For those of us who can remember the ’80s and ’90s, it is difficult to reconcile the bearded firebrand unionist from the National Union of Mineworkers – rousing his comrades to take on the bosses, as well as the apartheid state – with the ponderous, bland politician who is now our president.
Revolutions often lose their way, so it is said – and many are the rabid left-wingers toned down by single malt-fed comfort.
Definitely, life has been good to Cyril Ramaphosa, one of the earliest beneficiaries of white monopoly capital’s largesse in the ’90s as the country moved towards democracy… and now he’s a billionaire in his own right.
Nothing wrong with that, of course – other mega-rich people are at the helm of even bigger countries.
But unlike US President Donald Trump, for example, Ramaphosa shows as much will to change the country as he would his underwear.
Thursday’s State of the Nation Address, all the experts predict, is going to be yet another snooze fest presided over by Ramaphosa.
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Those of us who can even be bothered to watch will be nostalgic for the Ramaphosa of old – not so much the unionist, but the new broom who promised to sweep away the looting of the state capture years, or the shepherd who led us through the Covid valley of death.
He doesn’t have anything left to give. He knows it and so do we.
Most of his promises have, over the years, turned to dust. Corruption and looting have got no better. Nor has ordinary crime, which has, on the contrary, metastasised into something grotesque.
Unemployment soars. Illegals continue to pour across our borders. Racism, in all places, is growing. Unity is vanishing.
Comrade President: We need hope. We need you to lead. We need you to inspire.
Impress us, not depress us, please.
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