When Gauteng minister of finance and economic affairs Jabu Moleketi tabled his final budget on Tuesday at the Gauteng legislature he received applause all round, even from his nemesis in the Democratic Alliance.
Having been one of the few provincial ministers to serve two full terms in the provincial government, Moleketi is now headed for an unspecified national role. His name is on the ANC national candidate list and he has been punted for a post as a deputy to Minister of Finance Trevor Manuel.
Moleketi has a postgraduate diploma in economic principles and an MSc in economics from the University of London.
While speculation mounts about his future position at national government there is also the question of who will replace him in the province.
Moleketi said this week: “The past 10 years have been characterised by personal growth as well as my satisfaction at seeing government bridging all sorts of inequality in health and education.
“The biggest challenge I faced was the fact that the needs were great while the resources were limited. There was often difficulty in finding the balance. The other was the monitoring of the quality of spending. This was where we wanted to see outcomes for all the money we were giving to departments.”
The DA representative in the Gauteng legislature, Hermene Koorts, says: “Jabu and his team were always positive. They tried to uplift the economy, but I am not sure if they succeeded. Jabu is a highly intelligent man whom I respected. He is extremely hard-working and will be a good minister if he is appointed one.”
While no one wanted to go on record, ANC officials in the province believe the new finance minister will either be current housing minister Paul Mashatile or local government minister Trevor Fowler. They said the new finance minister will have to come from the current crop of serving ministers because of the position’s seniority and the need for continuity.
“The position does not necessarily need an economist but someone who understands the challenges facing us at the moment,” one official said. “The person has to understand the policies of the ANC and be able to implement them. You cannot risk by throwing in someone who is new.”
Another source said Fowler’s leadership style would suit him for the post.
“He is a boardroom person who is not quite mass orientated. Fowler is a former speaker of the legislature and he is currently leader of the house in the legislature. He has the necessary respect.”
Another candidate whose name has been bandied about is former City of Johannesburg economic affairs head Kenny Fihla. While Fihla was widely respected by Johannesburg stakeholders, he was condemned by trade unions who said he was spearheading the city’s privatisation campaign.
He is currently with Business against Crime and is said to have declined nomination to ANC lists. Dorothy Mahlangu, who is the National Council of Provinces finance chairperson, has also been mentioned. She is currently on the ANC Gauteng election list and is tippped as a representative to the Pan African Parliament.