By Zukile Majova
Political Editor
It is an open secret that Cyril Ramaphosa’s stature and public record saved the ANC from a well-deserved clobbering in the 2019 elections.
And now, with the 29 May elections just days away, Ramaphosa’s drive to restore the electorate’s trust in the party looks to be paying dividends.
In fact, millions of people who continue to support the ANC have more trust in Ramaphosa’s ability to turn the government around than in the ANC’s cleansing itself.
Actually, Ramaphosa, who toppled Jacob Zuma in 2017, spent his first five years in office trying to survive various plots by ANC groupings to sabotage him.
His two main programmes – getting rid of corrupt ANC leaders in government and restructuring the country’s electricity supply and energy strategy – nearly cost him his job.
Now, despite sabotaging his action plan, the ANC depends on Ramaphosa to save it again.
For the ANC, this election season started as a clear and certain defeat, with pre-election polls suggesting the party could get less than 40% of the vote.
It appeared a generally accepted view that it would definitely lose its majority for the first time since 1994.
And then Ramaphosa turned on his charm and magic.
First, he unleashed the NPA and the Special Investigative Unit on small-fry politicians while getting rid of an entire corrupt faction in the ANC led by Jacob Zuma.
His destruction of what was once known as the “Pirates of Polokwane”, who hijacked the ANC programme when they won the ANC conference in Polokwane in 2007, is complete.
Zuma and Ace Magashule, the former ANC secretary general, were the last captains of that ship. They are now both out and fighting for political relevance.
Ramaphosa then worked on fixing the ANC and rebuilding its unity, a project that paved the way for former presidents Thabo Mbeki and Kgalema Motlanthe to campaign for the ANC.
Mbeki had not campaigned for the party for over eight years.
This week, former deputy Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka hit the streets in the party’s final push ahead of its Siyanqoba Rally at FNB Stadium on Saturday.
Stalwarts and legends like former Gauteng premier Tokyo Sexwale, former Mpumalanga premier Mathews Phosa and former deputy president David Mabuza responded to Ramaphosa’s call. They returned to townships and villages to convince the undecided voters again to trust the ANC.
On Friday, while campaigning in Soweto, Ramaphosa said he was convinced the ANC could pull it off, saying: “I can smell the victory”.
Pictured above: President Cyril Ramaphosa smiles while smelling sweet election victory.
Source: X
