CR gets the nod after torrid week

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has had a torrid week ahead of the ANC’S January 8 statement which coincided with the party’s 110th anniversary celebrations in Polokwane, Limpopo, throughout the week.

But the president must have heaved a sigh of relief that it is all over and that Limpopo province is in the bag by being the first to endorse him for a second term.

The province’s premier and chairperson, Stan Mathabatha, said yesterday the province was confident of Ramaphosa seeing them through the next phase. However, this week hasn’t been smooth sailing for the first citizen of South Africa.

It started to go awry when Number 1 was called a liar, forced to walk out of an ANC Women’s League indaba where he was going to be the main speaker and finally had the lights go out on him right in the middle of an address at a gala dinner at the Protea Ranch Hotel.

Ramaphosa’s itinerary from Wednesday to Saturday was a visit to traditional leaders in Sekhukhune before his address to the masses at the old Peter Mokaba Stadium, a golf day and the much-awaited dinner where tables next to him cost no more than R1 million for the privilege, before the January 8 statement rally yesterday.

However, the traditional leaders clearly were not impressed with the president with Kgoshi Kagoshi Phaahla leading the charge and even calling the head of state a liar for failing to address concerns that chiefs have alleged they had raised with him in 2017 when he was still deputy president.

“Today, I’m still standing here without a single property being transferred. I’m still asking myself how many more lies we’re going to hear today,” said Phaahla.

In his response, Ramaphosa said he would have liked to hear about the challenges the people of Sekhukhune faced instead of being told he was lying.

On Thursday night, the president was escorted out of the venue and couldn’t deliver the Lillian Ngoyi memorial lecture planned by the ANC Women’s League (ANCWL) over security and Covid-19 concerns.

Those around the president have stuck to the narrative that Covid-19 protocols had been violated, hence his abrupt exit.

Again on Friday, Ramaphosa’s Peter Mokaba memorial lecture was delayed due to a commotion caused by ANC Youth League (ANCYL) supporters outside the Jack Botes Hall in Polokwane. They demanded entry amid strict Covid-19 protocols and tight security.

During the much-anticipated ANC’S gala dinner on Friday night, while Ramaphosa was thanking the business community for its financial support, the lights went out.

The president had to finish his speech in the dark.

During a media briefing, ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile said there was nothing to be inferred from the incident and refused to link the incidents that have happened around the president in the build-up to yesterday’s event.