The former Deputy Finance Minister of South Africa, Mcebisi Jonas, recently joined Bongani Bingwa on Talk Radio 702 to talk about his new book, After Dawn: Hope After State Capture.

Jonas’s book opens at a seminal moment in October 2015, when the Gupta brothers offered him the position of Minister of Finance in exchange for R600-million. Jonas turned down the bribe and a period of deep introspection followed.

In the interview, Bingwa asks Jonas to reflect on this event.

‘It destroyed any sense of hope about the ANC or government’s ability to deal with the challenges of unemployment and inequality, and the challenges of development in general,’ Jonas says.

Jonas says the South African government’s inability to deal with its structural issues is part of a global trend.

‘There is a general sense globally that there are no big ideas about how to deal with inequality,’ he says. Politicians tend to look away from the ‘real fundamental issues’, he explains, ‘because it’s not fashionable to deal with it; they are too complex and people like to focus on things that are straightforward and therefore avoid all complexities’.

‘That’s why you have things like Trump and Brexit,’ he adds.

Listen to the discussion:

• Also read: ‘The problems are structural, they are not individual’ – Mcebisi Jonas discusses his book After Dawn: Hope After State Capture

Categories Non-fiction South Africa South African Current Affairs

Tags After Dawn Bongani Bingwa Interviews Mcebisi Jonas Pan Macmillan SA Podcast Talk Radio 702