ESKOM AND EDUCATION
CAROL PATON: Zuma to exit stage, leaving Ramaphosa with twin headaches
Cyril Ramaphosa prefers the long, strategic game, but he faces two burning priorities
By next week, President Jacob Zuma should be gone or well on his way. The real business of the ANC’s national executive committee starts this week at its annual lekogtla and he won’t be able to stand in the way of the most important principle that (in theory) defines the ANC’s relationship to the state: "There is only one centre of power and that is the ANC." In the face of that principle, any argument that Zuma should be allowed to finish his term will be moot. In his first televised interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) as ANC president on Sunday, Cyril Ramaphosa took the opportunity to emphasise exactly this point. He also indicated that the process of Zuma’s departure would be handled with decorum — Ramaphosa intends to disassociate Zuma’s removal from the wrongdoing and abuses he has committed. Those will not be mentioned and we can expect the ANC to thank him for his service. Zuma’s abuses will be pursued separately by the prosecuting authorities. It...
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