OPPOSITION DISARRAY
ANTHONY BUTLER: DA and EFF easy meat for crocodile Cyril
Smiling in the manner of an affectionate crocodile Ramaphosa will draw in and overpower the DA and EFF
Cyril Ramaphosa’s elevation to the presidency of the ANC was a close call. Some of his backers were swayed by their fear that a victory for Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma would plunge the ANC to defeat in the 2019 elections. Fear of the electorate also hastened Jacob Zuma’s removal from the state presidency. A "dignified exit" in reality allowed the ANC as a whole to turn on its former leader, so marking a clear dividing line between a discredited "old ANC" and Ramaphosa’s allegedly quite different party. Wednesday’s painful budget also sent a signal to the people. Tax rises were spun as a result of Zuma’s disastrous decisions and his corrupt administration. Acting Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba — perhaps in exchange for the promise of a smaller but still gratifying blue light convoy — blamed Zuma for the unanticipated higher education funding announcement in December. Ramaphosa’s political priority is presumably to deliver a resounding victory to the ANC in the 2019 elections. His first ca...
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