By Jon Herskovitz
JOHANNESBURG Aug 10 (Reuters) – South Africa’s ruling ANC
is preparing for a major conference at the end of the year with
concerns growing that its policies are failing Africa’s largest
economy.
The African National Congress – which dominates the
political scene – looks set to confer another leadership term on
President Jacob Zuma when it holds elections at the end of the
year, setting him up to remain president until 2019.
This scenario worries economists who feel his administration
will allow problems – which include a broken education system, a
rigid labour market and rampant corruption – to fester, with
risks mounting the longer he remains in power.
NATIONALISATION
The ANC has kept investors guessing for years about whether
it will take control of parts of the mining industry,
undermining confidence in a sector that accounts for about 6
percent of GDP and employs about half a million people.
Some in the ruling party want to see coal deemed a
“strategic asset”, which could hinder exports, and return
struggling fixed-line operator Telkom to government
control, allowing Pretoria to dictate the country’s Internet
infrastructure build-out.
What to watch:
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