The DA has asked the public prosecutor to investigate if president Ramaphosa lied about a R500 000 donation. The result might hurt the DA most.
When in 2017 the current South African president Cyril Ramaphosa launched his bid to become president of the ANC, the campaing needed to be funded. Since he was up against fierce competition, he needed quiet a bit of it. But since the odds were stacked in his favor to take the top job, money started flowing in from all corners of South Africa. The reasons why individuals and business contributed varied. Some did so because they felt it was their civil duty, some probably just wanted somebody else but another Zuma crony to become president. Some thought it might be best to contribute to buy favors, since it worked to well in the Zuma years of plunder. Needless to say, some donations would spark outrage, in particular one from a company called Bosasa, who donated R500 000. As it turned out, they were exceptionally brash about corrupting individuals to win state contracts.
The official opposition in parliament, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has continued with the same tactics they used to help get rid of the deeply flawed Jacob Zuma and asked the public protector to investigate the donation. She in turn took it upon herself to expand the probe and look at all the donations funneled to the Ramaphosa campaign. The wisdom and motives for this is questionable as the public protectors’ competencies are in doubt. However, if she can proof a case for money laundry, mr Ramaphosa might be impeached. There are more than enough shady characters in the ANC who would like to see him go and return to the kleptomaniac days of the past ten years.
The DA meanwhile would have shot an own goal. They would clearly do better in elections if Ramaphosa manages to get the economy growing again, restore the justice system and improve the basic education. Why? The DA is a liberal movement that doesn’t believe in racial segregation and supports selection on merits. They will do better when the population doesn’t have to fight for their basic services, but rather when the population has got a fair education and understands the possibilities of a well governed economy.
Should mr Ramaphosa be replaced as the president by some other self-serving thug, the lost year under Zuma will continue. Far from improving the basic functions of government, they would only get worse as tenderpreneurs target any state entity that is not yet insolvent. Clearly voters would turn to a more radicalized political party, like the EFF at the expense of the DA.
In doing the right thing, you don’t always achieve the right outcome. Ramaphosa is also the DA’s best bet to bring long term stability and prosperity, so don’t shoot him down.