Getting down to business
ANN CROTTY: Is this the year corporate SA comes to the party?
SA business’s holier-than-thou attitude was dealt a crippling blow last year by evidence it was deeply implicated in corruption
So, what if Cyril Ramaphosa had been appointed deputy president back in 1994, as Nelson Mandela apparently wanted? And what if Mandela had been persuaded to stay on for a second term? Just a few weeks after Ramaphosa’s election as president of the ANC, it is too early to have a real sense of what he would be like as SA president, but so far the signs are encouraging. Without doubt, Thabo Mbeki made significant contributions to the country’s development. But without him we would have avoided the appalling Aids denialism that caused the unnecessary deaths of thousands of South Africans. The big question, of course, is whether, without Mbeki, we would have avoided Jacob Zuma’s presidency and democracy’s consequent near-death experience. But if Ramaphosa proves to be more successful, or at the very least less unsuccessful, than his predecessors, perhaps it will be because he wasn’t appointed deputy president in 1994. Ramaphosa missed the exciting "rainbow fever" period; he didn’t even g...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.