South Africa’s past quarter century has been shaped by the decisions and reach of one of the oldest political alliances in southern Africa, that between the African National Congress and the South African Communist Party. 

In this memoir, Rob Davies, one of the government's most articulate former senior ministers, looks back on the politics, policies and inner workings of the South African government in the democratic era. He offers an insider's account of the evolution of trade and economic policy over the last 25 years, up to the presidency of Cyril Ramaphosa and the global impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Leavened with intriguing anecdotes and informed by the author's very personal and humanising history of activism and exile, Towards a New Deal makes the case for an economic policy transformation that is focused on creating jobs and reducing poverty, that highlights South Africa's role in Africa, and that addresses the challenges of economic stagnation, climate change and the fourth industrial revolution.

It will be essential reading for economists, businesspeople and the ordinary readers keen to grasp the political and economic dynamics of the moment.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rob Davies became a Member of Parliament in 1994 and served as Minister of Trade and Industry from 2009 to 2019. He worked as a Professor and Co-Director of the Centre for Southern African Studies at University of the Western Cape (UWC). During this period, he undertook policy research for the ANC and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). He holds a D.Phil in Political Studies from the University of Sussex and an M.Sc in International Relations from the University of South Hampton in United Kingdom.

Towards a new deal: A political economy of the times of my life is published by Jonathan Ball Publishers