BRUCE’S LIST
PETER BRUCE: Not puttin’ Putin first
Ramaphosa has found in Xi an antidote to Putin. Russia just wants money. China wants assets
I could have sworn I heard judge Lee Bozalek of the Western Cape High Court strike down all aspects of the 9,600MW nuclear power acquisition process back in April 2017, the time those pesky civil society organisations decided to cut through the Zuma administration’s lies and obfuscations and take the programme to court. Yet when the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, was in Johannesburg for the Brics summit last week and had a bilateral on the side with President Cyril Ramaphosa, the first thing he did was cry: "I thought we had a deal!" Where Putin comes from, courts and judges like Bozalek don’t tell governments what to do. That’s how you can tell Russia is a lousy place to live in, however glitzy the World Cup might have been. Here in SA, President Putin, the constitution rather irritatingly gives the courts the power to decide what is or is not legal. And the "deal" you thought you’d sewn up with Jacob Zuma isn’t worth the paper it’s written on. Lose it. Tear it up. It’s over....
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.