Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has tweeted several times over the past few days about cooking. His most recent effort was a beef stew, and Mboweni noted that “Cooking needs time. It’s like drawing up the National Budget. Time and patience!!”.

This may be true of drawing up the national budget, but his phlegmatic approach does not reflect what the public, the economy or business want to hear. What they want is an urgent action.

Business Unity SA president Sipho Pityana said on SABC TV during the delayed Cabinet announcement:

“We have to hit the ground running. We don’t have much time. We don’t have time to experiment”.

President Cyril Ramaphosa said prior to the announcement on Wednesday night that revitalising the economy was a priority. No one would argue with that. He said he was also looking for gender and generational mix. Continuity was also a criterion, as well as experience.

But as far as the economic portfolios are concerned, his primary criteria seemed to be staying the course. Despite his ongoing dispute with the Public Protector, Pravin Gordhan remains Public Enterprises Minister. Despite his ongoing disputes with the mining industry, Gwede Mantashe remains Minister of Mineral Affairs, with Energy now added. Despite his ongoing disputes with… well, nearly everybody, Finance Minister Tito Mboweni remains. Even Ebrahim Patel stays despite missing out on a parliamentary seat. That ticks the continuity box. But does it tick the “building a dynamic economy box”?

There was more change in some of the other economic or adjunct-economic ministries. Former Gauteng finance minister Barbara Creecy was given environment, forestry and fisheries and a real newcomer is Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, a new MP and formerly a municipal manager in Limpopo, who is the small business minister. And then, of course, there is the big surprise of Patricia de Lille, now public works and infrastructure minister.

Taken as a whole, the Cabinet does reflect Ramaphosa’s instinct for high-calibre people, with some concessions to the political realities of life.

Business will be cheered up by the return of Gordhan and Mboweni, but Patel’s return may be greeted with less enthusiasm. Patel has been something of a controversial figure; an instinctive interventionist and generally a critic of business.

Yet, there is no doubting his enthusiasm and dedication. Since he did not win a place in Parliament, Ramaphosa had to use his limited special constitutional dispensation to reappoint Patel, whose responsibilities are now enormously expanded, with Trade and Industry added.

The rand was certainly encouraged by the announcement, focusing hard perhaps on the continuity aspect. Yet, by focusing on continuity, Ramaphosa has reselected some members of the team that delivered sub-standard growth for almost a decade. Still, the focus now will turn from personalities to ideas. DM