Thoughts on South African and international politics and culture

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Zuma's In, What Now?
It seems to me that the Polokwane conference has been like a newsprint and analysis vortex, sucking in all commentary into an incessant stream of words around a central thesis of "Will he or won't he?". Well, now we all know the answer to that question, and we need to drag ourselves out of Polokwane and start looking forward to the 2008, 2009 and beyond.

This has been the most hotly contested ANC election in more than 50 years, and undoubtedly has been a battle between contrasting styles and principles. There is much disillusionment within the ANC ranks, and the stench of fear emanating both from traditional business circles and suburban dinner tables is palatable.

The first question is thus, how will South Africa react? In the near-term, much of the nation of South Africa will react with unbridled joy, whilst others will naturally react with gloom. In the middle, the realists will react with a sense of inevitability. Zuma's appointment should largely be factored into the stock market, and while there may be some panic moves on the Rand in the short term, these should be muted. There will be those who in their gloom will make plans to leave the country, and I wish them well, although I will not be sad to see them go.

The second is, how will the world react? We've already seen Zuma doing the international rounds, visiting influential business conferences and key investment banks to share his views of a Zuma presidency. Much of the response from these business leaders has been positive, and one may see a muted response from global business and consequentially, I hope, in FDI outflows. They will all wait for that first major move. Governments will react with plastic smiles and announcements of congratulations for Zuma, whilst privately using fleets of interns to find out anything they can about the new president's likes, dislikes, and (gasp) policies.

Zuma will have to clarify his positions on key economic fundamentals quickly, and I would expect him to come out in 2008 and 2009 expounding a commitment to the status quo. He will announce some small potential alterations, adjusting budgets to target poverty alleviation, restructuring the police force, or calling for stronger sentences for criminals. There will be much talk of the strength of the Constitution and the need to improve Government's response to HIV-AIDS. There will be no sudden moves, as he will be watched like a hawk. He will rely on Motlanthe and the NEC heavily for much of his policy direction, as well as using the widely respected Motlanthe as a bulwark against those that distrust him. He will undoubtedly schedule imbizos with a cross-section of business leaders, social luminaries and other important national figures, all the while entrenching his "man of the people" status.

Zuma will also look to make moves to unify the party quickly, and this may be his biggest challenge. I would imagine Zuma will pay great respects to Mbeki, showering him with praise and hugging him at any and every opportunity. Mbeki will be visibly sick. Zuma will probably use the newly elected NEC to draft a strategy document on the future of the ANC, subsequently calling a series of regional party conferences to debate the document, and thus draw out some unity behind it.

The 2009 elections will be a critical bell-weather of the damage done to the ANC, and the numbers to watch will not necessarily be the ANC's total share of vote, but potentially the poll turnouts. The ANC has never faced such a split in member wishes, but there will undoubtedly be few members that will be able to stomach voting for another party, such is the strength of "freedom party voting". Markinor studies have shown that Zuma holds only 40% of the ANC base, and this will prove a heavy burden to carry. How we gauge this trend will be in voter turnout, in how many ANC members will essentially abstain from voting, as a show of their lack of support for JZ.

Mbeki on the other hand, will now be trapped in a classic lame-duck presidency, having staked his legacy on this leadership battle. He has used every ounce of his rapidly diminished political in this one, alienating many in his party, and he is now in extreme deficit. There will be segments of the alliance that will act vindictively, and some that will be more magnanimous. Mbeki, however, will be hamstrung, as the NEC will likely stall any new initiatives until a new party strategy has been set.

It will be a sad end for a man who has given his life for the party, and it will diminish his importance in the relative success of post-Apartheid South Africa. To write-off Mbeki for his last two years of paranoid leadership will be a mistake. He has done more to advance South Africa domestically and internationally than any other president barring Mandela. Yes, there have been errors in judgement, notably on AIDS and Zimbabwe, but South Africa could have been a very very different country without his steady hand at the tiller.

The eight hundred pound gorilla in the room is the NPA decision to prosecute Zuma, which looks very likely early in the new year. This will drive Zuma underground, and will play havoc with the party's attempts at unity as old wounds are reopened. How he, and the ANC, reacts to this may well be the most important indicator of the next decade of ANC rule.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

What a weekend!
Well, for those of us following politics in this country, this last weekend was undoubtedly seminal in the political landscape of the past decade, as well as the future decade. For actual events, turn to the media, especially Thought Leader which has some fantastic coverage, including the first and only bloggers to gain media accreditation for a political event of this magnitude.

For those of you who watched concerned about the shouting and heckling I would say this: "Welcome to real democracy in action". For some reason we expect democracy to be always civil and polite - it shouldn't be. Democracy is about the power of the people. This is a voting public campaigning for change from a distant and aloof leadership structure.

The voting is going on as I speak, with everyone having pulled out barring Zuma and Mbeki. Yesterday's big story was the revoking of voting rights from 96 Gauteng delegates (for not following correct procedures), which is significant in that Gauteng was a Zuma province. We will have to see the consequence of this later today. Tokyo has refused nomination for chairman of the party, but his influence within the NEC will remain, which can only be a positive thing.

So the critical results will be announced later this afternoon. Baited breath...

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

A Middle East Solution
Tell me if this is hideously simplistic, but it strikes me that a forward-thinking (and ethically sound) US leadership should be able to "solve" much of the Middle East's issues using a straight budget re-allocation. Take the nearly half a trillion Dollars that the Iraq war has cost and plug it into finding a viable alternative to the US's reliance on oil, shore up Saudi Arabia's democracy to reduce risk of anarchy there, and encourage economic shifts in those oil-producing countries through FDI. It'll take ten years, but given that the US has been in Iraq coming on half of that, is it so out of touch?

Granted, it's certainly not going to sort out the Palestinian question, but it may force a much more open Middle East that has to look to alternative trade with the West, which can only help in finding solutions and encourage less radical leadership.

Too simplistic?

Monday, December 10, 2007

A Media Frustration
I must say I'm often disappointed by the lack of journalistic standards within our media. The recent crime figures released by Government are a case in point. Whilst murder, rape and other hard crimes decreased, business robbery soared by something in the region of 170%. Naturally, the media's focus is on this fact, but how many of you knew that the key reason for this was that spaza stores and Bed and Breakfasts where included in the figures for the first time?

Now given that spaza stores and B&B's are incredibly hot targets for robbery, this is a natural swing in the figures. But how often was that reported? I only heard it once, when Business Against Crime where discussing it on CapeTalk/702. One could argue that Government could have publicised this fact better to minimise the blow, which is entirely credible. But the media's job is to report the facts, not sensationalise.

Unfortunately though, negative always outsells positive when it comes to shifting newspapers...

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

Thabo plays all cards
When the going gets tough, the tough get going. That seems to be Thabo's mantra, as he leverages all his assets to bring influence on the succession voting process. His latest move is to use the SABC, providing him with a whopping 2 hour interview this evening.

Naturally, everyone but Thabo's backers is up in arms, but I suppose, when you're the President, these kind of favours will always fall into your lap. The joy of being the incumbent....