RANJENI MUNUSAMY: Ramaphosa surrounded by people he cannot trust
'National security remains dependent on a contaminated system populated by people whose loyalties might not belong to the current government'
EXTRACT
While Ramaphosa can outsource work to help the economic recovery, he cannot do the same with security. He cannot have private spooks. Even if he wanted to, where would he find them?
Security is not Ramaphosa's strength, and this might turn out to be his biggest weakness.
The president needs to trust the state security system to alert him to threats, sources of instability and suspicious activity. The system cannot operate as it did under Jacob Zuma, which was to protect corruption and feed the president's conspiracy theories.
It certainly cannot be used to spy on anyone who disagrees with the president, and to subvert democracy.
It is difficult to imagine how President Cyril Ramaphosa sifts through the torrent of advice that comes at him, and how he decides what to act on. Since he became president there has been no shortage of advice on how to run the country, what he needs to do about the economy and how to rehabilitate the state following the looting during his predecessor's time. The purpose of presidential advisers and advisory councils is, presumably, to help sieve all the information to assist his decision-making. Even then, there are interests and agendas, and everyone wants to have the president's ear.Other than pursuing his investment drive, Ramaphosa has been cautious on all the advice. It is possible that he is unsure of what to do in a volatile economic climate, particularly when he is on shaky ground politically. On the issue of national security, Ramaphosa is in an even more precarious position. It is tricky to know what information is credible and whom to trust. Ramaphosa inherited a comprom...
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.