South Africa: Quiet Please - Ramaphosa's Noiseless Condoms and Silent Politics

analysis

When, if ever, will Cyril Ramaphosa speak up? When the deputy president said at the funeral of ANC veteran Makhenkesi Stofile last week that he took "personal responsibility" for the ANC's sub par performance in the elections, it appeared he might finally be ready to take a stand. But Ramaphosa still seems unwilling to stick his neck out. On Thursday, while answering questions in Parliament, Ramaphosa seemed delighted to market government's new fruity flavoured, "maximum pleasure" condoms. Playing it safe, it appears, is the deputy president's primary concern - even though many people wish he would rise up and show leadership. By RANJENI MUNUSAMY.

Ramaphosa is South Africa's acting president for the next few days while President Jacob Zuma is attending the G20 Summit and Investing in Africa Forum, both taking place in China. It is not as if he can suddenly start making decisions to undo the damage of the Zuma presidency within a week. The role of acting president is simply to hold the fort - or in the case of the current administration, sit back and watch as state departments and entities maul each other in the public eye.

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