Moneyweb has an interesting interview with Frederik van Zyl Slabbert, the highly
respected opposition leader during the apartheid years who is now a politcal analyst and businessman (chairman of the Caxton Group). Click here to read the transcripts of Alec Hogg’s radio interview with “Van”, as he call him.
Van Zyl Slabbert spells out why an ANC two-thirds majority actually means stability in the minds of businessmen:
Well, the two-thirds majority is only important if it’s deep-rooted ideological. If on the other hand the two-thirds majority promises political stability, that’s music to investors’ ears, I can promise you that. They will say, “I would rather have an ANC with a two-thirds majority committed to free enterprise and stability than have a two-thirds majority for some kind of ideological pathological movement.
Two very canny operators, Alec Hogg and Van. It’s well worth a read, especially for Hogg’s backhanded swipe at politicians at the end.
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April 23rd, 2009 at 4:30 pm
‘I would rather have an ANC with a two-thirds majority committed to free enterprise and stability than have a two-thirds majority for some kind of ideological pathological movement.’
“DUH” springs to mind. So businessmen would rather have a government that’s in favour of business than a government that is in favour of non-business? Colour me surpreesed.
April 24th, 2009 at 4:31 am
I suppose it’s better to have a “solidified” majority government, as opposed to a lot of independent and differently-ruled provinces that might not get along.
Other than that, I agree with Foom – DUH WTF.
~ Wogan