PROMINENT former trade union boss Mbhazima Shilowa was on Tuesday elected unopposed as African National Congress premier of South Africa’s powerhouse Gauteng province. Shilowa (41) last week resigned as secretary-general of the powerful Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) when it became clear that he would become premier after the ANC won 50 of the 73 seats in the provincial ballot on June 2. Before the elections, Shilowa told business leaders in the province, which generates about 38% of the country’s gross domestic product, that he would aim to “grow and develop” its economy and reduce crime.