PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa is the unluckiest president since the dawn
of South Africa’s democracy in 1994, confided one ANC activist
recently during a brief chat the other day.
Just less two years into the highest job in land, in March 2020, South
Africa like most nations across the globe, effected Covid-19
lockdowns, added the activist.
For sure, this global pandemic by far was unprecedented, in the last
millennia or so.
More businesses collapsed, job loss went up, death rate; and a variety
of other factors that negatively befell the human species during this
period.
True to form, South Africa turns to get a lot of the media attention,
quite a dramatic country others would say.
For-instance, South Africa recorded the highest number of Covid
infections in Africa during the pandemic.
As reportedly the most unequal country on earth, South Africa, finds
itself constantly on the news for mostly the wrong reasons.
The country also gets a lot of media attention for many positive
activities from sports, the arts, and in other fields.
This time around, the rolling blackouts are doing just the same damage
to the nation’s fabric just as witnessed during the Covid lockdowns.
Could Ramaphosa be asking himself why he took the job in the first
place judging my the myriad of hurdles his presidency has encountered
up until now.
The 2021 July unrest that saw more than 350 lives lost. R50 billion
worth of damages to property to mention a few.
The torching of parliament and other private, public and government
institutions that have come under attack right across the land, could
signal a president overwhelmed by the wills of power.
Ascending to the ANC presidency, propels the leader of the governing
ANC to become the president of the country, as the governing party has
enjoyed landslide victories in every national election since 1994.
The Ramaphosa presidency has already been termed in certain quarters
and including by some media groups as the worst administration to
date.
Maybe, or maybe not, the issues at hand now should be whether South
Africans can continue to place their trust into the hands of Ramaphosa
and his party.
And that the anti-Ramaphosa sentiments within the ANC, are also
drumming up the noise for the president’s exist from office, could
very much lead into a situation were the ANC goes into next year’s
national election further weakened from the factional battles that
have become the everyday reality of Africa’s oldest liberation
movement.
As if Ramaphosa and the ANC problems were not a lot. Then there’s the
headache that faces the South Africa as it prepares to host this
year’s BRICS Summit.
The bone of contention is that of whether or not Pretoria will arrest
Russian President Vladimir Putin should he attend the summit,
scheduled for August 2023.
The charge for Putin’s arrest is led mostly by Russia’s erstwhile
enemies the Western Powers including Britain and the US, this
of-course follows Russian’s invasion of Ukraine earlier in 2022.
Notably, the Russian-Ukraine Conflict has already had devastating
effects of the whole economically and otherwise.
These two energy giants fighting has contributed greatly to have the
rise if costs globally and the escalation of the high prices of petrol
for example.
For South Africa this and ramification of great proportions when you
consider the both Britain and the US are one SA’s biggest trading
partners, worth hundred billions of investments annually and millions
of jobs could be lost.
On the other hand, should Pretoria succumb to its Western Allies, then
the ANC led South Africa will be breaking a century old relationship
with Russia, much of it existed during the liberation struggle.
Not forgetting that many African countries usually side with Russian
during such crises, as they also were beneficiaries of support from
the USSR during anti-colonial era. And many if not all have kept close
ties with Russia.
A though one indeed for Ramaphosa, which ever way you look at it.
The Putin matter has the serious potential to divide the ANC even
more. In the worst case scenario it could divide the country along
ideological lines.
On the international stage it could lead to further cracks in global
unity and strengthening tensions between countries across ideological
and economic lines, historical alliances and relations.
Although it may sound extreme and even far fetched to suggest that
this global disunity and unstable environment, can create conditions
of a world war, it won’t help the world not to seek to prevent such a
possibility.
Few to none saw the coming of World War 1 and World War 2. Few to none
saw the coming of many other conflicts and market crashes and economic
disasters.
And as for South Africa, it is hard to hear some of the citizens hurt
at the rolling blackouts and their pessimism on overcoming this ‘power
curse’.
But again, every challenge is accompanied by an opportunity.
What could be the solution?
The solution could come from all sectors of society, locally and
internationally finding one another on pressing matters affecting all
of us.
Be it rolling blackout, foreign policy, service delivery and effective
leadership of our nations and the world.
When those bestowed to lead are not giving the masses any reason to
trust that they can turn things around and create an equal and winning
society for all its people.
Mgudlwa is an award-winning journalist
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