The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
– Tainted by Marikana –
A trade unionist-turned-tycoon, Ramaphosa is seen by many as crossing the often-fraught boundaries between business, government and labour.
He founded the National Union of Mineworkers in the 1980s, building it into the largest and most powerful union in the country.
But as a non-executive director at platinum mining house Lonmin, he infamously called for “concomitant action” against strikers at Marikana in 2012, days before 34 miners were shot dead by police.
Even though an inquiry into the massacre cleared him of responsibility, the incident is a major scar in his reputation and a key point of weakness identified by his political opponents.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, Ramaphosa talked tough on corruption and worked hard to charm investors — directly addressing the mining industry’s troubles.
“The mining charter needs to be discussed thoroughly with key role players, so that we can find a solution to unlock the mining industry for South Africa,” he was reported as saying.
“We do not want to miss out on the commodity boom that is unfolding.”
Delegates at the Indaba in Cape Town have been following the latest manoeuvrings inside the ANC with interest, trying to assess when Ramaphosa will take over as president from Zuma.
Zuma must step down before the elections next year, but appears to be resisting severe pressure to resign immediately.
“There is a lot of friction around there being two centres of power,” Old Mutual economist Tinyiko Ngwenya told AFP. “If Zuma does go, we’re hoping it’s soon.”
