Saving South Africa. All we can do is hope

Opinion among media commentators is the ANC, DA with IFP have done South Africans proud with the coalition, GNU as the ANC call it. Credit where it's due but survival - SA's - if the wrong choice was made, focused minds.

But rather than Ramaphosa being the architect of the coalition who suddenly shook off years of dithering and wreckage to become the ace negotiator he purportedly is, the decision was made for him/ANC when MK and EFF presented their expected tempestuous demands. Had they not, they'd be the ANC's partners and not DA. And that would be that. But even now, the future's uncertain.

After all that's happened there's still this odd perception Ramaphosa is a good leader, an ethical person, a good "negotiator". Perhaps his many admirers have Stockholm Syndrome. 

The negotiator bit is based on 30-year-old ancient history. The NP gave in to all(?) ANC's demands because they had no choice - the game was over and they conceded to prevent dangerously protracted and pointless negotiations. So no hard time for Ramaphosa/ANC at Codesa especially when c1992 Mandela/ANC had already dropped their hard-left position after WMC Oppenheimers et al blackmailed them to, or else. 1994 elections, exit Ramaphosa from politics with a gazillion gifted WMC shares in thanks/payback to ANC for services to be rendered. 

SA worsened under Ramaphosa. In large part he's responsible for the ANC's huge loss. In any other country he'd have been kicked out. He must be SA's second worst leader ever (tied for first is Verwoed, PW Botha and Zuma). So let's permanently put away the obsequious, overused "negotiator" cliché and that the coalition with DA and IFP is thanks to him, praise the Lord. 

The coalition doesn't mean the ANC is reformed though. Mediocrities and the corrupt are still there. Corruption won't disappear on its own. Ramaphosa doesn't have leadership and integrity to address the numerous crises including in his party and with state-wide corruption and dysfunction. The new cabinet will be a jobs frenzy for coalition partners. More spending. 

The ANC won't give up its ideological principles that hobble progress so how the coalition finds a way to move SA forward will be interesting. Also to see if Shouty Steenhuisen has what it takes to sit at the big table. 

We know what needs to be done. Inter alia removing regulations that benefit corporates that prefer the highly regulated status quo because it prevents competition (and economic and job creation). In his State of the Nation address last night Ramaphosa presented a five -year plan to achieve some of the targets. 

Good luck with that, but we've heard that before. All we can do is hope.