NICELY DONE, MR PRESIDENT!

How Cyril Ramaphosa rose to the occasion in the face of serious challenges in 2020

- LESEGO SEOKWANG & NASIFA SULAIMAN

WHEN he was inaugurated 2018, he was seen as South Africa’s saviour – finally a cool, clear head and a safe set of hands to steer us out of the mess of the Zuma years.

Ramaphoria reigned and many felt hopeful about the changes President Cyril Ramaphosa would introduce into a country that had been ravaged by corruption and plagued by a sluggish economy.

But as the months went by, South Africans became impatient at what seemed like very little action and a rather slow rate of change. He was accused of being too quiet, too soft, too much of a long-game player. There were fears he would be overwhelmed by the Zuma faction; that he was too weak.

Then 2020 happened. Amid the fear, trauma, chaos and crippling effects of Covid-19, Ramaphosa emerged as calm and compassionate and possessed of a steady hand.

He also endeared himself to South Africans by taking a hard line on party corruption despite push-back from high-ranking members of the ANC. With the recent arrests of ANC secretary general Ace Magashule and a number of other high-profile officials, it’s clear the president means business.

We take a look at the highlights of the year that saw Ramaphosa doing what everybody hoped he’d do: step up and take charge.

THE COVID-19 CRISIS

Who among us could forget the evening of 23 March 2020 when the president announced he was putting the country into a 21-day lockdown. Since then, he’s had to make many more hard decisions.

Political analyst Dr Trust Matsilele views the crisis as a turning point for the president and says it’s helped him to “salvage his image”.