Both of his ministries have rigorously applied public-interest provisions in South African competition law, frequently imposing developmental and social-responsibility conditions on private mergers, such as the 2011 acquisition of Massmart by Walmart.

Though Patel is a self-proclaimed supporter of the entrepreneurial state and of public–private partnership, his critics object to his interventionist impulses, which, along with his union background, have given him a reputation as a left-wing figure in the government.

[2] According to Nicoli Nattrass and Jeremy Seekings, "His strategy for the clothing sector became the model for labour market and industrial policy generally.

[3] More broadly, Patel "exerted considerable influence" while at SACTWU, both as a member of Cosatu's central executive committee[4] and through various corporatist forums and public bodies.

[5] After Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, Patel was a member of the trade union delegation that welcomed him at his home in Soweto,[2] and in subsequent years, as South Africa's democratic transition progressed, he remained involved in social and policy debate.

[7] When Zuma announced his cabinet the following week, on 10 May, Patel was appointed to a newly created portfolio as Minister of Economic Development.

[12][13] Leftists in the Tripartite Alliance apparently wanted Patel, rather than Manuel, to be appointed at the head of the National Planning Commission.

[15] According to the Mail & Guardian, the tensions were partly reflective of "the larger battle over South Africa’s economic policy direction".

[3] In this perspective, Patel's leftist affiliation set him apart from – and in competition with – moderate figures such as Manuel, Gordhan, and their respective supporters.

[20][21] Because he had been general-secretary of the union at the time the investment was made, Patel was initially summoned to testify at the inquiry,[22] though he was later excused.

[26] In addition, in a move viewed by some observers as daring,[3] in September 2017 – while Zuma was still president – he released a report which estimated that corruption cost the South African economy as much as R27 billion annually.

[29] In November 2010, in the wake of a global economic crisis, Patel published the New Growth Path, a policy framework which set out an expanded role for the state in job creation.

Among other things, the plan proposed a broad wage accord between business and labour, inflation-linked salary caps, looser monetary policy, and investments by pension funds in developmental projects.

[31] Business Unity South Africa disagreed with the job-creation target, criticised the government for "too much talk and little action" in various competing economic policy initiatives, and published a host of counter-proposals.

[3] In an interview with the Financial Mail in June 2020, Patel said that state capture was partly responsible for the missed target, explaining:Well, there was more than one reason we didn't achieve it.

[38] Aiming to promote local industrialisation, Patel issued a controversial trade-policy directive that enforced a mandatory price-preference across foundries and steel mills on scrap metal collected inside South Africa.

Patel said that the overwhelming objective of the legislation was to promote economic inclusion by mitigating market concentration and rectifying racial inequalities of ownership.

[46] When the Massmart deal was concluded, it included protections for South African jobs and other social responsibility commitments, such as contributions to a local business-development fund.

According to the Financial Mail, the Massmart deal set a precedent for public-interest negotiations ahead of major mergers and acquisitions.

However, the commission was criticised for lacklustre oversight of the "skyrocketing costs and delays" associated with the construction of three new power stations, Medupi, Kusile and Ingula.

[54] In 2018, President Ramaphosa announced his own fiscal stimulus package, underpinned by major infrastructure investment and overseen by the PICC.

[54] When President Ramaphosa announced his second cabinet on 29 May 2019, Patel was appointed as Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, with Fikile Majola and Nomalungelo Gina as his deputies.

Patel was initially appointed to the cabinet from outside Parliament, because, ranked 137th on the party list, he lost his parliamentary seat in the May 2019 general election.

[67] In this vein, he has continued his earlier practice of vigorously applying the Competition Act's public interest provisions, frequently intervening in mergers and acquisitions.