Ramaphosa: a president who has checked out

WHEN Cyril Ramaphosa assumed the presidency in February 2018, South Africans were promised a new dawn.

- ANDA MBIKWANA

RAMAPHOSA'S continued presence in the Union Buildings, despite his manifest failures and his own apparent desire to leave, suggests something more sinister at play, says the writer.

(X/GCIS)

Here was a man celebrated as a shrewd negotiator, a titan of business, someone who would restore economic confidence and rebuild our standing in Africa and globally.

Seven years later, that promise lies in tatters, yet mysteriously, Ramaphosa clings to power or rather, is kept in power by forces that demand scrutiny.

The facts speak for themselves. Under Ramaphosa's watch, South Africa has lurched from crisis to crisis. Youth unemployment has reached catastrophic levels, hovering above 60% for those aged 15-24. Our economy has stagnated, barely growing while our continental peers surge ahead.

Crime has spiralled, load shedding crippled our infrastructure for years, and state capture, despite endless commissions and investigations, continues to bleed the nation dry.

This is not the record of a functioning presidency. This is the scorecard of comprehensive failure.