Cyril Ramaphosa — The right president at the right time?

Courtesy of GovernmentZA via Flickr

Over the last few years, it became something of a national pastime to criticise Cyril Ramaphosa. There was usually a sigh at the mention of his name, followed by “he is such a disappointment” or “why isn’t he doing more?”. 

To my: “Like what?” question, the criticisers would usually mumble a list of actions, many which are beyond the president’s powers (like throwing criminals in jail).  Many journalists and commentators were also on an anti-Cyril buzz, pointing to his lack of decisive action and the lack of progress on many fronts.

I believe that some of this is because of Ramaphosa’s personality and management style, which is not the traditional bull-in-a-china-shop, which is generally regarded as a sign of strength. He consults widely and includes others in his thinking before making decisions. And, yes, contrary to popular believe he does make decisions – even unpopular ones - just not necessarily in the way or time frame we want or expect him to. 

This not only helped him to survive for decades - and especially during the Zuma years - in a divided ANC, but was also a strength during the COVID crisis. His leadership during that time, which involved constant consultation with medical and scientific experts, is still widely lauded internationally in contrast to those of Donald Trump and Boris Johnson. 

Still, the rapid change that so many of us hoped for when Ramaphosa became president didn’t materialise and it left many, including me, disappointed and wondering if he was perhaps the “Right president, at the wrong time”. 

Ramaphosa was always destined to become president and had he succeeded Nelson Mandela he would have been one of our great presidents. However, nineteen years later South Africa was a very different place and many wondered if he was perhaps the wrong man to meet the new demands. 

It must be said that Ramaphosa was dealt a bad hand when he became president in 2018. 

There was corruption, state capture and a deeply divided ANC. No one in the ANC – including Ramaphosa – fully comprehended the extent of state capture during the Zuma years until the Zondo commission laid it all bare. In addition, those who had lost their political cover were actively working against the president’s reforms. Then COVID hit and a year later, the county was rocked by the devastating riots following Zuma’s arrest. Ramaphosa also had (and will continue) to deal with severe weather events such as the floods KZN and the Eastern Cape, which hampered progress.

Interestingly, whilst disappointment in Ramaphosa reached fever pitch in South Africa, he was (and is) held in high regard abroad. Leading up to the recent elections for example, all the international investors I deal with frequently, wanted him to remain president. 

I can of course list many failures during the Ramaphosa presidency, which are evidenced by the fact that the ANC got only 40% support during the election. Some of that can be blamed on him but the vast majority are the consequence of his predecessor’s actions – not least the corrupting of the civil service and the parastatals. 

I believe that Ramaphosa’s commitment to improve the country cannot be doubted. He had no need to become president. He was after all rich and famous enough.   Still, he felt a calling to finish the job he had started at CODESA, by ensuring the economic transformation of the country. 

With the many challenges that the GNU is already facing, I cannot think of any other politician in South Africa who can keep this diverse bunch of mostly immature politicians together. 

So yes, Cyril Ramaphosa is not perfect, but then again nobody is. The bottom line is that there is no one else in South Africa who could in the foreseeable future successfully step into his shoes.

As much as there were questions about whether he was the right man for the job during his first term, he is undoubtedly the right president for our country right now. 

So, perhaps we should all lay off the Cyril-bashing for a while and give him and his new team some time and space to govern and improve things in the country.