JUSTICE MALALA: The ties we hope will bind
The GNU is about broad policy, yes, but it stands and falls on human frailty and strength
In April 1996 president Nelson Mandela reshuffled his cabinet. He appointed a promising young leader named Trevor Manuel as minister of finance. Over the next 13 years Manuel was to become South Africa’s most successful finance minister and a darling of business, but at the time he spooked the markets. The rand weakened; business leaders made scared noises.
The appointment had a profound impact on Mandela’s administration in a different way. He was in a government of national unity (GNU) that included the National Party (NP), with FW de Klerk as deputy president alongside Thabo Mbeki. The union was predicated on consultation and consensus-making...
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