It was a historic week in SA politics, with former president Jacob Zuma ending his tenure just as controversially as he began it nine years ago. For incoming president Cyril Ramaphosa it was an unforgettable week. He was swept into office on a tide of relief and expectation after Zuma’s long era of maladministration. On Friday he delivered an unforgettable state of the nation address, widely lauded from all sides. A week before, it seemed an unlikely event, as Zuma kept the nation on edge, resisting his ousting. As he bucked against his recall by the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC), the words "constitutional crisis", "state of emergency" and "ethnic mobilisation" were spoken aloud. The approach adopted by Ramaphosa in ensuring Zuma’s removal was slow and steady. Eventually, the tipping point came when Zuma requested three more months in office to satisfy "international commitments" and to "introduce" Ramaphosa to his counterparts in the Southern African Development Communit...
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