Cyril Ramaphosa Research Articles

SOUTH AFRICA: A NEW DAWN?

O artigo analisa os desenvolvimentos recentes na África do Sul após a demissão não voluntária de Jacob Zuma e a eleição de Cyril Ramaphosa para o cargo de Presidente da República. Uma das palavras-chave em seu relatório “Estado da Nação” no dia seguinte à sua eleição foi “Novo amanhecer”: “Deveríamos deixar para trás toda a negatividade que perseguiu nosso país, porque um novo amanhecer está chegando. Devemos deixar para trás todos os aspectos negativos que impediram nosso país, porque há um novo amanhecer acima de nós", disse ele. Portanto, o artigo avalia os passos que o novo presidente tomou para manter sua promessa de "mudar o país" e, em particular, para erradicar a corrupção generalizada. É dada uma atenção especial aos resultados das eleições nacionais e provinciais de maio de 2019 na África do Sul.

Why is Covid-19 different to other pandemics? Assessing the gendered impact of Covid-19 19 on poor black women in South Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa is part of the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (Odometers 2020). On 5 March 2020, Minister of Health, Zweli Mkhize, conrfimed that the virus spread to South Africa, with the rfist known paetint being a male ciztien who tested posivtie upon his return from Italy (Department of Health 2020). On 15 March, the President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, declared a naotinal state of disaster, and announced measures such as immediate travel restricotins and the closure of schools from 18 March (Ramaphosa 2020). On 17 March, the Naotinal Coronavirus Command Council was established, “to lead the naotin's plan to contain the spread and migtiate the negavtie impact of the coronavirus” (Ramaphosa 2020).

MY ENCOUNTER WITH THE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA: A TRIBUTE TO DR CYRIL RAMAPHOSA

Ponte Academic JournalOct 2020, Volume 76, Issue 10 MY ENCOUNTER WITH THE PRESIDENT OF SOUTH AFRICA: A TRIBUTE TO DR CYRIL RAMAPHOSAAuthor(s): Tuntufye S. MwamwendaJ. Ponte - Oct 2020 - Volume 76 - Issue 10 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2020.10.17 Abstract:The aim of this Paper is to narrate a personal experience, which led to my encountering the President of South Africa through research. I was at the University of Transkei, which now is known as Walter Sisulu University in Mthatha, South Africa. I served as Professor of Educational Psychology and Executive Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor Professor Alfred Moleah who had returned to South Africa from exile in America after 27 years. One of my engagements was to coordinate exchange academic progammes between South African and American Universities. With Unitra the exchange programme was with the City University of New York. The programme involved exchange of both students and academic staff. In the process of doing this, I ended up in New York as a Fulbright Senior Resident Academic at New York Metropolitan College for a year. While there, some of the research involving world cultures, which were published in the Encyclopedia of World Cultures. Mine was on Banyankole ethnic group in Western Uganda, where my spouse was born and grew up. About ten or more years after the publication of my research, President Cyril Ramaphosa, was busy researching on Ankole cattle, as he had a keen interested in Ankole long- horned cattle. In his literature review, he came across some of my national and international research on Banyankole. He found my publication valuable to his own research. His interest was not only in what I had written, but also wanted to meet the author of such Papers. Therefore he launched an earnest search for Professor Mwamwenda! Only, finally to find me at the University of Mpumalanga, Nelspruit! During our first meeting, we must have talked for more than an hour. In brief, This is the story I want to share with you, as you read this Paper. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: AN AFRICAN UPDATE PERSPECTIVE 4TH EDITION

Ponte Academic JournalSep 2020, Volume 76, Issue 9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY: AN AFRICAN UPDATE PERSPECTIVE 4TH EDITIONAuthor(s): Tuntufye S. MwamwendaJ. Ponte - Sep 2020 - Volume 76 - Issue 9 doi: 10.21506/j.ponte.2020.9.18 Abstract:This is a rather long Acknowledgements list, which goes into detail justifying their presence. One of them is Dr Cyril Ramaphosa the newly elected President of South Africa. It is rather unusual, coming across University textbooks talking about a Head of State. President Ramaphosa in this acknowledgement emerges as a researcher who had an encounter with me, as an academic and researcher. This is rather a unique experience that scholars and academics would welcome in University books. I am personally happy that am placed in such opportunity of sharing such unique experience. Most of those who are acknowledged, participated in my encounter with the President. Moreover, as such, their participation deserves to be acknowledged correspondingly. You are all welcome to witness such special occasion. Download full text:Check if you have access through your login credentials or your institution Username Password

Editorial: birth of the International Review on Philanthropy and Social Investment

The study of African philanthropy and philanthropy in Africa has gained momentum over the last couple of years, partly due to the increased interest in the field, but also because philanthropy has been thrust at the centre of global and national policy, and the resolution of development challenges facing different African countries. Recently, numerous initiatives have been developed that focus on philanthropy and its multiple expressions in Africa. These span the Philanthropy Secretariat in Liberia (established in 2009), the Rwanda Philanthropy Strategy, the Sustainable Development Goals Platforms in countries such as Ghana, Kenya, and Zambia, to organisations such as the Africa Philanthropy Network, the African Philanthropy Forum, and the East Africa Philanthropy Network. These initiatives include African foundations such as TrustAfrica, African Women Development Fund, Kenya Community Development Foundation, and the Southern Africa Trust just to mention a few. In addition are foundations established by high net worth individuals (HNWIs) such as the Tony Elumelu Foundation, the Dangote Foundation, the TY Danjuma Foundation, the Higher Life Foundation, and Cyril Ramaphosa Foundation, among many others across the continent.

The effect of Covid-19 on the work arrangements in the South African public service

On 15 March 2020, President Cyril Ramaphosa declared the national state of disaster in terms of the Disaster Management Act no. 57 of 2002 (Republic of South Africa 2002) to implement the necessary measures to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on society and the economy. A number of regulations and restrictions were put into place including closing schools and educational institutions, restricting the sale of alcohol aeftr 6pm and prohibiting gatherings of more than 100 people and international travel. As a result of an increase in the number of COVID-19 infections, the President subsequently enforced further restrictions and a 21 day nation-wide lockdown starting from 21 March 2020 to contain the spread of the virus and “flaetn the curve” (Ramaphosa 2020).

Patricia de Lille - victories and miscalculations in the career of a «coloured» politician of South Africa

This paper focuses on the South African politician Patricia de Lille, who is currently the Minister of Public Works in the 2019 of cabinet of Cyril Ramaphosa. Author attempts to analyze her background and reasons that motivated her to be inside of the political sphere in South Africa.

«Revolutionary change in technology» must be translated into labour law

In his speech at the opening of Parliament in February 2019, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa remarked: « Our greatest challenge is to create jobs for the unemployed of today, while preparing workers for the jobs of tomorrow… The world we now inhabit is changing at a pace and in a manner that is unprecedented in human history. Revolutionary advances in technology are reshaping the way people work and live. They are transforming the way people relate to each other, the way societies fun...

The Fourth Industrial Revolution – The Case of South Africa

ABSTRACTOn becoming President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa put the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) into his national economic strategy, generating criticism for its neoliberal rhetoric echoing the World Economic Forum (WEF) and concern it would not create jobs. 4IR is an umbrella term for 3D-printing, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, industrial Internet of things (IIoT) and robotics. For corporations it means rethinking strategies and auto-cannibalisation of business models. For policy-makers in manufacturing nations it is supposed to raise national competitiveness and bring manufacturing home, potentially blocking developing nations from creating jobs through attracting labour-intensive manufacturing. Its effects on work and employment are forecast to be complex, potentially heightening inequality by reducing demand for low levels of skills. South Africa has a significant skills shortage, due to failings in its education system, limiting the supply of managers, researchers and workers needed for 4IR. There are also problems of poor quality infrastructure, reflecting weak governance and state capture. It has a poor record in policy formulation and implementation, especially across departments, with notable delays in cybersecurity and data protection. There is only a small domestic market and, despite aspirations, it is not an easy gateway to the rest of Africa, which has strong demographic growth but limited spending power and poor physical distribution systems. Moreover, South African firms have to compete with a strong Chinese presence.

The role of ‘intermediaries’ in brokering training and building social compacts: Can sector skills authorities perform these roles?

This article focuses on the modus operandi of the sector education and training authorities (SETAs) in South Africa – seen by many critics of the training system as largely driven by the regulatory pressures of financial compliance imposed on public-sector organisations by the all-powerful Public Finance Management Act 29 of 1999 (PFMA). The article proposes an alternative modus operandi, one informed by the literature on ‘intermediaries’, where the main function of such intermediary organisations is not financial compliance but the strategic ‘brokering’ of training compacts. The article first outlines the role of the SETAs and the problems with a compliance mode of working. In explaining the alternative of intermediation, the discussion considers some best practices of intermediation in South Africa, but concludes that such practices are not fully diffused across the entire training system. Why diffusion is so poor is revealed through interviews with leaders in the training system.1 The analysis concludes on a positive note, arguing that the ‘social compact’ politics being emphasised by the new South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, could usher in a more conducive environment for brokering training and job compacts.

South Africa’s troubled outlook

Cyril Ramaphosa's elevation to the leadership of South Africa's African National Congress was greeted by widespread relief and optimism. His political and economic goals, however, appear to be incompatible. It seems likely that South Africa's economy will continue to deteriorate. The crisis that eventually ensues may conceivably produce positive realignments in South African politics, or could instead presage more troubling developments.

The Institutionalisation of endemic corruption: State capture in South Africa

Systemic corruption has become the norm in South Africa. This is evident in the recent Transparency International’s Corruption Index. During the Zuma Administration, the scale and magnitude of corruption intensified and the term “state capture” was used to describe this phenomenon. Given the dramatic developments of February 2018 which witnessed the stepping down of President Jacob Zuma and his replacement by President Cyril Ramaphosa, there was hope that the new president’s promised “New Dawn” would result in reversing state capture, and more broadly, the politics of patronage. Whilst the Ramaphosa Administration has undertaken several measures to undo state capture including a cabinet reshuffle and the appointment of new boards at South Africa’s trouble State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs), much more needs to be done. Drawing on international best practice from Bulgaria to Tunisia and Hong Kong, this article proposes concrete recommendations to undo state capture.

Axing the Rainbow

Today, the Rainbow Nation as the central metaphor for postapartheid South Africa falls short of serving as a unifying identification marker due to its tendency to gloss over contrasting living realities of diversified identities and ongoing systemic discrimination. The South African Fallism movements – the student-driven protests against neocolonial structures in academic institutions – spearheaded public criticism with the current state of ongoing social disparity in South Africa and revived the critique of so-called rainbowism, i.e., the belief that a colour-blind society can be created. In an application of Critical Discourse Analysis focusing on mythical metaphors, this article asks to what extent the new president Cyril Ramaphosa in his maiden State of the Nation Address projected a post-Zuma South African nation and answered to the challenges posed by Fallists.

Yo-yo culture: thinking South Africa after Marikana

ABSTRACTThe years following the Marikana massacre were tumultuous ones in South Africa, characterized by corruption scandals, economic downgrades, rising unemployment and increasing resistance to Jacob Zuma’s presidency from South Africans across race, class, regional and political lines. The country’s outlook was pessimistic with dystopian predictions circulating widely as the Zuma regime slowly attempted to erode hard-won democratic processes and poverty skyrocketed. As we write this article, South Africa has once again shifted with the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as president, the removal of Zuma allies from key ministerial posts, the Gupta empire under threat and state capture investigations taking off. The South African cultural imaginary has swiftly shifted again with optimistic narratives emerging and confidence growing amidst the grace and dignity of a new president who once again embodies the liberation movements’ more glorious years after the first elections (despite Ramaphosa’s association with Marikana). This trajectory though is not a new one for South Africa that tends to swing between fear and optimism, pessimism and hope, on a very regular basis. This yo-yo effect is characteristic of the South African cultural imaginary with its consistent peaks and troughs that results in a rather resilient, interesting and highly politicised population despite its differences.

Cyril Ramaphosa: the path to power in South Africa; Ramaphosa's turn: can Cyril save South Africa?

Cyril Ramaphosa: the path to power in South Africa; Ramaphosa's turn: can Cyril save South Africa?

GroundWork Environmental Justice Action Climate Change Letter to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, December 2018.

groundWork is one of South Africa's leading environmental justice organizations and the local affiliate of Friend of the Earth. It was formed in 1999 to support people's struggles for environmental justice. In the most unequal of countries, groundWork is part of the struggle for an egalitarian society in which people can live well with each other and with the earth. The following letter was sent to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa in December 2018 urging him to take a Just Transition approach to climate change policies so that the economic and social transition eliminates poverty, improves public health, and strengthens the nation's democracy.

The African National Congress and its transfer of power from Zuma to Ramaphosa: the intraparty-multiparty nexus

The African National Congress (ANC) of South Africa in the period 2016–2018 repositioned itself away from electoral decline that could have taken it to a point of losing an outright electoral majority. In a historical moment it elected a new ANC president and then installed the new ANC president, Cyril Ramaphosa, as president of South Africa. These were normal, rational party political acts in many respects. In the context of the politics that preceded these acts, however, they were extraordinary steps and the transition to a post-Zuma order was achieved against odds of Zuma’s determination not to leave, his calculated strategy to install a proxy candidate instead of Ramaphosa, his capture of large enclaves of state power, and fusion of his faction with state power. Besides extensive campaigning to sway the ANC’s voting delegates at its Nasrec conference of December 2017, the ANC strategy hinged on the knowledge gained from public opinion polls showing that an ongoing top-level Zuma presence would in all likelihood deprive the ANC of an outright majority in the national elections of 2019. This intra-interparty nexus is the focus of the article. Through interview data, reviews of public polling trends, and direct observation of political events, the analysis assesses dimensions of the unfolding ANC repositioning. It compares the intra-interparty nexus in the ANC’s operations with those of liberation movement parties of southern Africa and positions the analysis in relation to the literature on party dominance and electoral authoritarianism.

South Africa Suffers Capitalist Crisis Déjà Vu

Business tycoon Cyril Ramaphosa, who, according to Forbes, was worth more than $450 million in 2015, has been the president of the ruling African National Congress since December 2017. Despite the change in ruling-party leadership, the residual old-guard politicians from the era of Jacob Zuma’s patrimonial, corrupt regime still retain enormous power.

‘Somewhere Uber the Rainbow: Seeking new ways of regulating new forms of work in South Africa’

In his speech on the occasion of the 16th Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg on Tuesday, 17 July 2018, former US President Barack Obama identified technology and the effect it is going to have on ‘giving everybody work that is meaningful’ as the biggest challenge that South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa will face during his term in office. This observation may indeed be correct, as the South African labour market has been challenged by developments such as globalisation and te...

The Decline of the African National Congress in South Africa’s 2016 Municipal Elections

Using data from a nationally representative post-election public opinion survey, the article argues that the electoral losses experienced by the African National Congress (ANC) in the 2016 municipal election were a manifestation of an attitudinal shift among the governing party’s traditional support base. ANC vote choice was influenced by a combination of performance-based evaluations of the party at both the national and local levels: namely, a growing trust deficit in the ANC and its leadership, and perceived service delivery failures at the local level. The analysis concludes that poor performance and distrust of incumbents, including a sitting president, can have a significant bearing on voter attitudes and behaviour at elections. Moreover, despite the replacement of Jacob Zuma with President Cyril Ramaphosa in December 2017, the ANC will need to continue to address its internal leadership issues and perceptions of corruption to secure substantial victories in future elections.