Ramaphosa’s prospects dim as business backs Jardine

With big business now backing the new kid on the political block, Roger Jardine and his Change Starts Now movement, President Cyril Ramaphosa could find himself out in the cold.

Jardine has the backing of big business, leaving no doubt that in him, the private sector has found an alternative to Ramaphosa, who appears to have fallen out of favour.

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Capitalists are known to be behind Change Starts Now, launched by Jardine in Johannesburg at the weekend.

The movement promises to improve the economy, deliver a better healthcare and social security system and fight corruption.

Industry leaders supported Ramaphosa’s CR17 campaign in the hope that his proximity to them as a business tycoon would be a catalyst for a business-friendly economy.

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Ramaphosa promised to deliver a “new deal” when he addressed CEOs and chairs of big companies during his The Future of the Economy colloquium in a full Orlando East community hall in Soweto on 13 November, barely a month prior to his election as ANC president in 2017.

But, six years later, there is nothing to show for it. Instead, to their disappointment, under Ramaphosa, corruption runs amok and the economy is on its knees.

This contradicts his anti-corruption campaign promise to “send thieves to jail” and turn around the economy damaged during nine years of the Zuma administration.

Now in his second term in office, the captains of industry have had enough of the man they propped up to become South Africa’s first capitalist head of state.

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With their millions if not billions gone down the drain, business has a new recruit in Jardine, who has both struggle and business credentials.

Political analyst Prof Ntsikelelo Breakfast said Ramaphosa had not lived up to the expectation not only of citizens, but also the business community to whom he promised a new deal.

“It is clear that Cyril is complacent,” Breakfast said. “He promises in theory, but there is no action. “Business can see that he does not take action on corruption and the economy is worse.

“For instance, why is he not implementing the Zondo commission report recommendations?

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“There is disappointment in Ramaphosa as business backed him in the hope he would represent their interests, fight corruption and grow the economy – and he has failed to do that,” he added.

Another analyst, Sandile Swana, said Ramaphosa had done himself no favours by watching graft engulf the nation, including his fellow comrades.

He also said Ramaphosa did not have the skill to lead the country. The expert said liberals and capital co-opted Ramaphosa to divert the ANC from its radical economic transformation approach, as they did with Nelson Mandela.

They sought to get someone with struggle credibility to get African votes and they identified Ramaphosa first, but now they are identifying Jardine for that.

But matters worsened under Ramaphosa. “We were saved as country from capitalist capture when Thabo Mbeki, instead of Ramaphosa, replaced Mandela as president.

“Mbeki was determined to demonstrate that Africans and freedom fighters can run the country even better than colonial and apartheid rulers,” Swana said.

With business moving away from him and throwing their weight behind Jardine, an ANC stalwart and businessman in his own right, Ramaphosa could be left vulnerable within and outside the ruling party.

At the beginning of Ramaphosa’s term, political analyst Xolani Dube said the Ramaphosa-led ANC and the Democratic Alliance (DA) shared funders who wanted the two parties to harmonise relations and for John Steenhuisen to minimise his criticism of the ANC.

But the rapport between them was short-lived with the DA increasing the tempo of its criticism of Ramaphosa, especially regarding ANC graft and cadre deployment.