[COLUMN] The President lacks bravery
The most powerful weakness that is endemic in many political leaders is the imaginary 'fear of the unknown', writes Elvis Masoga.
Why are most political leaders highly reluctant to take extraordinary decisions when circumstances dictate so?
Cyril Ramaphosa’s merciful attitude and excessive goodwill will certainly lead to his own political downfall as president of the ANC and country. It is undeniable that Ramaphosa is an exalted strategist, meticulous tactician and a masterclass orator. But I have finally and clinically observed that our president lacks masterly resilience, decisive tenacity and irrepressible bravado. After experiencing the violent insurrection four weeks ago, the nation highly expected president Ramaphosa to exhibit his decisive resilience.
Last Thursday evening, the president addressed the nation after he reshuffled his cabinet. Contrary to popular expectation, the cabinet reshuffle was just a disappointing act of presidential cowardice. Ahead of the president’s speech, I jubilantly believed that the three ultra-incompetent ministers – Bheki Cele, Ayanda Dlodlo and Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula – will be axed. These security cluster ministers have terribly failed to foil and combat the recent violent insurgency.
On that night, I strongly believed that the president would prove to the nation that he does not tolerate any complicit incompetence. Ramaphosa’s abnormal ‘fear of the unknown’ had perhaps prevented him from dismissing Cele as Police Minister. Instead of axing Dlodlo, the president chose to redeploy her to another ministerial position.
Given their complicit incompetence, Cele, Dlodlo and Mapisa-Nqakula do not deserve to serve our nation as cabinet ministers. These three ministers chose to hide in shame and cowardice when our country was savagely attacked by looting arnachists and renegades.
As a nation, we deserve a great leader who is eternally prepared to take extraordinary decisions in the midst of hardships and adversity. I wish Ramaphosa had the Herculian tenacity, Stalinist fortitude and formidable bravado of the late iconic president, Robert Mugabe. Despite his imperfection, Mugabe was a masterclass genius when it comes to sidelining and purging his political enemies and saboteurs.
Ramaphosa must smell the coffee and realise that his overwhelming mercy and excessive goodwill will cripple his presidency. How could a state president reward his complicit enemies with further appointments as cabinet ministers? Strangely moronic indeed!
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