Expert explains why President Cyril Ramaphosa cannot make a decision

Political scientist Dr. Frans Cronje has painted a stark picture of President Cyril Ramaphosa as a consensus-seeker whose temperament is ill-suited to crisis leadership: leaving both South Africa and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) struggling.

Speaking at the BizNews Conference, Cronje argued that Ramaphosa is overwhelmed by the challenges facing the party and the country, with his reputation often masking the reality of his record in politics and business.

“He faces a party that has run out of most of the things one needs to function and a government that has run out of everything from money to electricity, support, and confidence,” Cronje said. 

“His nature is to find the middle ground between competing objectives in his party, which are ideological and corrupt,” Cronje said. “The middle ground between those is declining voter support.”

He stressed that Ramaphosa is not a terrible person, but there is a mismatch between his temperament and the skills South Africa and the ANC need.

“Rather than being the ANC’s saviour, he is the person who sees it burn to the ground,” Cronje told BizNews delegates.

He argued that much of Ramaphosa’s public image is misleading. This includes his reputation as a mining trade unionist, negotiator, and industrialist.

“The idea of the great union leader who brought the mining industry to heal is a myth. Anglo American drove much of these developments,” Cronje said.

The same applies to the perception that Ramaphosa was a skilled negotiator who outmaneuvered the National Party in the early 1990s.

According to Cronje, the negotiator was former President Nelson Mandela, who engaged directly with FW De Klerk on key matters.

Many also believe Ramaphosa is a talented industrialist who built wealth independently.

However, critics like economist Dawie Roodt have noted that Ramaphosa’s wealth largely came through black empowerment deals rather than through entrepreneurial activity.

After his time in the private sector, Ramaphosa emerged as the ANC leader, now navigating the party without the guidance of figures like Mandela or leading businesspeople.

Ramaphosa’s consensus nature

Cronje said the ANC, despite its significant decline in support in recent years, remains largely immune to meaningful change.

He explained that the party’s structure, particularly the National Executive Committee (NEC), contributes to this stagnation.

“The NEC includes many corrupt, ideological, criminal, and incompetent individuals,” Cronje said.

As chairman of the committee, Ramaphosa sees his role as facilitating discussions among this large and divided group.

“Ramaphosa feels that no decision should be taken until everyone agrees on what should be done. If we did not agree in this meeting, we will hold it over to the next meeting,” Cronje said.

According to Cronje, this approach makes it virtually impossible for the ANC to make progress when a weak chairman presides over a body of members with conflicting objectives and views.

He contrasted this with the leadership style of former Mandela. Before ANC policy conferences, Mandela would deliver speeches that effectively dictated policy, ensuring coherent strategies.

“Mandela’s strategy ensured that South Africa’s economic policy was sound, resulting in many years of good economic growth,” Cronje said.

Ramaphosa, by contrast, is a consensus-seeker who prioritizes agreement among all parties before taking action.

“Ramaphosa’s approach is the complete opposite of that of Mandela. He tries to find consensus and unite. The results speak for themselves,” Cronje said.