In just under four weeks President Cyril Ramaphosa will celebrate — or mourn — his fourth anniversary as the leader of the ANC. When news of Ramaphosa’s win trickled through from the ANC conference in December 2017, people danced in the streets of the Ramaphosa family home in Chiawelo, Soweto.
The rand strengthened to a nine-month high on the back of the news. After 10 years of the dreadful Jacob Zuma’s tenure as party and SA president, Ramaphosa’s election was hailed as the start of a new and optimistic era in SA politics.
Ramaphosa’s win margin was razor thin. It was clear that contending forces within the ANC were evenly matched between his reformists and the looters, who wanted to continue lining their pockets.
But he was not intimidated. In a leaked video he told his supporters that his election "gives us a beachhead" to fix the ANC, meaning that he was their toehold on enemy territory, and he would use that chink in the Zuma armour to bring about change. SA cheered.
Four years later the optimism has evaporated. Reality has set in. When Ramaphosa went to vote in Chiawelo on November 1, he was greeted with chants of "African National Criminals", barricaded streets and booing.
Blackouts were in effect on the day and EFF members reminded residents turning up at the voting station that there was no water and electricity in most of Chiawelo that day.
Just a few weeks before election day a mob had marched on the Ramaphosa family home and intimidated his older sister to call him to do something about the blackouts.
Not even the most diehard Ramaphosa supporter can claim that the past four years have fulfilled the promise of those giddy first few months.
Sure, he has displayed some flashes of inspiration: he has changed leadership and initiated important reforms of institutions such as the National Prosecuting Authority and the SA Revenue Service.
Ramaphosa has little to boast about. Four years of fine words do not build a country. Focused, resolute actions do
He has deftly pushed Zuma acolytes out of key party and state structures. He has expressed great optimism about attracting foreign direct investment. He was dealt a very bad hand by the pandemic but unlike many other leaders across the globe, he was given a major boost by the commodities boom — a cushion few have enjoyed.
Yet SA is floundering on Ramaphosa’s watch. The economy is in terrible distress. The 44% unemployment rate is not just shocking, it is a signal of just how much misery is part of the daily lives of so many of our fellow citizens.
Even more worrying is the fact that so many of our people have lost faith in our institutions and political leadership. Just 36% of respondents to the Afrobarometer survey released two months ago have trust in the Electoral Commission of SA, for example. Only 27% trust the ANC, while only 24% trust opposition parties. The shockingly poor voter turnout on November 1 underlines just how disillusioned people are with our politics.
With the economy broken, infrastructure collapsing, social cohesion frayed and that deadweight public protector gifted to us by Zuma still in office, Ramaphosa has little to boast about. Four years of fine words do not build a country. Focused, resolute actions do.
Ramaphosa is a year away from the ANC’s national elective conference. This means he will increasingly be tied up in party work and putting out fires on policy and personnel issues as leaders vie for a seat at the top table. With his eye off the ball, the country will continue to drift. But we cannot afford that.
Ramaphosa now needs to start engaging in some very bold moves to save himself and his presidency. He needs to swiftly implement three or four key policies that would ignite the economy and restore business and consumer confidence.
For example, he must show a tough hand in bringing security to mining operations to attract quick foreign and domestic investment to the sector. He needs to fire a few of his close confidants — Bheki Cele and Gwede Mantashe among them — and appoint competent individuals with vision and courage to those portfolios.
He needs to show that he is in charge of his cabinet and the ANC. Time has run out.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.