Editor of DM168 Heather Robertson yesterday wrote in her weekly column, "Today, 29 years into democracy and with a bumbling Bheki Cele in charge of the police, Ramaphosa nominally in charge of the country and an enfeebled, under-resourced National Prosecuting Authority under Shamila Batohi, our country feels just as ungovernable and lawless as it was then.”
The national mood is worse now than it was when Ramaphosa was elected by ANC MPs. It's due to Eskom and unremitting loadshedding that's crushing the economy and national spirit; failure of government, and equally corrupt, SAPS and NPA to make headway against systemic corruption (also Eskom's), and failure of the economy to grow under so-called reformist Ramaphosa and of his numerous promises.
Eskom is the canary of SA's coalmine. Depression set in after former Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter revealed the extent of Eskom corruption in the eTV interview.
But still ANC from president down are in denial (what's new). The situation is so serious that even the usual toadying (to ANC) business leaders are creeping out of their boardrooms and cautiously criticising government as operations and profits are strained by power outages. If this wasn't bad on its own, are the implications for the economy as the ANC, president and members of cabinet cosy up to rogue nation Russia and Putin when even BRICS India, Brazil and China are circumspect.
In all regards, locally and internationally, the ANC is isolated but they push on under its feckless and reckless leader. Criticism of Ramaphosa is so strident now, almost every day including by those who until only recently his supporters. Look at opinion columns, DM included.
When he took office, he could do no wrong. Even untested as a president, the praise was embarrassingly smarmy. But after the disaster that Zuma was and condemnation of him, Ramaphosa is attracting even more.
I'd really like to know why his erstwhile supporters ever thought he'd be different than other ANC cadres. While in cabinet Ramaphosa, Gordhan, another so-called hero of democracy who wasn't, et al did absolutely nothing as Zuma led the attack on the country's institutions and fully opened the treasury, which was already subjected to thieving, to corruption. Ramaphosa was in also charge of cadre deployment which is the conduit for state-wide corruption. He personally was the recipient of BEE gifts which he did nothing to earn. However, the ANC think it's their due, and if they don't get it from eager-to-please corporates, they acquire and steal it from the state.
So what did his supporters think would be different with him as leader? Or was it enough he wasn't Zuma?
Ramaphosa announced an inquiry into the American ambassador's Reuben Brigety's allegations. Brigety probably knows what he's talking about; the local CIA station would've briefed him - the Americans and their intelligence partners have sophisticated capabilities. The Americans say the SA government ignored their warnings. That's probably true also but when has the ANC ever taken criticism and warnings seriously - they ignored repeated warnings about Eskom and other disasters.
Of course Ramaphosa knew what Lady R's cargo was because questions were asked about it when the ship was in port. So yet another long-winded inquiry that will take months about something we could guess happened, a report that will be moot and recommendations they will ignore. Typical Ramaphosa delaying move.
Whether or not he knew what the ship was carrying, and with the country's other problems that are piling up, he must be the most clueless and disinterested president South Africa's ever had. To prove that, while outrage was growing about the Russian ship, the day after the Brigety's announcement, during a phone call he and Putin pledged greater cooperation.
People can change their minds but how could so many intelligent and well-meaning people have been so mistaken about Ramaphosa and the ANC? And now they're devastated or pretend they knew all along?
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