Gauteng Finance MEC Jabu Moleketi talks to Aspasia
Pragmatic idealist and communist, Jabu Moleketi, Gauteng Finance and Economics MEC is a living contradiction. In the space of a year, he has evolved from an MK soldier and communist party strategist into a convincing economics planner.
Moleketi himself does not see an ideological conflict. “I do not go home and lock myself in a room and cry because I spoke to Harry Oppenheimer. He is a nice old man, and Anglo American is a key player. I leave the Utopian dreaming to the far left. I am a man of action, I believe that we should have a vision. How do we see this country in 2020, where do we see the province , and what are we going to do to get there? You have to translate your beliefs into actions.”
Creating the right team to deliver the goods has been his main objective. “These are people I have learnt from, like Leon Cohen, who was the director of PG Bison. They have ensured that I have understood, in a very short time, the finer points of our economy.” He is also doing an economics course at the University of London, to supplement his theoretical understanding.
His vision for Gauteng is clear. “I want to ensure that our policies begin to address the socio-economic problems of our province, to ensure that the lives of the people become better. I strive for goals that are attainable over a period of time.
“The government’s role is to ensure that it facilitates this vision as I do not see market forces automatically moving in this direction. The role of Gauteng in the context of a united, democratic, non-sexist South Africa is to ensure that we continue to grow, and that our provincial government ensures that growth is
He takes the same line on security and its negative effect on investment. He feels that while measures must be taken to alleviate the security problem, Gauteng and South Africa already offer investors substantial benefits.
“At this point we are controlled by heavyweight conglomerates, making competition virtually impossible. We need to concentrate on new anti-trust legislation in order to make the environment more investor-friendly. Similarly our stock exchange is not liquid enough. These issues must be addressed, but crime takes
Former MK comrade-in-arms and now army chief-of-staff General Siphiwe Nyanda confirms that Moleketi is a fundamentally hardworking, committed and unassuming
“He survived those years because of his commitment and discipline. He was one of our most trusted cadres.”
Gauteng Premier Tokyo Sexwale notes Moleketi is also charged with the Reconstruction and Development Programme. “Jabu, as secretary-general of the South African Communist Party in Gauteng, is the champion of the poor. He has four vital tasks, firstly to champion Gauteng’s economy, secondly, to ensure investors become successful, thirdly, to protect the workers in small- and medium-sized enterprises, and, fourthly, to ensure that government money is well spent.”
Moleketi is reluctant to speak about himself. His natural modesty fits with his philosophy that heroes are products of a society that is still unequal and suffering. He would rather be seen as a consistent individual who wants to make a tangible contribution to the betterment of the whole.
He has three children and his wife is the national Deputy Minister of Welfare, Geraldine Fraser Moleketi, whom he met in exile in the 1980s.
An avid reader, and fitness fanatic, Moleketi has learnt the importance of making quality time for his family, as the hectic lives his wife and he lead make quantity out of the question.