Ramaphosa needs to toughen up

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa issued the outcome of his investigation with regard to the saga involving the defence minister and the delegation who used the military plane to fly to Zimbabwe.

To our surprise, he reprimanded Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa- Nqakula and also fined her three months’ salary. This is the second time he has done this. It won’t make much of a difference to her financial situation.

The president is trying hard to please everyone but, unfortunately, he can’t. We want a president who won’t be scared to make tough decisions. We want a president who will serve the people of South Africa and not members of particular factions in the ANC.

We expected a harsher sanction. The people of South Africa deserve better leaders who will save the country and abide by the Constitution. We are tired of complaining about government officials who don’t understand their roles as deployees. We have seen the likes of Mosebenzi Zwane who claimed not to have known some fundamental pieces of legislation pertaining to his own department. How was he deployed in the first place? Does Mapisa- Nqakula understand the difference between the party and the state?

The president must learn to make tough decisions against delinquents. This is the approach we need if we are serious about fighting corruption and incompetence, and rebuilding the economy together.

TOM MHLANGA | Braamfontein