Ramaphosa’s road to inauguration

The Presidential Inauguration, an event that marks the official change of guard in the South African politics has arrived accompanied by warm weather that has seen many spreading their umbrellas on the public grandstands at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Tshwane.

The weather condition has a great meaning in the African context – for fair weather symbolised potential success of any event and that it is a blessing from the heavens. In Nguni languages they say, imozulu iyavuma, literally meaning “the weather agrees.”

President-elect Cyril Ramaphosa is being inaugurated as the President of South Africa today after the tumultuous years of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma. He is the fifth president of the Republic after Zuma, Kgalema Motlanthe who was care-taker president, Thabo Mbeki and icon Nelson Mandela, who was the first black democratic head of state in the country.

The man of the moment, Ramaphosa is yet to arrive and it has been announced that he would be coming shortly, but foreign and local dignitaries including heads of state and high-level diplomats and representatives from foreign multilateral organisations such as African Union and SADC, have begun to arrive in convoys of black limousines.

Ramaphosa’s assumption of the Presidency has been a long journey that began when he was identified by Mandela as his preferred successor about 20 years ago. But, as the ANC’s old tradition required, Mbeki as deputy president and someone who was anointed and groomed by another struggle icon, Oliver Tambo in exile, had to succeed Madiba. There was no doubt that Mbeki was going to be the President of both the ANC and the country one day.

Mbeki had a firm political clout in the movement, having been deployed by the likes his father Govan Mbeki and struggle patriarch Walter Sisulu to go and joined Tambo in exile in the 60s.

Mbeki is regarded as a chief diplomat, having been trained and worked diplomacy from his youth until the ANC was unbanned. He headed the ANC international relations office for many years.

Mbeki’s succession to Mandela was an idea also pushed by the SADC leaders such as the former Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda and the late Julius Nyerere of Tanzania who motivated why Mbeki was a suitable candidate to take over from Mandela in 1999. It suited him as he had been elected as the ANC president at Mahikeng, North West in 1997.

Ramaphosa, the first President from internal struggle component of the ANC, served as general secretary of the National Union of Mineworkers in the 80s before he was elected as secretary-general of the ANC succeeding the long-serving Alfred Nzo. He was followed in this position by other former NUM general secretaries – Kgalema Motlanthe and Gwede Mantashe with a break from this tradition when former Free State Premier, Ace Magashule was elected to this post at Nasrec in December 2017.

Ramaphosa was part of the United Democratic Front – the internal wing of the ANC that kept the fires burning inside the country while the party was banned and many of its leaders exiled and some jailed. He took a break from active politics and joined the business in a project pioneered by the ruling ANC known as black economic empowerment meant to bring blacks into the mainstream of the economy.

He made a huge come back into politics when he decided to come out of Zuma’s shadow – whom he served under as deputy president of both the ANC and the country. When Zuma’s ANC presidential term ended, Ramaphosa decided to stand for the ANC presidency and beat Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, who was favoured by Zuma, her former husband and father of her children.

Other candidates who either withdrew from the race or lost out to Ramaphosa included Lindiwe Sisulu, Jeff Radebe, Baleka Mbete and Matthews Phosa.

Ramaphosa’s small margin victory stifled his attempts to bring meaningful change in the ANC and the country since he took over from Zuma. He came to power under the ticket of anti-corruption – a task that was impossible to execute without offending some of his fellow ANC top brass as some had corruption allegations hanging over their heads.

Due to the almost 50-50 electoral outcome at Nasrec, he had to consult both ANC camps before making any decision and it became apparent that some NEC members were hellbent on derailing him. Despite all this, Ramaphosa appeared to be gaining a firm hold onto power at the government level and the 57,5 per cent victory in the recent election gave impetus to his leadership.

However, the internal tension continued up to his inauguration. He would sure tread carefully in who he chooses as members of his new Cabinet. He is expected to announce the executive council this weekend.

– ericn@citizen.co.za