‘Why my fatherin-law endorsed me to run for Imo governorship’

Buthelezi’s Inkatha Freedom Party, IFP. Zuma had looked fine, and had appeared to be headed to succeed his boss, as the latter had successfully succeeded Nelson Mandela. But the cookie bust in 2005 when he was sacked. Yet he bounced back.

So back to the present. Ramaphosa was born in the famous Soweto; he obtained a law degree in 1981 through correspondence; he spent time in jail twice in the 1970s; he formed the influential National Union of Mineworkers, NUM, in the 1980s and led some of the country’s biggest strikes, which shook the foundations of the apartheid-era economy; he was lead negotiator with the then outgoing white government of F.W. de Klerk which helped end apartheid in 1994; he helped craft the rainbow nation’s postapartheid constitution. Ramaphosa had actually hoped to succeed Mandela but this hope was dashed when Mbeki beat him to become Mandela’s deputy. He veered into business and became a very wealthy man when he went into mining, now as an owner not a worker.

“Please Bring Me My Machine Gun,” always sang Zuma. The ANC indeed brought him his machine gun, but they didn’t hand it over to him; they shot him with it!

So Cyril must also be constantly looking over his shoulder at many, especially firebrand politician Julius Malema, longexpelled Youth League president of the ruling ANC and now of the Economic Fighters party and Member of Parliament. Malema and his red-dressed comrades staged a walkout during Ramaphosa’s election by the National Assembly.

Someone hand Cyril his machine gun, Umshini Wam!