What are we to make of David Mabuza — deputy president, kingmaker … wrecking ball?

For quite a while now SA hasn’t known what to make of David Mabuza — to condemn him for the political hoodlum that he is or canonise him for turning his back on his friends at the Nasrec conference, thus delivering a victory for Cyril Ramaphosa and mercifully bringing the Jacob Zuma nightmare to a close. If a ruffian rescues a child from a fire, do we keep obsessing over his atrocious reputation or do we celebrate the fact that a life has been saved?

Ramaphosa’s victory was greeted with a collective sigh of relief because Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma would have been seen as a continuation of Zuma’s regime. Mabuza’s betrayal of his friend set off a little tsunami. Within weeks Zuma was ousted from office by his own party. The Guptas, suddenly shorn of Zuma’s protective embrace, stole out of the country in the dead of night, their loot safely stashed away in foreign lands. There followed a raft of investigations and commissions to expose the depravity under Zuma. The New Dawn was upon us, or so we thought.

Though most people were grateful that Mabuza’s 11-hour volte-face had saved us from a fate worse than death, the prospect of him ascending to the highest office in the land sent a chill down the spine. That, in a way, was something of a backhanded compliment to Ramaphosa. People were comfortable with him; they thought the country was at last in good hands.

But the public now seem to have soured on Ramaphosa. He’s no longer the messiah or the Mandela-esque figure they were swooning about. He’s seen as passive, feckless and indecisive. Even his admirers are turning on him. Rats deserting a sinking ship. There was a time not so long ago when people were worried sick about rumours that he could be overthrown at the party’s national general council, due next year. Not any longer.

Maybe Mabuza should have stuck by his friend Dlamini-Zuma. At least she has a spine. She would have been — and is — in charge. We would have died once, if we had to. This slow death under Ramaphosa is killing us.

It is also a measure of the low opinion we have of politics and politicians that Mabuza got plaudits for his duplicity, his dishonesty, for betraying his friends. We were OK with it as long as it led to the outcome we preferred. The ends justify the means, I suppose. And then we complain about corruption. The irony, the hypocrisy, is lost on us.

Mabuza is often referred to as the Cat. That apparently has nothing to do with being a cool dude or his love for a certain type of music. It talks to his survival instincts — a cat with nine lives. He’s outlasted his foes in the treacherous politics of Mpumalanga. By his telling, he’s survived numerous assassination attempts and even poisoning, for which he thanks the Russians for saving his life.

Being premier of Mpumalanga has not always been a step to bigger things. Mathews Phosa tried to move up the ladder but ended up falling out with both Thabo Mbeki and Zuma. Ndaweni Mahlangu gained national notoriety by telling us that lies were the oil that kept the wheels of politics turning, then disappeared into obscurity. Thabang Makwetla has been hopping from one deputy ministerial post to the next.

But Mabuza, who came into prominence by cooking matric results as education MEC, has seamlessly winged his way to the top. Stories of his corruption are the stuff of legend in Mpumalanga. But corruption has not been a bar to his ambition. In fact, it hasn’t prevented anybody in the party from succeeding. It’s been a help.

It seems one has to first check one’s conscience or principles at the door if one is seeking higher office in the ANC. Corruption is to the party what omertà is to the Mafia. It is the rite of passage. The more outrageous the allegations of corruption against an individual, the more attractive he is as a candidate for higher office. Zuma, Ace Magashule and many others are perfect examples.

But Mabuza is not much of a bright spark. He’s terrible at the dispatch box and not always well-informed. He doesn’t look the part at all, nor comfortable. Now the Cat seems to have become adept at doing a vanishing act. He’s always away at crucial moments — sick, we’re told. The fact that he is often absent from work is probably a blessing. A deputy president doesn’t have a specific job. He does whatever the president desires. He’s expected to be generally supportive of the president and his agenda. Mabuza probably thinks that’s beneath him. And so he abides by his own rules, which is to play the role of a wrecking ball.

After the elections two years ago he played hard to get. Was he or was he not going to accept the position of deputy president? Ramaphosa had to beg him to accept, which probably made the president appear weak. A year ago Mabuza told MPs he didn’t take finance minister Tito Mboweni seriously. And publicly accused public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan of misleading Ramaphosa into promising there wouldn’t be any load-shedding during the festive season.

Either he doesn’t understand the import of his utterances, or he just doesn’t care. Obviously politicians disagree, especially on such fundamental issues, but it’s rare to see one publicly humiliating someone from his own side. And the fact that Ramaphosa doesn’t seem to call him to order only gives substance to the view that the president is a weak leader.

Mabuza probably has determined that having been the kingmaker, he could — if the situation demanded — become the hangman.