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South Africa under Mbeki had decided to engage more earnestly and vigorouslywith the forces of globalisation as a means of improving economic growth,generating employment and addressing inequality. 428In other words, this contentious domestic shift was designed to align South Africa’sdevelopment model, in its domestic and international dimensions, with theperceived requirements of globalisation. This meant greater openness to neweconomic partnerships with ‘non-traditional’ partners, and a new quiescence on thepart of South Africa’s foreign policy, in a bid to win foreign investment.The new president appeared to limit the impact of this demanding context byconsolidating his own political position, and by strengthening the ANC’s politicalhegemony in South African society. This was achieved by wholesale changes to themanagement and organisation of the ANC: the party’s ‘modernisation’ 429 . In 1998,the Secretary-General, deputy Secretary-General, and Treasurer positions within theorganisation became full-time positions, and became competitively remunerated. 430Moreover, the Presidency of the ANC likewise became more powerful, with thepresident accorded the responsibility of appointing leaders of provincialadministrations, over and above the wishes of ANC provincial party structures,which were usually under their own elected leadership. Contrary to views thatprevailed by the end of his presidency, Mbeki presided initially over aprofessionalisation of the bureaucracy at Luthuli House, and was seen to be“governing South Africa more through the organization”. 431 Indeed, it may beargued that Mbeki sought out the ANC less and less as his tenure wore on because ofits culture of democracy. Some research on mass parties has argued that where thereis a tension in a mass-based party between ‘ideological’ activist community and‘pragmatic’ electorally oriented leadership, a loose coupling emerges, where it isquite easy for example, for delegates to participate in conferences, but theimportance of conferences as decision-making bodies diminishes. 432 Indeed, Mbeki428 Alden and Le Pere, “South Africa’s Post-Apartheid Foreign Policy”, 28.429 William M. Gumede, “Chapter 2: Modernising the African National Congress: Thelegacy of President Thabo Mbeki”, in State of the Nation, 2008.430 Tom Lodge, “The ANC and the Development of Party Politics in Modern SouthAfrica”, The Journal of Modern African Studies, 42, No.2 (June 2004): 192-193.431 The Star, 12 January 1999, cited in Lodge, 2004: 193. Emphasis added.432 Lodge, “ANC and the development of party politics”, 198, citing Herbert Kitschelt(1989: 401-10).180