South Africa's new president, Cyril Ramaphosa, is moving fast to assert his leadership. On Feb. 26, Ramaphosa announced a Cabinet reshuffle that returns prominent critics of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, to power. Notable appointments include Nhlanhla Nene, who will resume his role of finance minister (Zuma fired him in 2015), and Pravin Gordhan, who also served as finance minister and who will soon oversee six of South Africa's largest state-owned companies as the new minister of public enterprises. Through these appointments, Ramaphosa is sending a clear message to investors that he intends to cut down on wasteful spending and corruption.

Nevertheless, Ramaphosa does not currently have a strong grip over the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC). His narrow victory to become party leader in December 2017 means that he must balance his priorities and make concessions to powerful factions within the party. Thus, though many Zuma allies were removed from key economic positions, some still remain. In addition, the head of the South African Communist Party, Blade Nzimande, has been returned to his position as minister of transportation. This move from Ramaphosa was likely designed to promote unity in the ruling tripartite alliance, which has dominated the political system since the end of apartheid.

Ramaphosa's balancing act was also evident as Parliament passed a motion to amend the constitution brought forward by the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters party. The amendment would make it possible for the government to seize land from citizens without compensation. The idea is a key issue for the ANC's impoverished, black-majority support base and has been an ANC goal for many years.

However, Ramaphosa has cautioned that such expropriation must not negatively impact food security or the economy. Going forward, it will be important to watch how the president attempts to balance his party's populist tendencies with pro-market policies designed to jump-start the economy. With the 2019 general elections just around the corner, Ramaphosa will need to act carefully to counter his party's maturing opposition and return the ANC to its previous popularity.