FIRST 100 DAYS
ANTHONY BUTLER: What difference can Cyril Ramaphosa make?
President Cyril Ramaphosa will soon conclude his first 100 days in office. Debate continues to rage about the likely impact he will have on the future of the country he now leads. Supporters of the president claim that his rise represents a turning point for the nation. Sceptics counter that Ramaphosa has once again this week shown himself to be a weak leader who is unable to confront the inexorable forces tearing SA apart. All this brings us to the most imponderable question of leadership: what difference can he make? Social scientists and historians tend to discount the influence of leaders. They prefer "structural" explanations for events that focus on what is likely to happen in the longer term, regardless of the intentions and actions of particular political figures. FW de Klerk astonished the National Party politicians in February 1990 when he announced the unbanning of opposition parties and the release of Nelson Mandela. But the economic and political forces driving the Nati...
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