Self-appointed messiah fixing mistakes
SOUTH Africa’s caretaker president Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday delivered the annual State of the Nation address (Sona).
His introductory remarks celebrated the historical political freedom of South Africa, which he defined with words of “hardship and the suffering which generations of our people endured – their struggles, their sacrifices and their undying commitment to building a South Africa that belongs to all who live in it”.
This Sona marks an important historical moment since it marks a quarter of a century of democracy since South Africa’s first free elections for all its people. Sona 2019, as articulated by Ramaphosa, underscores five distinct areas that the government will focus on. These are, respectively: accelerate inclusive economic growth and create jobs. Improve the education system and develop the skills that we need now and into the future. Improve the conditions of life for all South Africans, especially the poor. Step up the fight against corruption and state capture.
Ramaphosa, as was expected, gave a glowing report on a year of his leadership, essentially anchored around a claim of a clean-up of his pet subject of state capture as the epicentre.
He shared his success story of cleaning up state-owned enterprises and the intervention of a government stimulus and recovery plan that he claims redirected public funding to areas with the greatest potential for growth and job creation.
Ramaphosa’s Sona, besides being a glorious moment of self-praise, proved thin on the core issues of firstly ANC resolutions and job creation.
On the creation of jobs as always, the Sona proved feather-light and directionless except to nuance what will be done. It was not the first time Ramaphosa promised jobs, can we remember how he in Sona 2018 boasted how his government will create 330000 jobs annually.
On Eskom, Ramaphosa confirmed what some of us always maintained was the intention of his leadership.
He confirmed Eskom would be unbundled into three separate entities.
We knew this because the appointment of the board in January 2018 followed by his task team of December 13, 2018, with a very short due diligence mandate was always the intention of selling of unbundling Eskom and selling it off.
This plan he really approved in 2015, when he headed up the war room of Eskom and a group of investors with deep pockets proposed this.
With this Sona statement, Ramaphosa continues to arrogate the role of self-appointed messiah of fixing the wrongs he attributes to his predecessor when he wholly exonerates himself.
He continues to deceive South Africans not to hold him accountable at a personal level for his role.
He remains tone-deaf on why increasingly high numbers of his cabinet and ANC top six including himself remain implicated in various acts of corruption for associations with among others Bosasa and the Watson family businesses.
Ramalaine is a Political Commentator and writer.