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President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: GCIS
President Cyril Ramaphosa. Picture: GCIS

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s incessant messages of “hope” to the nation mostly fall on deaf ears. By now the majority of our citizens know he is the “do nothing” man of the decade. 

They know he is beholden to the ANC/Cosatu/SACP alliance and its confused and contradictory ideologies, making it impossible for him to take the decisions he knows perfectly well he should be taking for fear of a backlash against his presidency.

Ramaphosa lacks the personal courage to remove or fire the corrupt, incompetent, destructive members of his cabinet and other cadres in his government. As a result, expressions of “hope” coming out of the president’s mouth are meaningless verbiage. 

In stark contrast, the admirable Springbok captain, Siya Kolisi, plays for and speaks about hope, but implicit in his use of the word is a plea for political and socio-economic action that will realise the expectations and aspirations such hope embodies.

It is an appeal for deeds, not words, that will bring about a unity of purpose among South Africans to create a law-abiding, progressive, prosperous and compassionate nation. His use of the word hope is sincere and profound.

The only real hope for South Africans lies in the selection by the electorate of a new unified political team, drawn from diverse party and private sector backgrounds and origins, standing stronger together and capable of beating the ANC/Cosatu/ SACP alliance at the polls. 

Only in that way can those hapless individuals who are the worst victims of ANC misrule achieve a level of personal dignity. Only in that manner can the private sector adequately stimulate and grow our economy without the gross incompetence and unwelcome government dominance and retrogressive interference. 

Sadly, the prospect of that new potential unified political team is but an  uncertain blip on our political radar screen, not the bright shining beacon of hope it should be. 

David Gant 
Kenilworth 

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