South Africa’s political logjam draws out as two of the country’s most astute negotiators joust over the future of the ruling African National Congress.
Party bigwigs are calling for patience as uncertainty grows about whether ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa will be able to meet his undertaking to make an announcement later today on the resignation of President Jacob Zuma.
Jacob Zuma’s strategic prowess has never been doubted since he was the youthful captain of the Robben Island prisoners’ chess club.
The late Nelson Mandela, who walked out of prison 28 years ago today. so admired the persuasive acumen of then miners’ union leader Cyril Ramaphosa that he asked, in vain, for him to succeed him at the helm of the ANC.
Ramaphosa’s finally got that job, but its a sight more complex than he expected.
He has been trying for a week to get corruption-plagued Zuma to stand down as President.
Zuma’s holding out for at least a promise that the state will continue paying his legal bills as he fights off charges of graft.
Opposition parties says Ramaphosa has clear instructions from the ANC’s National Executive Committee to sack Zuma.
By delaying this he is damaging his own reputation and future as President and causing unnecessary doubt with South Africans and confusion in the investor community crucial for the country’s future well-being.
Two of South Africa’s most astute negotiators joust over the future of the ANC
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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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