| Speaking off the record at an informal dinner for the international
head of BMW, held in Pretoria on Thursday evening, a retired ANC politician (now a member
of the group that author Van Zyl Slabert would categories as Comrades in Business) drew
attention to two statements made by Thabo Mbeki in his parliamentary speech last Friday.
Firstly, there was the announcement of the intentions to reduce the cost of labour; . |
Secondly, he referred to the
managed liberalisation parts of the economy. Until now, said the ANC insider, such
statements would have been pure anathema, drawing rebuke from the left of the ANC
Alliance. The ANC, we interpreted, has decided to gamble on taking actions aimed at
escalating the economic growth rate, irrespective of the harm that such actions may do to
the support it enjoys from its own left wing, notably the trade unions. It must be hoping
for dividends arriving before the 2004 elections. It is worth a try |
