Sleepy President Cyril Ramphosa's indecisive leadership a cause for concern
Sandile Gumede
Image: File
May Day! May Day! We have lost one engine; the pilot is unconscious, and the co-pilot is also fast asleep. No one seems to know where we are or what is happening. Even auto-pilot is disengaged, and the plane is going through serious turbulence.
This imaginary scenario might be an intense movie scene; but when following the political developments in South Africa it might also be a perfect analogy of what is happening with our leaders. The month of July was an eventful one, and it does not seem like August will be anything better.
From General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi stirring the hornet’s nest – accusing his bosses of colluding with criminals or being at proximity with them – to Army Chief, General Rudzani Maphwanya going to Iran in solidarity after they were bombed by the United States and Israel.
Confusing messages about Maphwanya’s authority to go there is not a small thing. This could lead to a diplomatic storm between South Africa, Israel and the U.S. Does the general understand diplomacy? Well, what are his political principals saying about this?
While we were reeling from that, we headed to Pretoria for the National Dialogue, with President Cyril Ramaphosa arguing that the multi-million rand dialogue will help us answer questions about challenges that have been plaguing South Africans.
Among other things, the president said the citizens must ask themselves as to what causes the shortage of drugs in clinics and public hospitals. Come on now, Mr President! Was this a rhetorical question or is he taking us for a ride? Who does not know that there is failure to govern by the very same people that should report to him?
The National Dialogue is off to a poor start, although it lived up to the expectations of it being a talk shop. The reality is that it is all about noises and great plans.
Is Ramaphosa and his people from Mars? Don’t they know the biggest issues that the country is grappling with? If that is the case, then it is a clear indictment against himself and his cabinet.
They have been in power, but they are clueless on how to deal with the issues. We have high-ranking officials accused of being in cahoots with the criminal underworld, but the president is sleeping on the job – both literally and figuratively. He was seen having a shut-eye-moment at his own National Dialogue, and we are supposed to take him seriously. In fact, we have seen him in many events being sleepy in his own events.
His silence on many things has been deafening. He lacks action when it matters, and this is worrying about a commander-in-chief. He always takes time to act even on matters of national security.
He always needs a VAR before he can act. Right now, he is waiting for a commission of inquiry to act on his suspended friend Police Minister Senzo Mchunu. Is it because he is indebted to him for assisting him in being elected president of the ANC and was not Mchunu who classified the Phala Phala Report to protect Ramaphosa?
This is the crunch time where South Africa needs decisive leadership. We have a trade and a diplomatic crisis when it comes to SA and US relations. But there is an army chief who goes about making political statements, with Captain Ramaphosa sleeping in the cockpit.
His co-pilots are equally ineffective when it comes to taking action. One wonders if we will manage to make an emergency landing to avert the disaster or will we crash into the mountains with our sleepy president.
Sandile Gumede is a is sociopolitical writer and former journalist . His views does not represent the Sunday Tribune or IOL.