What is happening?" I asked no one in particular as the buzz in the office rose a few notches higher than the usual hum. Was it being announced? I wondered, as did a few colleagues near me. We rose to scan the floor and the TV screens pinned on pillars. "Nobody knows, Ace said something," a colleague answered as he strode past my desk. So I stopped what I was doing, googled. No dramatic development - no development at all. So I turned back to the task at hand. But where was I? It has been like this all week. Longer - two weeks. Actually, this stop, start, worry, start, stop, worry again has been ongoing - intermittently - for years. The tension was palpable early last year as expectations mounted that finance minister Pravin Gordhan was to be fired, and then, of course, he was. His dismissal had already been anxiously anticipated for months before that. After Gordhan's firing, along with the dismissal of deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas at the same time, came the ratings downgr...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.