VOTER RESTIVENESS
David Makhura blames ‘own goals’ for ratings downgrade
Gauteng premier says SA’s junk status is ‘self-inflicted pain because it could have been avoided’
Gauteng premier David Makhura appears to be seeking to distance Gauteng from the militant economic rhetoric used by the ANC, saying the recent downgrades by rating agencies have been “self-inflicted”. Faced with a restive electorate, slow growth and rising unemployment, the governing party has increased talk of radical economic transformation. The ANC is also talking of changing the Constitution to allow for land seizures. The downgrades to junk status by Standard & Poor’s Global and Fitch were largely “own goals”, he said. Makhura leads the country’s biggest economy, Gauteng, which contributes almost 34% to the country’s GDP. The province has largely been regarded as anti-Zuma in its politics.
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