Add Category
Updated
He was at Nelson Mandela's side as he strode to freedom in February 1990, and went on to become the liberation hero's anointed successor, but for two decades Cyril Ramaphosa's political ambition was thwarted.
Now, almost 27 years to the day since South Africa's first democratically elected president declared his commitment to bringing unity and reconciliation to the country, Mr Mandela's chosen one has the opportunity to steer the country back onto that path.
With Jacob Zuma's protracted downfall complete, Mr Ramaphosa stepped up from Deputy to Acting President before being elected President by ruling party legislators a day after Jacob Zuma resigned.
He has his work cut out for him.
South Africa's economy is faltering: two of the leading credit rating agencies have downgraded the country's debt to junk status, growth is paltry, corruption is rife, many state-run companies have been looted, and the official unemployment rate sits at just under 27 per cent but is likely higher due to the vast numbers of undocumented immigrants.
Under Mr Zuma, calls for radical economic transformation became louder, but there is little agreement on what exactly the phrase means.
It is now up to Mr Ramaphosa to take carriage of those discussions.
Political persona shaped in Mandela's mould
At the African National Congress's (ANC) first conference inside South Africa after the ban on it was lifted in 1990, Mr Ramaphosa outmanoeuvred his opponents, including Mr Zuma, to be elected as the party's secretary-general.
Mr Ramaphosa rose through the trade union movement and fought against white rule by mobilising workers to take a stand against oppression, which means he belongs to a camp within the ANC known as the "internals".
In taking the reins of the party, he broke the tradition of appointing "exiles" — party members who operated abroad to sway opinion against the apartheid government, or fought an armed struggle from sympathetic countries.
As the ANC began negotiations with the ruling National Party (NP) to end apartheid and peacefully advance towards non-racial elections, Mr Ramaphosa led the ANC team that carried out the lengthy discussions.
He earned high praise for his skilled negotiation, formed a close friendship with his counterpart from the NP and worked hard to deliver a settlement that would bring white and black South Africans together.
In doing so, he shaped his political persona in the Mandela mould and won widespread public approval, but it was not enough to overcome the internal workings of the ANC.
When it came time for Mr Mandela to pick a deputy, he consulted senior members of the party, and picked Thabo Mbeki, who had been groomed in exile by Oliver Tambo, the ANC's longest serving president.
It is widely known that Mr Ramaphosa struggled to deal with losing out on the role he coveted (that he failed to show up for Mr Mandela's inauguration gave it away), but Mr Mandela looked past this weakness and insisted he lead efforts to draft a new constitution.
That he chose Mr Ramaphosa to forge the principles and processes according to which the country would be governed is testament to his belief that they had a common vision for South Africa.
Ramaphosa turns from politics to business
Unwilling to wait in the wings of power for his moment, Mr Ramaphosa quit politics and became a businessman.
If anyone is proof that South Africa's economy has been transformed so that it not only favours white South Africans, then that person is Mr Ramaphosa.
He has built a sizeable investment company, with interests in mining, energy, fast food, and telecommunications, has held positions on several boards, and owns a suite of properties and luxury villas.
His deep links with the private sector have reassured markets during the recent period of uncertainty, but also set Mr Ramaphosa at odds with elements of the ANC which argue that democracy has delivered political equality to South Africans, but many residents still lack economic freedom.
And if anything is going to come back to bite him during his probable presidency, it will likely be a result of his business dealings.
Among the controversies he has faced is the role he played in the Marikana massacre in which police shot dead 34 striking miners and injured a further 78.
An inquiry into the killings revealed that instead of the former union boss arguing for better conditions for workers, he had supported sending police in.
Real change must come from within ANC
Although he spent nearly two decades in the private sector, he maintained his connections to the ruling party, eventually making his political comeback in 2012 when he was elected deputy president of the ANC, and then the country.
Five years later, he defeated Mr Zuma's ex-wife, Nkosasana Dlamini-Zumu, and was elected president of the ANC, putting him on track to become South Africa's next leader.
If Parliament gives his leadership its tick of approval, Mr Ramaphosa's attention will immediately be focused on preparing his party and winning back voters, as next year's general election approaches.
The party of South Africa's liberation has recently seen support among its core working class slip away in major urban areas, and some of its strongholds have been challenged — and in some cases won over — by opposition parties.
At the root of voters' disenchantment has been the party's failure to deliver on its promise to build more houses, and provide basic services to the millions of people who still live in flimsy dwellings, draw their water from communal taps and do not have proper toilets.
Two decades after the end of apartheid, schooling is patchy, much of the healthcare is rudimentary, and the level of violent crime is terrifying.
And then there is entrenched corruption, and state capture, which has seen the Government's core decision-making functions heavily influenced by private interests.
Speaking this week at the celebrations of Mr Mandela's release, Mr Ramaphosa said South Africa had an opportunity for renewal and rebuilding, and to reaffirm its vision of a non-racial society and a country for all its people.
It was a bold and inspiring plan when he originally signed up to it all those years ago, but it has proven difficult to implement.
It is hard to overlook the fact that for many South Africans life under ANC rule is not dissimilar to life during apartheid.
If Mr Ramaphosa is to change that, his mentor's vision may not be enough.
He will also need to search deep within the soul of the ANC, and tackle some of the ruling party's own demons.
Topics: world-politics, elections, south-africa
First posted