The onslaught of the oligarchs

PRESIDENT Ramaphosa is currently staring at politics like a deer caught in headlights. Lacking the bravery of a Mandela or a Zelenskiy, he is once again, in typical fashion, trying to win favour without winning any ground in the war on democracy.

- LORENZO A DAVIDS

His African diplomatic sojourn to Ukraine and Russia ended in his embarrassing verbal defeat. His attempts to dress up a delinquent Johannesburg nicely for his foreign visitors are embarrassing. His Bela and Expropriation Bill signing was a political power play that became a PR disaster and caused great harm to the country and economy.

He still has been unable to go on any charm offensive to explain himself and defuse debate on the two issues. His call for “people to refrain from partaking or engaging in action that may seem inflammatory and worsen the already volatile diplomatic relationship with the US" at Ebrahim Rassool’s return from the US will have the exact opposite effect. So too, has he failed to engage the EFF to stop singing the “Kill the Boer” song. In similar clumsy fashion, he formed a Government of National Unity without the due mechanisms to manage it properly.