One year ago today, on Monday, December 18, 2017, Cyril Ramaphosa won a bitterly contested leadership race at the ANC’s annual meeting. He narrowly beat Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, signalling that some in the ANC were ready for a change after a decade of Zuma corruption.
So, one year later, where are we?
A lot has happened. Zuma resigned – a charming Valentine’s Day gift to the nation. The rand strengthened on the news, falling below R12 to the dollar as Ramaphosa took office. But the global economic picture deteriorated, contributing to the rand’s slump to over R14.40 to the dollar. We had a difficult budget in February, with an increase in VAT and dire words of warning from Treasury officials. There has been turnover in the cabinet, new ministers coming in, including Pravin Gordhan and Tito Mboweni, and old ones heading out. There have been commissions of inquiry, announcements about state-owned enterprises, and a host of new Acts. There have been highs and lows.
One year ago, South Africa stood at a crossroads. The nation took the high road, and instead of disaster, it is back on the path to recovery. It’s a long road and an uncertain one, but it sure beats falling.