for all, for a cornman effort to build a winning nation." Most of his speech
was a detailed, down-to-earth
statement of his government's
determina-
tion to cope with the many problems confronting the country. In tone and
substance, he differed from Mandela
in two respects. First, he did not
mention reconciliation,
which had been near the top of his predecessor's
priorities. Second, whereas Mandela had been a somewhat laid-back ad-
ministrator, Mbeki indicated that he would be actively engaged in the day-
to-day work of government.V'
Mbeki's early presidential
actions illustrated
these differences. Since
there was no longer a danger of a white counterrevolution,
he accentuated
the application
of the affirmative action policy, to reduce the political,
economic, and cultural power of the white minority. For example, in Au-
gust 1999, when Dr. Chris Stals's tenure as governor of the South African
Reserve Bank expired, Mbeki appointed as his successor the ANC econo-
mist Tito Mboweni."? Mbeki also concentrated
a great deal of power in
his own hands. He appointed his old friend, Essop Pahad, with the rank of
cabinet minister, to his presidential office, which absorbed the office of the
deputy president
(whose significance was thereby greatly reduced) and