DA’s accusations are unfair to Cyril Ramaphosa

The DA is being harsh on President Cyril Ramaphosa when it focuses on his bloated and expensive Cabinet and suggests he could move faster in righting the wrongs of the Jacob Zuma era.

In clasping at these political straws, the DA would do well to remember firstly, that Ramaphosa is not Superman and secondly, that he has been in the highest office for just 100 days. If you are surprised it has been such a short time, then that is not surprising. Such a lot has changed, not only since Ramaphosa became president, but also since the ANC’s watershed electoral conference at the end of last year, that it truly seems as if the dark days of Zuma are a long time behind us.

Ramaphosa and his team have already rung many changes and put in place many processes to stop the plunder associated with the former president and his co-conspirators, the Guptas, as well as to bring those responsible to book and recover looted assets.

In just about every place where state capture occurred, remedial action has begun: from the replacement of Supra Mahumapelo as North West premier, to the multiple Hawks probes into Gupta-linked projects, to Pravin Gordhan shining a light into the dark places of state-owned enterprises.

While Ramaphosa is taking political flak from the DA, it is also clear that he has far from pulled the teeth of those Zuma-ites who remained in high office after the conference. Mahumapelo is fighting tooth and nail to retain his influence in the North West and now, it appears, Ace Magashule, erstwhile Free State premier and current ANC secretary-general, wants to do the same in his home area through dodgy provincial conference arrangements.

Magashule and his supporters are claiming they will be back in power in five years.

Ramaphosa needs to stop that rot now.

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