President Cyril Ramaphosa responds today (Tuesday) to a day-long debate on his State Of The Nation Address.
The orderly mood of the National Assembly allowed for a level of political contestation not seen in the nine confrontational years of the Jacob Zuma Presidency.
Ramaphosa, who has yet to name his new Cabinet, has been treated respectfully by the opposition who say they will hold him to account.
Opposition leader Mmusi Maimane says Cyril Rampahosa is now the President of all South Africans and he’s proud to call him that.
He has to demonstrate his commitment to clean government by sacking ministers associated with former president Jacob Zuma’s corruption.
Maimane drew laughs from the packed assembly as he named the ministers he believed should be ousted.
His chief whip John Steenhuizen says it’s hard to find an ANC MP today who supported Zuma.
He says the so-called Rama-posers enabled, created and protected the former president.
One man could not have wreaked such destruction on his own.
Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema says Ramaphosa is calling for seminars and summits because he does not have an idea how to run the country.
He is being tolerated because he will not be president after next year’s general election.
Leader of the Congress of the People Mosiuoa Lekota asks who will benefit from the ANC policy of land expropriation without compensation which was the hot button issue in the debate?
Both ANC and EFF MPs are saying the land must go to their people.
But are not the all the people of South Africa their people?
Debate demonstrates South Africa’s new political mood
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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.
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