President Cyril Ramaphosa has restored Pretoria’s profile on the international stage to a level probably last seen during the Thabo Mbeki administration, political analysts say, but they fault his handling of domestic issues.
Despite a grim year in which unemployment reached almost 32% and Eskom’s blackouts debilitated the country, Ramaphosa remains positive.
“The year 2023 has been both challenging and promising. Post-Covid economic recovery has been slow and unemployment remains a challenge. However, it has been a year where a great deal of progress has been made in dealing with some key pressing challenges in energy, in the fight against crime and corruption and tackling the logistics backlog,” said presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya.
On the international front, South Africa’s neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine war and the docking of the Lady R vessel in Simon’s Town put Ramaphosa in a tight corner with pressure from the West forcing him to send envoys to Washington.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) added to Ramaphosa’s diplomatic headaches when it issued a warrant for the arrest of Russian President Vladimir Putin months before he was due to visit South Africa for the Brics summit.
Ramaphosa found himself on regular phone calls with Putin, US President Joe Biden, China’s President Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
In June Ramaphosa and other African leaders embarked on an abortive peace mission to Russia and Ukraine. On his return Ramaphosa announced Brics leaders had reached a “mutual agreement” that Putin would take part in the summit by video link only.
When renewed conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas in October, Pretoria was again forced to pick a side. The government pledged its support for the people of Palestine and referred Israel to the ICC for a war crimes investigation.
During the African Growth and Opportunity Act forum in Johannesburg in November, the continent sought the extension of the trade deal. Some US politicians argued that South Africa should be excluded from the agreement because of its stance on the Ukraine war and other issues.
Political analyst Prof Mcebisi Ndletyana believes Ramaphosa fared well internationally, while domestically his lack of power over his cabinet became more apparent.
“We saw a re-emergence of South Africa onto the international stage, whereas in the previous administration very few presidents respected us because of our former president [Jacob Zuma].
“We have been able to speak to everybody — Putin, Zelensky, Biden, Xi, Narendra Modi, among others — and he was able to revive the goodwill the country enjoyed under Mbeki especially.”
Ndletyana said Ramaphosa’s unwillingness to crack the whip on his ministers was exposed this year.
“The limitation of his power and indebtedness to certain ministers has been exposed. They don’t feel his aura as the person in charge, they don’t fear him. You have a president whose grip is fairly weak and seems to lack the whip to lash his ministers into line.”
International relations expert Siphamandla Zondi agreed, saying Ramaphosa had become the victim of his own promises.
The limitation of his power and indebtedness to certain ministers has been exposed. They don’t feel his aura as the person in charge, they don’t fear him. You have a president whose grip is fairly weak and seems to lack the whip to lash his ministers into line
— Political analyst Prof Mcebisi Ndletyana
“As his term nears its end, it is not lack of effort but that results have not come anywhere close to fulfilling the hope.
“The situation has not improved for the poor, who languish in higher unemployment than before, deeper poverty, more underdevelopment, greater despair, terrible violence, including gender-based violence, and other ills,” said Zondi.
He said there had been high hopes for Ramaphosa and his “laudable” promises, but they “have not been kept to a large measure”.
Magwenya defended Ramaphosa.
“The president is forever occupied by the desire and commitment to improve the lives of all South Africans and growing the economy. Daily he is motivated by the opportunity to serve the country to the best of his ability.
“The president’s dedication to ensuring no South African is left behind in growing the economy, tackling unemployment, fighting crime and corruption and resolving myriad challenges facing the country is consistent while he has the privilege to serve,” the president’s spokesperson said.
“We have consistently executed against the key pillars of our foreign policy that include the promotion of human rights, peace and stability and the strengthening of trade and investment ties with other countries.”
However, political analyst Prof Susan Booysen said Ramaphosa focused on international issues such as the war in Gaza as a way of mitigating his domestic failures.
“If you can create foreign enemies, South Africans are believed to be more forgiving [about] more domestic issues because there is a shared enemy. So if you go for those low-hanging fruits you certainly can gain political kudos at home,” said Booysen.
But going into the crucial 2024 elections, Ramaphosa will not be able to evade domestic issues, Booysen said.
Magwenya said Ramaphosa will outline his plans for 2024 during the state of the nation address, which usually takes place in February.
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