Now for a new Cabinet, President Ramaphosa
President’s message is clear: ‘I won’t protect you’, says analyst.
It cannot be said that the ANC has come back with a bang under the leadership of President Cyril Ramaphosa unless it’s substantiated by removing Jacob Zuma’s Cabinet.
According to political analyst Daniel Silke, Ramaphosa will only garner the support he and his party needs by showing that he means business about recent allegations surrounding the ANC.
This includes allegations of state capture and corruption involving Zuma and the Gupta family.
“This bang will only be credible once that Cabinet is reshuffled with new people holding those positions in Cabinet,” Silke said. “For the DA or EFF, for example, if (social development minister) Bathabile Dlamini is kept on … then the DA could say ‘not much is changed and you are keeping on the same faces and not changing the past’.
“But if Ramaphosa breaks with the past and changes cabinet appointments, that is going to be tough for the opposition.”
Ramaphosa also “meant business” through his narrative on corruption, he added.
“It was a threat to everyone that ‘I am not going to protect you’. And he may have to stick to that.
“He may find that some of his most senior top six members could be in trouble. Perhaps they could have an indication that he won’t protect them.”
Silke said Ramaphosa will appeal to many of the DA’s voters, including “some of the traditional white voters. And, for that matter, most certainly the black voters.”
“His credibility will appeal to a broad section of South Africa … this includes middle-class South Africa, which is the DA’s broad support base.
“And for all those ANC supporters that did not vote (before) – Ramaphosa may pose a threat for the opposition. Those voters may be well be going back to the ANC. It is just not Zuma anymore. He was a sitting duck for attack.”
The Marikana debacle will not last as an attack on Ramaphosa – except from the EFF, who will use that particular line of attack.
“It may have a shelf life of a few months for them. It is not something the DA will latch onto and other opposition parties won’t latch onto it as well.
“It will be an EFF-Ramaphosa thing. It will be fairly narrow in its effectiveness.”
On the white monopoly capital narrative Silke added: “Again it will only be an EFF attack. I don’t think that issue will really affect him.”
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