WHEN President Jacob Zuma fired respected finance minister Nhlanhla Nene in December 2015, the markets responded mercilessly, forcing him into a bitter retreat.To this day, he maintains his anger at being strong-armed into sacrificing that clumsy little fellow Des van Rooyen."It cannot be right," is something I imagine he has fumed repeatedly.He sought, and achieved, partial vengeance by protecting his friend, South African Airways chairwoman Dudu Myeni, despite her supporting role in Nene’s dismissal, even going so far as to attend a sham of a ceremony at the embattled airline’s offices, uttering veiled taunts and making promises completely at odds with Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan’s desire to restructure the board of the airline.Simultaneously, under his authority, the Hawks were allowed to conduct a malicious campaign against Gordhan, already under pressure from ratings agencies.These slippery victories restored Zuma’s position and his place in the minds of the provinces. Mark...
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