‘Imagine if he took the Guptas’: Is Rupert’s place in US delegation double standards or good for business?

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to include controversial billionaire Johann Rupert on his negotiation team with the US government has been fiercely criticised by opposition parties and drawn questions from an expert.

Rupert has been seen as a controversial figure in local politics and has been criticised by leftist parties such as the EFF for gaining enormous wealth through racist policies that benefited white South Africans before 1994.

Rupert will enter the negotiations alongside South African golfers Ernie Els and Retief Goosen.

Ramaphosa will also be flanked by his core political team, which includes the Minister in the Presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, the International Relations Minister, Ronald Lamola, the Agriculture Minister, John Steenhuisen, and the Trade & Industry Minister, Parks Tau.

Rupert’s influence over Ramaphosa

African Transformation Movement (ATM) spokesperson Zama Ntshona told The Citizen that the party is concerned with the inclusion of powerful “white figures” in Ramaphosa’s delegation.  

“President Ramaphosa’s decision to include predominantly white figures in this delegation may be perceived as an appeal to ‘whiteness’ in addressing complex economic challenges.

“This approach prioritises the interests of historically privileged groups and, in doing so, undermines the transformative goals of the post-apartheid era.

“Economic solutions must not come at the expense of inclusivity and should be rooted in equitable representation that acknowledges the historical injustices faced by the majority of South Africans,” he said.

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It is a criticism echoed by the EFF, who suggested Ramaphosa may be controlled by big business.

“This can only be described as a capture and an exhibition of the undue influence of big business in an interaction between two nations premised on democracy and sovereignty,” EFF spokesperson Sinawo Thambo said.

The party has threatened legal action if a reported “workaround” to allow Trump-backer Elon Musk to bring his Starlink internet services into the country without abiding by local employment equity laws is achieved.

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Double standards?

Political analyst Professor Ntsikelelo Breakfast from Nelson Mandela University (NMU) told The Citizen that Ramaphosa likely brought Rupert along to represent the interests of big business in South Africa.

“Rupert’s investments are wide and they cut across different sectors, so part of our government’s mission is to pitch a proposal for business to the US administration.

“Ramaphosa also wants to show that the government of the day is supported by business in its endeavour to make a change in resetting South Africa’s relationship with the US,” he said.

However, Breakfast said Rupert’s inclusion also raises some questions about Ramaphosa’s proximity to South Africa’s white elite.

“Imagine what would have happened if the president had taken the Guptas as part of his delegation. People would have said state capture, but the same argument is not raised when it comes to Rupert.

“We have double standards. When the Guptas had some influence over Jacob Zuma that was seen as state capture,” he said.

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