Since Tito Mboweni's appointment as finance minister, I've been struck by his apparently cavalier attitude to overseeing a fiscal position that is bordering on full-blown "junk" status. He spoke quite candidly of his lack of interest in the job when it was first offered after Nhlanhla Nene fell on his sword last year. But I am coming to think that his candid views on the future of state-owned enterprises, expressed without regard for his own political standing within his party, might be the dose of reality we need at this point. While a finance minister is a presidential appointee, he or she should, much like the CFO of a company, be able to stand on his or her own principles. Independence required No taxpayer or shareholder should be comfortable with a chief bean counter who blindly follows the whims of either the party or of the CEO. PPC shareholders, for example, will one day thank the company's CFO Tryphosa Ramano for having protected the cement producer from the whims of its CE...
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