ANALYSIS: Why Ramaphosa is probably not in a position to end corruption and patronage By Pierre De Vos pierredevos
Most voters who support “Cyril’s ANC” in order to strengthen his hand to weed out corruption, probably applauded when top leaders of the ANC forced then President Jacob Zuma to fire Des van Rooyen as Minister of Finance only four days after his appointment. The same voters might, however, be less enthusiastic if senior ANC leaders forced President Cyril Ramaphosa to reverse course in order to prevent the large-scale arrest and prosecution of people involved in ANC-linked patronage networks.
Could it be that for many members of this group corruption is not only a burning issue because it has catastrophic consequences for the most vulnerable in society, but also because it allows them to express their deepest racist fears about a black-led government in a politically “acceptable” manner?
Ironically then, the failure to transform the economy probably contributes to the corruptionification of South African politics. When beneficiaries of corruption invoke “white monopoly capital” they are doing so in a cynical attempt to justify themselves, but if you take a long view, the slogan is not as far-fetched as some might think.
Whatever the causes of corruption might be, Von Holdt argues that corruption is embedded in South Africa’s political system, a system shaped by the intersection of patronage and factionalism. Patronage networks form political factions in order to gain power in the state.
Second, because of the narrow margin of his victory, Ramaphosa does not have the same authority within his party that Jacob Zuma had after his election and especially during the first years of his second term as President. Ramaphosa has had to move cautiously to establish his authority within the party, and has been forced to adopt a strategy of “unifying” the ANC while facing powerful resistance from within.
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