SA Leadership Plans Well Ahead

08 Jan 2013

The post-apartheid South Africa has its succession plans well laid out. The recent conference of the ruling African National Congress has confirmed Jacob Zuma as its president, giving him another 5-year term as the country's President also.

Party deputy leader Cyril Ramaphosa is the next in line, and is expected to take charge of the party and country after Zuma.

Strangely, the focus is not on the present leadership but future leadership of Ramaphosa. He fought apartheid like a warrior. Ramaphosa was the leader of mine workers that was in the forefront to end the apartheid regime. As a labor lawyer he was the key figure to negotiate for the release of the country's icon Nelson Mandela. It was when he was overlooked as Mandela's successor that he quit politics and joined business and built it into an empire with holdings not only in South Africa but elsewhere also.

Owing to his anti-apartheid past, there appear to be certain reservations related to his leadership from the White quarters. These quarters are using the media to continually dwell on Ramaphosa's business interests. He is also shown to be undoing all the good work he had done in the past.

Howver, Ramaphosa is going ahead with his plans for the development of South Africa. He has already invited private investment for the country's projects. How far he succeeds remains to be seen.