EDITORIAL: As industry melts down, where is Ebrahim Patel?
He has faded into the background — at a time when his political leadership is most needed in the realm of, you know, trade and industry
As the fiscal duncerati of the governing ANC rolled up their sleeves and took a sledgehammer to the business sector, you’d have expected those mandated to ensure the economy stays standing to have something to say about it all. Certainly, finance minister Tito Mboweni has been forthright about his opposition to certain of the lockdown rules in recent months. Apparently, he’s on his own.In particular, Ebrahim Patel, the minister of trade, industry & competition, seems to have gone to ground. Much lampooned early on, sometimes unfairly, as the mastermind of the more absurd "roast chicken" and "crop bottoms" lockdown rules, Patel was at least visible during the early months of the pandemic.He has since faded into the background — at a time when his political leadership is most needed in the realm of, you know, trade and industry.In 2016 Patel struck a deal with AB InBev, in which the Brazilian brewer agreed not to axe any of the 5,967 employees in SA for a number of years, in exchange ...
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