Amidst the Phala Phala crisis, President Cyril Ramaphosa's backers argue that he has a right to take the Section 89 report on the matter on review. Can a head of state effectively manage national responsibilities while juggling private ventures?
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The courtiers of the naked empire who wants everyone to believe he’s prancing around in a clean fancy suit are coming out to defend him – denying the plain truth that the emperor is naked.
One of them was senior cabinet member Blade Nzimande, who spoke out in defence of President Cyril Ramaphosa this week while scores of university students were going to bed hungry due to the NSFAS mess that developed under his watch.
There was nothing notable about Nzimande's remarks. And there’s nothing wrong in his argument. Indeed, we all have a right to take things on review or appeal. What the minister didn’t explain is what should happen to a big, demanding job of president of such a mess of a country while he's busy defending himself.
The trouble is that there are rights and then there are responsibilities. Some long-suffering 60 million or so citizens of this country also have a right to be led by a cloud-free, focused and dedicated president, especially with so much cleaning up and renewal still to be done.
But let’s just watch this space and see how far the businessman-president gets trying to get that water-tight Section 89 report set aside. Some experts are saying it’s going to be nigh impossible.
Ramaphosa had a right to go into business some years ago. Nothing wrong there in a capitalistic country and world. But then, upon ascending the Number 1 office, he promised to reduce his involvement in business down to being a blind or silent shareholder here and there. I'm not sure if he forgot to step down as sole director of that small business with big, global clients willing and able to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a herd of buffaloes.
Leaving the merits of the case aside, the most egregious side of this sad saga is that he let South Africa down by running a smallanyana side hustle – small for a billionaire, maybe - while the country needed his undivided attention. He may not have stolen from the public, but his wildlife hobby did steal time, energy and focus from his job.
Ramaphosa had no business running a side gig while the country and its economy were burning. Now he must face his music without delay.