TREVOR MANUEL INTERVIEW
“WE HAVE TO FIND EQUILIBRIUM, A POINT WHERE WE CAN CONTINUE TO SERVE”
Former Finance Minister Trevor Manuel was recently called back into public ser vice by President Cyril Ramaphosa, who asked him to ser ve as an investment envoy along with former Finance Deputy Minister Mcebisi Jonas and businesspeople Phumzile Langeni and Jacko Maree. Their task is to attract $100-billion of investments into the South African economy over the next few years. Manuel spoke to Ryland Fisher during this wide-ranging inter view about ser vice to the people and investing in South Africa’s future.
“I am betwixt and between at the moment. I have a number of nonexecutive roles in the private sector, but I also work with universities and NGOs. I don’t think there is a contradiction between the two. We have to do the best that we can. “It is about delivering quality service. It’s about understanding the complexity of building a new state because that’s the mindset that we must have over the next few years. “We should not blame the International Monetary Fund (IMF). We should blame poor governance. If we end up with a harsh IMF programme, it is because of a decade of poor governance. It is because we did not do what we are capable of doing. “We need to keep Eskom afloat, and that means that government must provide it with a guarantee or a cash injection.” Manuel added that there needs to be an insistence on clean government from the ground up. “We need to ensure that the push for change is strong and articulate in this environment.”
BY RYLAND FISHER PHOTOGRAPHER: MARNUS MEYER
He refused to be drawn on what he and the President spoke about on their walk on the Sea Point Promenade immediately after Ramaphosa’s election.
TOP500 10th Edition 13
