In May 2009, Jacob Zuma became the third post-apartheid president of South Africa. After the heroic, aristocratic Mandela and the aloof, technocratic Mbeki, the charismatic and relaxed Zuma is a highly popular president among the public. However, his lack of formal education and his promise to trade unions have made the business community nervous. There are concerns that Zuma may reduce judicial independence, foster corruption and patronage, and undermine democracy. None of these concerns is substantiated as of this writing. In the meantime, the global crisis has hit South Africa, which is experiencing its first recession since 1994. Business confidence is at a ten-year low, and the economy is shrinking. To numerous South African businesses and foreign firms interested in the country, how to survive the economic downturn and the new presidential regime is a multimillion dollar (or rand) question.