BARNEY MTHOMBOTHI: Ramaphosa would do well to show SA that he feels our pain and anger too
Extract
There was a mixture of surprise, bemusement and befuddlement last week when President Cyril Ramaphosa was reported to be shocked and angry at Eskom once again plunging the country into darkness — and gloom — with a spate of electricity blackouts.
His statement was a surprise because he had, during the state of the nation address (Sona) only a few days earlier, eloquently laid out the issues confronting the parastatal and what needed to be done to save us from the total darkness around the corner. He seemed on top of his game.
But for him to suddenly come across as out of touch was a bit of a letdown. Dammit. He didn’t feel our pain, after all.
Anger is also not something that one easily associates with Ramaphosa. Something seems to have happened to him on his way to the presidency. His demeanour has changed. He smiles a lot and laughs readily, almost on cue. His supporters worry that such apparent niceness could be misunderstood or even exploited by his foes. Or is there steel behind the velvet glove? An angry Ramaphosa would be a sight to behold.
A smile can be deployed to disarm or impress one’s political foes. But there can never be a smile for all seasons. One cannot always wear a plastic smile like a clown in the circus. Used too often, it ceases to be an asset, and becomes a turn-off. Which demeanour to employ would depend on circumstances. A flash of anger can often do the trick. A leader should always have it in the locker. Although not always possible in politics, the ideal is obviously for one to be true to one’s self, to be genuine with feelings that come straight from the heart. Which is where Jacob Zuma — love him or loathe him — tends to best his rivals, not because he smiles and laughs a lot, but because his action or demeanour always comes across as genuine. A leader’s bearing should, on the whole, be able to capture, reflect or even lighten the public mood. Power seems to affect people’s behaviours in different ways. Thabo Mbeki, a networker of note and dubbed the acceptable face of what was then seen by some...
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