pivotal role in formulating and implementing ANC and government policy in the 1990s and 2000s.
After a choppy start as finance minister, he settled into the role and occasional displays of arrogance notwithstanding ran a tight, disciplined and successful ship, aided by outstanding technocrats such as Iraj Abedian and many others. At the same time, Tito Mboweni at the Reserve Bank and Joel Netshitenzhe in the Mbeki presidency, among others, were key voices in economic policymaking in the party.
Mbeki, an economist, was not the ANC’s only voice. He was first among equals. This was crucial because the departure of Mbeki did not signify an end
there was a well-founded perception that there was still a significant depth of talent in the party’s ranks.
Which brings me back to Godongwana. The national discourse over the past five years has been all about Ramaphosa: his renewal talk, his pledges to revive institutions, his economic plans, his style, and the level of support he commands within the party hierarchy. For five years, it has been the Ramaphosa Show. That is a situation full of pitfalls.
In December, when Ramaphosa faced possible impeachment proceedings after a parliamentary panel ruled he had a case to answer over Phala Phala, the only way to save the day was to rescue him (the party’s MPs were whipped into line to do so). That week, you would not have been wrong to think the ANC and the government consisted of one man and his talents. If he went, we all went.
Godongwana delivered this week’s budget as the country faces unprecedented levels of load-shedding. Unemployment, poverty, crime and inequality continue to worsen. Business confidence remains at historic lows.
For Godongwana, such a crisis should represent an opportunity. Having delivered his budget, he has a chance to carve a real, significant, meaningful role as a key and powerful policymaker in this administration.
In matters economic, he should establish himself as a leader and not just a follower. He should emerge as the man in the spotlight, a real decision-maker, with the whip in his hand, rather than just a meek victim of circumstances.
The country needs him to step up, and he needs to set an example by taking charge of how our money is spent.
sir.