President Jacob Zuma will no doubt elaborate on the African National Congress' (ANC’s) December election conference and the policy decisions taken there, and naturally do so in terms of the ANC’s political culture.  He may also be expected to stress the government’s anti-corruption approach; its commitment to fuller employment; to announcing a strong position on violence against women; to possibly make some changes in the Cabinet; and this will outline progress especially in jobs, education, health and land reform.

However, as regular readers of Insight will be aware, South Africa is in more trouble than most people think.  Just some recent reflections of this:  the important Mining Indaba’s inability last week to change investor sentiments from negative to positive as far as the South African mining industry is concerned; the failure to make any sort of impact on employment (Business Day yesterday reported a further 17,000 jobs lost within the mining and retail sectors at the beginning of the year); the continuing ridiculous goings-on at cash-guzzling South African Airways; the lack of progress on infrastructure spend; the generally bad-tempered relations between the ANC and the unions; and some recent harsh anti-business statements from the ruling party.

Against this background, I would like therefore to see President Zuma acknowledge that the country has serious problems – that in effect The Economist is right when it says that much of Africa is rising but South Africa is going down – which require the cooperation of all major players in the economy.  And against that background I’d like to see President Zuma on Thursday announce the following:

1. A youth wage subsidy, but administered by companies (in association with their union representatives) on a definite programme basis rather than just handed out to young work-seekers.  This, at least, is one route to creating entrepreneurs.
2. I’d like him to announce a process whereby all government policies (of all departments therefore) are immediately involved in a process of adaptation to the National Development Plan – as this, aside from having been adopted by the ANC at its December conference, has the support of the private sector and of prominent, knowledgeable individual experts.
3. The appointment to the Cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa in a newly defined role – in the absence of a Prime Minister in the Constitution – as head of government, with President Zuma being the ceremonial Head of the country.
4. The priority of education and the determination of the government to press on in describing this as an essential service.
5. President Zuma should refer the Legal Practice Bill back to Parliament for more serious consideration – given the incisive criticism of so many knowledgeable people, including the late Judge President Arthur Chaskalson just before he died.In much the same way as President’s Botha and De Klerk brought the skills of highly-respected private sector personalities into the governing process, I would like to see President Zuma commit to “excellence in government” by doing the same thing.  The role of such persons would be in the execution of government policy – which is where the biggest failure presently lies.  And, please Mr President, they don’t have to be black!  Just remember:  precisely because of apartheid, between 60 and 70% of the skills in this country at all levels are with white South Africans!