Songezo Zibi is the Chairman of the Rivonia Circle and author of Manifesto – A New Vision for South Africa. He is part of the Rise Campaign.
On Monday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa finally announced his much-anticipated reshuffle of his Cabinet. It may go down in history as the last exclusively ANC-chosen Cabinet before the country descends into the possible chaos and anarchy of a national coalition government, depending on its composition.
Notwithstanding, in his statement, Ramaphosa optimistically said that he had begun the task of overhauling the Cabinet structure ahead of another presumed ANC government after the 2024 elections. The changes he announced demonstrated how much depth and skills the party has lost over the years, to the point that it can no longer produce anyone to restore optimism during the country’s deepest crisis since democracy.
For perspective, consider that the ANC faces its most difficult elections next year, with all publicly available polling showing that it will dip below 50% for the first time. Under normal circumstances, you would expect a party in such a precarious position to bring out its best and brightest to take it through the final stretch so it can win back the confidence…