Why is Ramaphosa in Mnangagwa’s pocket?

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By Rapule Tabane

South Africa has many problems, but some are of our own doing and we walk in them with our eyes open. But what is our president doing this week at the United Nations General Assembly?

President Cyril Ramaphosa uses this platform, which is given to all heads of state once a year, to ask for the lifting of sanctions against Zimbabwe. He argues that this does not promote growth and development, but causes greater harm to Zimbabweans.

In fact, even Zimbabweans will tell you there are no trade sanctions against Zimbabwe. Most of the sanctions, including travel sanctions, have been imposed against senior politicians.

Nobody wants to invest in Zimbabwe or grant a loan to a country that probably cannot repay it.

If Zimbabwe was more democratically run, more development aid and economic investment would have started trickling in and its image would have gradually changed. Zimbabwe is considered the riskiest African country to do business with and the one with the worst return on investment.

Even the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) got cold feet when it appeared that the money they lent to the country was not being used for the stated reasons. In 1999, the World Bank suspended a loan to Zimbabwe of $140 million after reports that the then president, Robert Mugabe, had lied about how much money they were spending on the Congolese war.

According to reports, the IMF has suspended a loan of $193 million. The [Zimbabwean] journalist Hopewell Chin’ono pointed to the propaganda that credit was not granted to Zimbabwe because of targeted sanctions, but in reality it was cut off because the country stopped paying off its debt. Last year, America removed 17 individuals from its sanctions list, but kept those it considered human rights violators, who undermine democratic processes and/or who promote corruption.

It’s really amazing that Ramaphosa is willing to be the leader of the Emmerson Mnangagwa regime. Ramaphosa and his government remained silent when Zanu-PF once again planned to rig this year’s election. The country is suffering because the former liberation movement, like the ANC, looted the resources and destroyed everything that had worked since their takeover in 1980.

It’s really amazing that Ramaphosa is willing to be the cheer leader of the Emmerson Mnangagwa regime. Ramaphosa and his government remained silent when Zanu-PF once again planned to rig this year’s election. Ramaphosa then congratulated Mnangagwa and was one of only four presidents who attended the inauguration. This after observers from the Southern African Development Community [SADC] declared the election was not free and fair. Why is Ramaphosa so in these guys’ pockets? He not only tolerates them, but is their leading supporter despite the burden that their mismanagement places on South Africa in the form of millions of Zimbabweans fleeing the decline. Most of them are illegal in South Africa due to the failure of Ramaphosa’s government to properly man the border. Their illegal status means they cannot find stable work and some commit crime. If Ramaphosa was a principled leader, he would have tried to push the Zimbabweans in the direction of democratic and stabilizing government. If Zimbabwe was more democratically run, more development aid and economic investment would have started trickling in and its image would have gradually changed. Instead, the election theft and suppression of civil society and opposition parties are pushing the country and its leaders deeper into a dead end where they will not get help anytime soon. And for a reason I can’t imagine, Ramaphosa doesn’t see it. The deeper Zimbabwe sinks, the higher the price for South Africans.

— Tabane is political editor of City Press. The opinions of authors are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of Zimbabwe Observer.