Gauteng's role in the undeniable jostle for 2027 ANC leadership

Early in September, President Cyril Ramaphosa was invited to open the Zimbabwe Agricultural Show in Harare, and in his speech he emphasised the need for the two countries to work together.

- POLITICAL PERSPECTIVE by Theo Venter

He also added this sentence in his address after comparing the historical and colonial heritages of South Africa and Zimbabwe: “It was therefore essential – for both historical redress and food security, development and economic growth – that the government embarked on ambitious reforms to facilitate the entry of black Zimbabweans into productive agriculture, including support to small-scale farmers.”

One may understand this statement in the light of extending a friendly diplomatic hand to his hosts, but in the context of uncertainty about land reform expropriation in South Africa, it made headlines south of the Limpopo.

In a country beset with problems and unresolved land reform policies and challenges, one wonders if Ramaphosa could not have formulated the issue differently. Or was he broadcasting on ANC Channel One to his supporters in the ANC and to his opponents in the same party while the rest of South Africa was listening in on Channel Two, but hearing the same message in a different context?