Changes effected by President Cyril Ramaphosa are not superficial and speak more of what is to come rather than what has been.
This was despite a first quarter wobbly with the economy shrinking by 2.2%, said political analyst Justice Malala. Speaking at the annual Sapics conference in Cape Town last week, Malala said business could expect more change in the months to come, ultimately impacting positively on the economy.
“Zuma is out – and while it is early days we are seeing real change. The entire Eskom board and executive management has been overhauled and cleared out. Cabinet has been changed, and while there are still questions around some of the ministers kept on board, don’t think that the changes that have been made are superficial.”
He said ANC in-fighting was still a challenge for Ramaphosa but his resolve in dealing with the rot could not be questioned. “He has also taken on Sars and we are seeing some big developments in this regard. There are some meaningful changes being made in this department in light of the grave concerns that existed around treasury.” Malala said central to South Africa’s success was its institutions.
“If a country’s institutions function then the country functions. Ramaphosa’s biggest challenge and success will lie in his ability to restore function and trust to South Africa’s various institutions which have been affected by state capture.”
These include the national prosecuting authority, the office of the public protector, Sars, various government departments, provincial governance and cabinet ministers. Malala said these institutions needed to be seen by South Africans in the same light as the Constitutional Court. “There is not a single person in this country who does not have trust in the Constitutional Court and the 11 judges that sit there. They have shown and proved their worth.”
His advice to business is to focus on the work Ramaphosa is doing in terms of fixing the institutional damage of the past ten years. “The rest is just political noise and we will have more of that in the next year as we head towards an election. Keep calm and carry on working because it is just noise.”
Like most other political analysts Malala said Ramaphosa had to tread carefully as Zuma still carried major support within the ruling party, but this had not stopped the president from taking on corruption and state capture.
“It is important to understand that we have a president who won his position within his party with a vote right down the middle. Half of his party did not want him as their leader. We must not forget that he remains a weak leader within the ANC which is going on the election trail within the next few months. He cannot make the changes that a powerful winner and strong leader would have been able to make,” said Malala. “Ramaphosa has to tread lightly and will continue to do so as he makes changes. It is important though to remember that the changes that he does make are very meaningful and have huge impact on our institutional functionality as a democracy.”
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If a country’s institutions function then the country functions. – Justice Malala
