Give Cyril a chance to finish what he’s started

As he was walking in Madiba's footsteps at the UN, he did not beg investors to 'please come', but undertook to first put his house in order.

President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: Yandisa Monakalo/Dirco

President Cyril Ramaphosa had his big show in New York – and the busiest time since he took over the office left unfinished by his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, in February.

Ramaphosa’s meetings, including his main address to the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, were held in venues within the UN Plaza, ironically the same precinct that the late Nelson Mandela walked through proudly with a clenched fist and a smile, frequently stopping briefly to greet the curious onlookers who were keen to touch his hand in 1993.

Madiba led a delegation, including Thabo Mbeki, Alfred Nzo, Thomas Nkobi and Bantu Holomisa, to ask for the lifting of economic sanctions against South Africa before they proceeded to Europe to ask for funding for the then upcoming ANC election campaign. The UN special committee against apartheid was convinced.

The Madiba magic worked, as he returned from Europe with his hands full of money from Ireland, The Netherlands and others – with the exception of Britain’s John Major and France’s François Mitterrand, who both might have been sceptical about the possibility of having an ANC-led government (read terrorists).

Now Ramaphosa is walking in Madiba’s footsteps – but on a different sojourn. His mission to the UN was not about the lifting of sanctions or asking for funds. Instead he led a delegation of a few ministers to present SA’s case as a destination of choice for investors. And, as analyst Andre Duvenhage put it, Ramaphosa also wanted to counter Donald Trump’s reckless tweet about land expropriation without compensation and alleged killing of farmers.

He did not beg investors to “please come”, but undertook to first put his house in order. The main task was to clean up state and private sector corruption – even promising the criminal justice system would be busy in the next few months.

This gave us hope that we might see law enforcement agencies moving in against high-level individuals within the ruling party, outside of it and in the private sector – including corporate captains who used their political connections to loot state resources that should have been used to improve the lives of the poor.

In his address to the UN Council for Foreign Relations, Ramaphosa specifically mentioned these. We will take him at his word.

Other than his opponents within the ANC, who would not believe Ramaphosa is serious about taking this country to greater heights? The economic stimulus package he announced on Friday was the cherry on top. Under his rule, two important events are scheduled to take place – the Job Summit on October 4-5 and the Investment Conference on October 26-27.

These indicate the seriousness with which he regards the country’s economy.

He made significant leadership appointments in SAPS, the Hawks and National Prosecuting Authority that form crucial elements of our criminal justice system, abused by the previous administration for personal gains.

Whether Ramaphosa was aware of this is not the issue. What matters the most is that he is doing something about reversing this and having those involved account for their misdeeds.

He promised to have people jailed and monies stolen recovered before he was elected ANC and the country’s president.

Give this man a chance to finish what he has started.