No love for ‘lame duck’ Ramaphosa and ANC ‘hyenas’

Confidence in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s ability to lead the country through the pandemic has substantially declined, as the virus outbreak has left him a “lame duck” that is backed into a corner by “hyenas and crocodiles” surrounding him, analysts said.

According to findings in round two of the Covid-19 Democracy Survey by the University of Johannesburg and the Human Sciences Research Council, trust and confidence in Ramaphosa dwindled from 85% between April and May to 61% in July this year.

The about-turn on the cigarette ban by Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, which trumped Ramaphosa’s earlier announcement to permit tobacco sales during Level 4, has, however, tarnished the credibility of the President, said political analyst André Duvenage.

“The situation is of such a nature that people are asking if we do have a President. He is completely absent, and gives no direction and no leadership. He is at best a lame duck President.”

“Confidence is critical. If there is no confidence, people will not allow him to lead, especially in times of real challenges like this… The economy is declining all the way and millions of people are losing their jobs… We are going nowhere slowly,” said Duvenage.

The survey found that trust in the President remained at a high 71% among his supporters, residents of informal settlements, and those who had less than a matric-level education, said research director in the HSRC’s DCES, Dr Ben Roberts.

President Cyril Ramaphosa chairs a virtual meeting. Picture: YouTube

“On the other side of the spectrum, which is in the negative, is [trust declining] among DA supporters, white adults and those supporting parties other than the top three.”

Those who distrust the President were also found to be more likely to have supported the removal of the tobacco ban and to relax the ban on alcohol, said Roberts.

“It has been argued that the public needs to get over its ‘great leader’ fetish and concentrate more on personal responsibilities in the fight against the pandemic. The findings are indicative that confidence in leadership matters in a number of ways,” said Roberts.

But confidence in leadership was essential as it will lead to citizens having faith that public resources are protected and are in good responsible hands, said political analyst Professor Barry Hanyane.

“It is important to maintain a positive confidence in relation to maintaining a good balance between members of society who, in turn, play various roles including in the electorate process. That is some of the benefits that can be accrued when confidence is bestowed to those perceived as leaders,” he explained.

Ramaphosa received minimal support within his party though, due to factions and divisions in the ANC which date back to the 2017 ANC elective conference in Nasrec, which left him being surrounded by “hyenas and crocodiles”, said analyst Professor Barry Hanyane.

“Ramaphosa is literally isolated. He is not enjoying the support within the party that would otherwise allow him to bring change. We are likely to see a further dwindling of percentages in voter count or vote per capita. The current escapades, tabloids and things that relate to serious allegations of Covid-19 corruption may have a dent on the confidence, including staunch voters of the ANC,” he said.

Are there any alternatives?

Loss of trust in the President could be an opportunity for political parties who would have to work on the ground to capitalise on potential new supporters, Hanyane explained, using former Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba as an example.

“There is also room where the normal opposition bench, dominated by the DA and EFF politics, would want to use this space to once again recapture the attention of voters, supporters and potential supporters. It is more difficult as smaller parties are at a cul-de-sac with lack of creativity to establish new support base,” he said.

Ramaphosa has dropped the ball

According to ordinary South Africans who spoke to The Citizen, the President had dropped the ball, as he has allowed others to pull his strings when it came to decision-making while corruption continued to happen under his watch.

“I really believed in him at the start of this whole mess, but I feel like there are others pulling strings behind the scenes because some of the subsequent decisions didn’t seem all that rational. That said, our country did manage this pandemic really well, considering the death rate and recovery rate, and maybe some unpopular decisions had to be made for the greater good,” said Monique Venter.

Tshepiso Mokhema felt hopeless and angered by the allegations of corruption around PPE procurement and the misuse of the R500 billion relief fund aimed at helping curb the spread of the virus.

“He was so promising. I really thought he would make a difference. I thought he was clean and that because he is a wealthy businessman, he would not advocate for corruption. But it turns out he is just as bad as the rest of his comrades,” she said.

The President was accused of not caring for the majority who were disadvantaged black people. Ofentse Letebele said he lost confidence in Ramaphosa prior to him being sworn in as President.

“I was never positive because he was one of the people involved in the Marikana massacre. Ramaphosa is not someone that is interested in the people. It’s apparent. It’s not something one needs to wonder about. He is generally not interested in blackness, patriotism or the wellbeing of the continent. He has other agendas and that was evident before he was president.”

ANC top six; Jessie Duarte, Ace Magashule, Gwede Mantashe, Cyril Ramaphosa, David Mabuza and Paul Mashatile on stage during the delivery of President Ramaphosa’s January 8 Statement at the party’s 106th birthday celebrations at Absa Stadium on January 13, 2018 in East London. Picture: Gallo Images

Peter Selolo, on the other hand, believes the President had good intentions but was swayed and pressured by his party and “people like Ace Magashule”.

“I have not lost anything in Ramaphosa as a President, because he is really doing his best. He is a good president. Because of people like Ace Magashule around him, they will keep sabotaging him and doing things in their powers to make him a bad president. He is not a bad president,” said Selolo.

• rorisangk@citizen.co.za

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