Mboweni may head overseas

Johannesburg - South African central bank Governor Tito Mboweni, who is about to retire after 11 years in the job, took a gentle dig at his "difficult" colleagues on Thursday when making his last interest rate announcement.

Fifty-year-old Mboweni, who steps down on November 6, displayed his trademark humour at a news conference, saying he was looking forward to a leisurely retirement.

"I feel good. In many ways I feel relieved that I'll be a pensioner soon. I don't have to worry about having to have many meetings with the difficult deputy governors," Mboweni said.

"They are very difficult, they look very humble and well- organised and gentle now but when they are in the meetings they are the most difficult people," he added, drawing laughter from his audience.

Respected by markets for steering the bank on a prudent monetary policy path during his two 5-year terms as governor, Mboweni was however vilified by the government's labour union allies who said the bank's inflation-targeting policy worsened the plight of the poor.

Some analysts have speculated that the powerful unions pressured President Jacob Zuma not to extend Mboweni's tenure, but the governor reiterated on Thursday that he was asked to stay on but was more than ready to bow out.

"I've had a good innings here, I've enjoyed it very much (but) that which doesn't come to an end is a taboo," he said, hinting that he might explore "offshore" job opportunities.

"Anything can happen. I could get a nice deployment - I was told - if I behave very well. So, maybe I just have to behave well," he said in a later interview with state broadcaster SABC.

Mboweni has said in the past he may lecture at several of the country's universities during a "cooling off" period during which he cannot work for pay. He has also joked about wanting a cushy diplomatic post.

Asked to "cast his eye" over the outlook for South Africa, currently grappling with its first recession in 17 years, Mboweni quipped that he'd much rather cast a fishing rod.

"I'm likely to be casting my flying rod over the trout waters ahead. That I can tell you about. It's going to be fascinating," Mboweni said.