By: Natasha Archary
It seems the faith South Africans had in President Cyril Ramaphosa is wearing thin, especially after being called out this weekend by three of his predecessors.
Ramaphosa who has been heavily criticised for his failures, was called corrupt, a part-time President and ridiculed for the direction he’s steering the country towards.
With the worst spell of rolling blackouts in SA history, the three former Presidents, Thabo Mbeki, Kgalema Motlanthe and Jacob Zuma have all shared a unified voice, with one very clear message ringing loud, “it’s time for Ramaphosa to go.”
In what is being dubbed as a “new low in the ANC’s history”, the three former heads of state said not only is corruption at an all-time high, but that Ramaphosa was running SA into the ground.
In rating the country’s past four Presidents on Kaya Drive, Sizwe Dhlomo shared how he had full faith in President Cyril Ramaphosa as leader of the republic.
That is no longer the case, as the current state of the country indicates that Ramaphosa has just failed dismally.
“There’s so much wrong in South Africa at the moment, the rising cost of living, a poor economic rate, high unemployment, rising crime, let’s not talk about loadshedding which is crippling businesses and revenue growth.
If I had to rate the country’s past four Presidents, for me Thabo Mbeki would be at the top. Number 1, because he came in when SA was in financial ruin and he fixed that. Now, I’m not saying that the mark of a good President is solely in his financial prowess, but it certainly helps.
Yes, there were still a lot of things that was wrong under Mbeki but I’ll still want him at the helm, especially now.
Second, would be Kgalema Motlanthe, because he wasn’t around long enough for me to vote against him. He didn’t have enough time to screw things up.
Third, would be Jacob Zuma, because all the corrupt implications aside, he achieved what he set out to achieve. His administration took on the HIV/Aids initiative and did a remarkable job at managing all aspects of the campaign.
Loadshedding wasn’t a problem under Zuma, in fact, he made great strides in preventing the current disaster we’re sitting with.
So, yeah last on my list will have to be Cyril, who I had such high hopes for but there’s just too much that he’s getting away with that doesn’t sit well with me.
He cut me deep, it’s like not only did he stab me in the back but he twisted the knife just to make sure, I won’t survive.”
Sizwe Dhlomo rates the country’s past four Presidents
That’s the sentiment of most South Africans right now, who feel that Cyril Ramaphosa is ruining their chances of survival.
The country hasn’t recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, Ramaphosa’s inability to deal with state capture, his Phala Phala scandal, cadre deployment and personal business ventures have all put a blight on the President’s leadership.
It speaks volumes for former party leaders to be making public attacks on the President but perhaps it’s a sign of a bigger revolt in the build-up to the elections and whether Ramaphosa gets a second term in office.
Also read: Concerns mount over SA fuel shortage
