Cyril now needs to keep his nerve

One has to feel sympathy for President Cyril Ramaphosa: he has been elevated by some to almost saintly status because he is the man many South Africans are placing their hope in. That hope is that he will bring the country back from the brink of disaster to which his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, dragged it.

The promises of the “New Dawn”, so eloquently made by Ramaphosa when he took over as state president following his ousting of Zuma as ANC president at the party’s conference in December, have turned out to be little more than mirages.

It is true that Ramaphosa has moved decisively against state capture and those involved in it, with a raft of prosecutions being initiated and a thorough clean-up of the state-0wned enterprises most deeply involved – supervised by the no-nonsense new Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan.

Ramaphosa has also made encouraging noises abroad, telling investors that “South Africa is open for business” and has made a definite effort to revive the image of the ANC as the party is genuinely committed to improving the lives of ordinary South Africans.

However, at the moment, the situation is gloomy… and that’s being kind. The economy shrank in the first quarter of this year, while investor confidence has been dulled by uncertainty over ANC plans for land expropriation without compensation. Consumers, especially those in the middle class, continue to be battered by rising prices caused by the soaring price of fuel… itself partly caused by a decline in the value of the rand against the US dollar. And now the National Health Insurance scheme might also hit the middle class.

To make things tougher, the ANC is still split into two factions…and Ramaphosa is still being challenged by Zuma loyalists. Now, more than ever, the president needs to keep his nerve.