It’s a new dawn, but never, ever again a Zuma

The political optimism in the air around South Africa is so thick you can almost taste it. We haven’t experienced anything like it since the heady days of 1994, when Nelson Mandela led us, as our president, into what we hoped would be a bright future. Our new president, Cyril Ramaphosa, stands at the dawn of what could turn out to be a brand new day, metaphorically speaking, in the life of South Africa.

A dawn always follows a night of darkness and, for Jacob Zuma, he will always be remembered as the man who brought us the darkness of corruption and state capture.

Less than six months ago, the future of this country looked bleak as Zuma and his cronies tightened their grip on state resources, strong-armed or enticed civil servants and made state-owned enterprises their private piggy banks ... all the while using state resources and machinery to protect themselves.

For all intents and purposes it looked as though South Africa was destined to follow the path of many other countries in Africa, where a strong man, a “Number One”, ran roughshod over democracy, the rule of law and – most importantly – the people.

The most worrying aspect of Zuma’s conduct was that even as more and more allegations surfaced against him and his cronies, the more he ignored or faced them down.

Even when he was pulled up short by the country’s legal system – and by no less an authority than the Constitutional Court – he simply refused to comply with orders or recommendations and blithely carried on with his business, despite the censure.

That he could get away with what he did for so long is a damning indictment of the ANC, which, in recent times, was no longer the party of Tambo and Mandela, genuinely striving for a better life and equality for all.

That the organisation finally managed to “self-correct” (and whether it truly stays corrected still remains to be seen) is an indication that, at last, its hierarchy realised that Zuma was the opposition’s best recruiting tool and that the ANC could, in a forseeable future, be forced from power.

It had already happened in key metros. The middle class was deserting it in droves.

Ramaphosa needs to maintain the momentum and capitalise on the goodwill, as well as the unity, which the axing of Zuma will have generated across the board.

It is an opportunity to institute real reconciliation to heal the wounds of the cynical, divisive race-infused campaigns of Zuma and his puppet masters, the Guptas, and their executioners, Bell Pottinger.

At the same time, however, he must deal with the very real question of racism, along with land restitution and the elimination of the poverty gap.

We, the citizens, will be watching Ramaphosa carefully to ensure he follows through on his promises that the country will come first in everything he does and in everything the ANC does.

We also demand that Zuma and his accomplices be prosecuted to the full extent of the law and that noone, and especially not Jacob Zuma, be allowed to be above the law or immune from tasting life behind bars.

We also demand that the guilty be forced, where appropriate, to pay back the money they grabbed. Today is a good day. Our democracy is alive and well. Our courts protect us and our media stands guard. But we must never forget what Zuma did to us. Never again!