CR’s call to protect democracy a swipe at Sisulu – analyst

PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa’s first weekly newsletter for the year not only addressed the loss of Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the Parliament inferno or the handover of part of the state capture report, but called for the protection of democracy as his ministers continue to publicly row following Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu’s recent comments on the judiciary and Constitution.

In his weekly newsletter, Ramaphosa called for greater efforts in defending South Africa’s democracy – seen as a veiled swipe at Sisulu.

In his Monday “from the President’s desk” letter to South Africans, Ramaphosa said citizens should safeguard against any and all efforts to diminish the country’s hard-won democracy.

He called for the protection of the Constitution, democratic state and electoral processes, “whether these efforts take the form of corruption in state-owned enterprises, the subversion of our law enforcement agencies, the sabotage of our economic infrastructure, or attacks on the independence and integrity of our judiciary”.

Ramaphosa said the fire at Parliament “demonstrated how strongly South Africans feel about their democracy” and was an important reminder to “strengthen and defend” it.

Soon after the fire, Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo released the first of three state capture inquiry reports. The findings “will help the country to rebuild these institutions” and bring those culpable to book, Ramaphosa said. “This part of the report paints a deeply disturbing picture of how key institutions were compromised and undermined with criminal intent.”

His comments have been viewed as a veiled response to Sisulu who faced widespread criticism over her controversial comments about the judiciary and the Constitution. Ramaphosa has not yet spoken directly to Sisulu’s remarks, but other heavyweights – Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola, Justice Zondo and Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele – have denounced her comments.

Political analyst Sanusha Naidu said it was “interesting” to see how early the knives were out as the ANC entered a crucial year for the party.

The targeting of national key points also spoke to the notion that this could be the year of sabotage, she said.

“A call to protect democracy is all well and good but we must also look at the causing factors. It is not just state capture but the internal power struggle within the ANC that led us here.

“This is do or die for all concerned parties and stakeholders but it is South Africans who will bear the brunt. The question is who are we protecting the institutions of democracy against? President Ramaphosa should know that we are protecting it against his own,” Naidu said. Ramaphosa may not have directly addressed Sisulu’s ongoing attack, she said, but his weekly newsletter was his way of responding. “He needed to say something and he did it in the typical Ramaphosa way,” she said.