South Africa's economic policy could shift slightly to the left following the country's April elections. However, such a move was more likely to result in expanded social welfare than full-blown socialism.

This was according to Professor Adam Habib, deputy vice-chancellor of the University of Johannesburg.

Speaking on Thursday night, in a public lecture hosted by the Jesuit Institute South Africa, Habib, in an apparent effort to alleviate fears relating to the upcoming elections, contended that the ruling African National Congress's (ANC's) December 2007 conference in Polokwane had ushered in a new era of greater engagement with the poor.

He continued that, as a result, while the new ANC leadership would likely be more aware of the demands of the poor, there was generally broad recognition within the party that both the State and the market were critical to South Africa's economic future, and the challenge now lay in achieving the best balance between the two.

Habib expected that under the new government, South Africa would likely see the implementation of measures such as expanded access to social grants in the form of the child-care grants and old-age pensions. However, he stated, unequivocally, that the nationalisation of entities such as Sasol and ArcelorMittal South Africa was unlikely to be on the agenda.