Hints that Manuel may be asked to be Zuma's Deputy President

There are rumours in the political journalism circles that JZ may ask him to be deputy president. It would be a wily move (and Zuma is a canny old fox) but would Trev, whose number four on the ANC list, accept? - Grubstreet.co.za

Manuel said the big challenge facing SA was to improve service delivery to the country’s poor, using existing financial resources and against a backdrop of scarce skills.
Manuel laughed off a question on whether state utilities would remain owned by government.

“Does anyone want to buy an airline?” he said, referring to loss-making South African Airways.-Business Bay

SHOOT: Manuel is a savvy operator, even his political relastionships show tremendous diplomatic savvy. South Africa needs a respected and respectable player in the elite circles who can also provide a voice of reason, logic and intelligence. It's also gratifying to see that Lanuel appreciates the plight of the poor. South Africa's prospects in terms of crime, feeding itself etc. depend on our ability to embrace and uplift our own people, particularly the poor.

clipped from www.businessday.co.za FINANCE Minister Trevor Manuel hinted yesterday that he may be willing to carry on serving in his post if asked to by the country’s new president, although he could not “carry on forever”. He told business executives he would not have agreed to go on the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) list of parliamentary candidates if he was not prepared to serve in a new government after elections next week. “You can’t do a job like Finance Minister forever and I think that’s a discussion that the incoming president can better answer,” he said in reply to a question on his future. “But I wouldn’t have agreed to go on the ANC list without indicating my preparedness to continue serving.” Manuel told members of SA’s Greek, Italian, Lebanese and Portuguese community that SA was weathering the global crisis “remarkably well”, partly because it was a commodity exporter.