Jean-Jacques Cornish

Ramphele quits party politics

Presidential contender Mamphela Rampehele whose opposition movement disappointed in South Africa’s elections earlier this year has quit party politics.

She says she’ll be working in civil society to pursue her dream of transforming the country.

Mamphela Ramphele was the partner of black consciousness leader Steve Biko who was killed by apartheid police.

She went on to attain top academic and business positions in South Africa.’

Last year Ramphele formed the Agang party to oppose the ANC.

She showed her political naivite by pulling out of a power-sharing deal she’s struck with opposition leader Helen Zille.

Át the election in May, her party won half a percent of the popular vote.

She refused to be one of the party’s two representatives in parliament.

She says she plans to work through civil society for a more just and prosperous South Africa.

She says those who took Agang forward must continue to strengthen and build the party.

Her departure comes with Agang divided and some members intent on unseating her.

Last month Agang faction adopted a motion of no confidence in her leadership and questioned her leadership style. Ramphele retaliated by expelling those who attended that meeting.

 

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Jean-Jacques Cornish is a journalist and broadcaster who has been involved in the media all his adult life.

Starting as a reporter on his hometown newspaper, he moved briefly to then Rhodesia before returning to South Africa to become a parliamentary correspondent with the South African Press Association. He was sent to London as Sapa’s London editor and also served as special correspondent to the United Nations. He joined the then Argus group in London as political correspondent.

Returning to South Africa after 12 years abroad, he was assistant editor on the Pretoria News for a decade before becoming editor of the Star and SA Times for five years.

Since 1999 he’s been an independent journalist writing and broadcasting – mainly about Africa – for Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape
Talk, Radio France International, PressTV, Radio Live New Zealand, Business Day, Mail & Guardian, the BBC, Agence France Press,
Business in Africa, Leadership, India Today, the South African Institute for International Affairs and the Institute for Security Studies.

He has hosted current affairs talk shows on Talk Radio 702 and 567 Cape Talk. He appears as an African affairs pundit on SABC Africa and CNBC Africa.
He lectured in contemporary studies to journalism students at the Tshwane University of Technology and the University of Pretoria.

He speaks on African affairs to corporate and other audiences.
He has been officially invited as a journalist to more than 30 countries. He was the winner of the 2007 SADC award for radio journalism.

He’s been a member of the EISA team observing elections in Somaliland, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Zimbabwe, Egypt and Tunsiai.

In October 2009 he headed a group of 39 African journalists to the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Peoples’ Republic of China.

In January 2010 he joined a rescue and paramedical team to earthquake struck Haiti.

He is immediate past president of the Alliance Francaise of Pretoria.

Jean-Jacques is a director of Giant Media. The company was given access to Nelson Mandela in his retirement years until 2009.
He is co-producer of the hour-long documentary Mandela at 90 that was broadcast on BBC in January 2009.