Prickly Ramphele should listen to ordinary people

PLATO famously said: “One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.” I suspect this is what really led Agang founder Mamphela Ramphele to throw in the towel after a her short, lackadaisical political career. I remember interviewing a spirited and decisive Ramphele just 10 months ago and asking her how much of the vote she hoped to garner. With her usual “I know what I am doing” look, she answered boldly: “We are in this election to win.” So confident was Ramphele that I still believe she genuinely believed Agang would win the elections.

But the party has done worse than perform dismally. It has imploded and, with it, any semblance of Ramphele’s dignity.

Although this chapter in her career cannot erase her formidable pedigree, it has revealed a thin skin and a capriciousness that have no place in the rough-and-tumble of political life. We know that she is a former anti-apartheid activist, a medical doctor, an academic, a businesswoman and a fierce and logical debater whose pronouncements have made sense to many South Africans passionate about accountability and active citizenship. She has received awards and is a bestselling author. But she has feet of clay.

We now know that she is impatient, easily dismissive of her detractors, barely admits to being wrong and does not suffer those she perceives as fools.

Unfortunately, the ability to accommodate those whom you regard as intellectually inferior is crucial for anyone wishing to enter public office. I suspect that when her party members opposed some of her decisions, she had a “do you know who I am?” moment.

Here was a world-famous person being taken to task by the rank and file of a party she had started and which rested on her brand and intellect.

With all due respect, none of Agang’s members has achieved even a fraction of her success. They are at best forgettable, at worst unknown. I bet that for someone like Ramphele, being questioned by them gave her the shivers.

She is comfortable in the seat of authority, not being heckled by those probably made famous by their association with her.

What did she expect, though? That party members would just lie supine and adore her? Certainly she did not expect that voters would reject Agang — and by extension, her — so resolutely.

Ramphele claimed: “The May 7 elections and the subsequent instability in Agang have convinced me that much more work needs to be done to create an environment

I bet that being questioned by them gave her the shivers

to promote the empowerment of citizens.” That’s a euphemism for: “I did not understand this terrain, I overplayed my popularity and I failed.”

She went on: “I will therefore be leaving party politics, having accomplished my aim of creating a political vehicle to enable those who remain outside the political mainstream to have a voice.”

On what planet can Agang ever be called a vehicle for the voiceless?

South Africans are forgiving and adept at giving others a second chance. Ramphele may not believe she has anything to learn, but it may do her a lot of good to listen to commentary about her departure by ordinary South Africans and respected political commentators.

Sometimes a leader must step back from her ideas and defer diagnosing the problems and telling followers how to think and what to do. Even if those pronouncements are true, sometimes it is best to ask: “What do you think and how would you like us to move forward?”

Tlhabi will be away next week. Her column will be back on July 26