NEWS ANALYSIS: Ramaphosa’s inclusion on Time magazine’s list is generous
Pre-eminent opinion leaders Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba and former president Kgalema Motlanthe add voice to the notion that the president may lack the influence expected of him
Two South Africans, President Cyril Ramaphosa and star athlete Caster Semenya, made Time magazine’s list of 2019’s 100 most influential people. Semenya was among 14 people featured in the “Icons” category, including Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga and Spike Lee. She is undoubtedly impacting on the world, and not just through her outstanding achievements on the track. The tribute to Semenya, written by Olympic gold medallist Edwin Moses, states that apart from being a world and Olympic track and field champion several times over, she “caused us to question the justness of distributing societal benefits according to ‘male’ and ‘female’ classifications”. Moses says whichever way the controversy over hormone levels for women athletes plays out, “Semenya will have already made a singular historical contribution to our understanding of biological sex”. Ramaphosa made the list as one of the world’s most influential leaders, alongside people like US special counsel Robert Mueller, Chinese Pres...
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