The Political Desk: New PIC Board Appointed

I think, you know, Coranguana has done three things that no other finance minister has done.

The one is that he had to sort of get a budget through a coalition.

Now, that wasn't because of him.

That was just because of the situation.

But the two others are really important.

The one is that he lowered the inflation target, which hadn't been done since the year 2000.

And he lowered it in a significant way, in a way that will have... a really big impact on you and I and our children and our grandchildren for generations, Bongani.

I can't describe the magnitude of that decision.

The second, the third, is that he's the first minister to do what he's done against such a big number of municipalities.

And what's extraordinary about it is that he's done it in a local election year.

And Duma Kobule, I was so struck by what he told you, I think it was on Wednesday, Bungani, when he said, you know, he did this during a local government election year when it was guaranteed, guaranteed to put pressure on the ANC.

And that's extraordinary.

And I think there are a couple of things.

One is, I don't think he's worried for his job.

Who's going to replace him? I mean, seriously, David Masondo.

I think David Masondo is lucky to still be deputy finance minister this morning.

Ashur Sarupan.

No, not yet, but.

So who's it going to be? And I mean, this has always been the problem.

When Tito Mbueni asked to leave, and he'd asked to leave the position for a long time.

It took a while before President Ramaphosa to appoint Eno Korungwana.

The other thing, though, is that when you have no central center of political power in the country anymore, the decisions that individuals make in institutions become ever more important because they have legal power.

And I think Inokorongwa quite correctly is using that.