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The ANC can no longer count on the support of the past, President Cyril Ramaphosa warned when the party turned 109. The pandemic can make or break Ramaphosa’s presidency.
The Covid-19 pandemic, with its repercussions on the lives and well-being of South Africans, is a defining period for the presidency of Cyril Ramaphosa.
He chose his first big political speech of the year, the annual declaration of the ANC’s birthday on January 8, to make three big bets and make sure the party does. He reiterated a tough stance on corruption in the ANC, raised the possibility of a basic income subsidy and supported a national health insurance plan.
While the general secretary of the party Ace magashule pretending he is not facing corruption charges and that the Integrity Commission has not asked him to step down, Ramaphosa raised the specter of a suspension. He did not name Magashule, but said:
“We reiterate… that any member accused of, or reported to be involved in, corrupt practices must immediately report to the Integrity Commission or face disciplinary proceedings.
“Members who do not provide an acceptable explanation or who do not voluntarily withdraw while facing disciplinary, investigative or prosecution procedures will be summarily suspended,” Ramaphosa said. The implication is clear.
The Integrity Commission has asked the party’s national executive committee to make sure Magashule steps aside, but the strongman has not done so after nearly a month. He returned to court on corruption and other charges in February.
Covid-19 will shape the Ramaphosa presidency. He said the second wave of infections hitting South Africa could cause more deaths than the first. And he confirmed that a vaccination program would soon start pricking the arms, but did not add further details. However, he cautioned against misinformation about injections, which is believed to be the only way to end the pandemic by introducing herd immunity.
“We need to actively counter the spread of Covid-19-related misinformation and unfounded conspiracy theories about the virus, its treatment, and vaccine development.”
Nearly three million of the lowest paid South Africans have lost their jobs, and while Ramaphosa did not clarify whether the Covid-19 grant will continue to be paid after it runs out at the end of January, he did raise the question of a permanent basis. income subsidy as a necessity.
“As these emergency measures come to an end due to our limited resources, we must intensify other poverty alleviation measures … This year, the ANC, the government and society at large should continue discussions on the appropriateness and feasibility of a basic income grant to provide a social safety net for the poor. “
This week, the ANC government advanced its vaccination strategy by four months, after a slow start criticized by the country’s leading doctors and scientists. Later this month, the first tranche of Oxford / AstraZeneca punctures will arrive from the Serum Institute of India and will be administered to 1.2 million healthcare workers who accept them. The vaccine financing plan is likely to be a public-private partnership in which medical schemes pool parts of their reserves (which have been skyrocketed through Covid-19 because people, in general, did not seek treatment for other conditions ) with the government and philanthropists.
This partnership could lay the groundwork for a national health insurance (NHI) scheme that Ramaphosa also highlighted.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the need to accelerate the process towards the establishment of the NHI, which will reduce the huge inequalities and inefficiencies in our healthcare system. It will ensure that all South Africans receive the treatment and care they need regardless of their ability to pay, ”Ramaphosa said. The NHI faces several legal challenges, and the bill to establish it is still in Parliament.
the public-private sector cooperation to enable Covid-19 hospital treatment and next vaccination plan suggests that a less disruptive path to an NHI might be possible.
If Ramaphosa succeeds in his big three bets, then the unprecedented challenges can serve him well. But the rest of his January 8 speech also revealed how he could get rid of his presidency.
The ANC government is advancing at a dizzying pace, and in 2020 essential economic reforms collapse. There is no clarity on land reform, although Ramaphosa said a constitutional amendment would be completed this year to provide a framework for expropriation. The spectrum auction to reduce the cost of data is long overdue. The infrastructure-driven growth plan has received lukewarm support from businesses, while difficult new location targets make foreign investors (which South Africa needs) nervous. However, Ramaphosa continued to promote both as key pillars of an economic recovery plan. If it doesn’t ignite the economy, then Covid-19 may be the ruin of the president.
By April, the ANC will have been in office for 27 years, a whole generation, and faces a tough local government election if held this year. “Let’s not be paralyzed by complacency of ownership,” Ramaphosa warned. “On this 27th year of democracy, the ANC cannot campaign on a platform that simply recounts the glories of the past. ” DM
