Consultative leadership is one thing, but…

South Africans emerging from the free-for-all reign of Jacob Zuma, marked by the plunder of the public purse and state assets, could not have wished for a better president than Cyril Ramaphosa.

A sigh of relief was the reaction from many people when Ramaphosa ascended to the highest public office.

A leader with credibility, good negotiation skills, political prowess and business acumen are all the qualities we needed after Zuma – to restore our good reputation, squandered by what has become known as “wasted years”.

Ramaphosa – a man who had the ear of Nelson Mandela and helped steer SA from apartheid to a constitutional democracy – adopts an all-inclusive approach, getting all partners on board, before taking key decisions.

This is in keeping with the old ANC tradition of speaking through a mandate obtained from constitutional structures of the party. But when you are in government, a president has a prerogative to respond to issues affecting all South Africans, regardless of party position.

As seen in his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic, Ramaphosa has sought to get consensus from partners – religious, traditional, science, business, labour and colleagues serving on the National Coronavirus Command Council – before making any public announcement.

Although there is nothing wrong with consultative leadership, it takes far too long before you come to a final decision. You also risk bowing to pressure and coming out like a compromised leader, trying hard to be Mr Nice Guy.

Ramaphosa’s approach is a stark contrast to the decisive leadership of Thabo Mbeki, who did not just bring his own team to the Union Buildings, but could take drastic decisions, such as firing his then disgraced deputy, Zuma.

This was without consideration for any political backlash within his party.

Commenting on Ramaphosa’s style, political analyst Ralph Mathekga put it this way: “It is one thing to be consultative and quite another to listen to those making the loudest noise. Consultation becomes disingenuous when it is about bowing down to pressure.”

Like big business and labour, religious leaders have exerted much pressure on Ramaphosa to allow for restricted prayers to resume.

Explained Ramaphosa: “South Africans are a people of deep faith. Our faith is what has seen us through many dark times and sustained us.

“We understand the great impact that the closure of places of worship have had.

“Our leaders in the faith community provide spiritual guidance, care and counselling to millions of South Africans. We are immensely grateful that from the beginning of our task of addressing this health crisis, they have stood with us and provided advice, guidance, support and encouragement from the very beginning.

“The faith community has made a great contribution in the fight against the coronavirus.”

The danger posed by the decision to allow churches, mosques, temples and synagogues to resume restricted services, is likely to open floodgates.

At a time when the coronavirus is expected to spread rapidly during the winter season, Ramaphosa has been convinced by religious leaders that they could control their flocks during the Covid-19 crisis.

How is he likely to respond when sporting and cultural leaders come knocking at the doors of the Union Buildings tomorrow?

Brian Sokutu.

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