Cyril’s angazi can’t save ANC

President Cyril Ramaphosa is incapable of redeeming the ANC. Those who suggest he deserves electoral support in 2019 in order to protect the country from radical, corrupt elements in the governing ANC, and from the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), are not paying attention.

The constitutional change which he is driving, to speed up expropriation of land without compensation, is radical. And his pleas of ignorance about ANC corruption are wearing thin.

Last week’s untruth in parliament about a R500 000 payment from Bosasa – now African Global Operations – was a tipping point.

There are now simply too many instances where Ramaphosa claims not to have known. Gareth van Onselen of the Institute of Race Relations has listed examples (“Ramaphosa the Oblivious”, Politicsweb, November 19).

It is implausible that Ramaphosa was unaware of what president Jacob Zuma and the Gupta brothers were doing.

From 2012 until the end of 2017, Ramaphosa was in charge of ANC cadre deployment. In that period, he also chaired the interministerial committee on state-owned entity (SOE) reform. He was also deputy president of the governing party and country.

All corrupt Zupta appointments, many at SOEs, happened on his watch. As cadre deployer-in-chief, and as chair of the interministerial SOE committee, he knew nothing? Really? What kind of leader is that? A hollow man. If Ramaphosa had all those jobs in name only, how can we trust him to be an effective president?

Using a tail wagging-the-dog metaphor, which is he?

When the ANC voted for an EFF motion to change the constitution, who was calling the shots? Was it the EFF? The “good” ANC? The “bad” ANC? Or Ramaphosa himself? In truth, there is only one ANC. It is not good, it is rotten.

Ramaphosa is incapable of leading it in a different direction. His claim that he did not know the Bosasa payment was for his intra-party presidential campaign means he is either incompetent, weak, corrupt, or all three.

On election day, Ramaphosa’s name won’t be on the ballot. People will vote for parties, not personalities.

There will be one ANC, with all the baggage of David Mabuza, Ace Magashule, Jessie Duarte and the gang. A big ANC vote will allow them to elevate anyone of their ilk to the presidency.

After the Zuma years, people understandably yearn for a trustworthy leader. But Ramaphosa is not that person.

The written record suggests someone is lying about the donation from Bosasa.

Ramaphosa told parliament that he had asked his son Andile about the matter: “He actually even showed me a contract that he signed with Bosasa”.

Yet Andile told journalists, “I have absolutely nothing to do with this. I have never received such a payment”.

Do you want to surrender South Africa’s future to a leader who “didn’t know” his campaign within a crooked party was being funded by a company that showered former prison boss Linda Mti with bribes?

It’s not your fault that the ANC does not have a blemish-free, capable leader.

But it would be irresponsible if you voted in blind faith, hoping that Ramaphosa will somehow metamorphosise into an on-the-ball, accountable president.

As you know, he is Mr Angazi (I do not know).

After the Jacob Zuma years, people understandably yearn for a trustworthy leader. But President Cyril Ramaphosa is not that person.