Presidency hits back at naysayers, calls for ‘constructive criticism’ of Cyril Ramaphosa and slams ‘gossip-mongering’

Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya had a clear message on Tuesday for those with negative comments about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration.

“It is important to emphasise that when people judge the President’s performance in office, they should do so based on facts and not rumour-mongering and other misinformed perceptions,” said Magwenya. 

Speaking at a briefing at the Union Buildings, he said Ramaphosa had inherited a state crippled by State Capture and a stagnant economy, and the Covid-19 pandemic had worsened the situation. Magwenya said Ramaphosa had worked tirelessly over the past five years to create economic reforms to encourage growth and investment. 

“A lot has been said about the President’s performance while in office. I thought it would be useful to just touch on a few of his administration’s achievements.

“The President embarked on a bold investment and employment drive; his efforts [have led to] R1.14-trillion in new investment through the four SA investment conferences.

“The President and his administration introduced the national minimum wage for the first time in South Africa’s history [and] expanded social grants for people most affected by Covid- 19,’’ said Magwenya.

His remarks came after former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe and former presidents Jacob Zuma and Thabo Mbeki raised concerns about the degeneration of the country in the past few years. This sparked a backlash from ANC leadership structures in KwaZulu-Natal, North West and Limpopo.

Motlanthe was lambasted for saying the country is “on the precipice” during his opening remarks at his foundation’s Inclusive Growth Forum over the weekend.

During a media briefing on Saturday, Zuma said Ramaphosa had “committed treason” and should not have been allowed to do private business as President.

Meanwhile, Mbeki delivered the keynote speech at the annual general meeting of the Strategic Dialogue Group, where he said the ANC was being led by criminals. He also reflected on the Phala Phala scandal.

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“Our President is under a lot of pressure, He’s under a lot of pressure around this matter about Phala Phala farm. There are criminal investigations going on, Parliament is doing its own processes, the Reserve Bank is doing what it has to do. What relevance does that all have to the leadership that will come out of Nasrec at the end of December?” asked Mbeki.

Magwenya said that Mbeki had a direct line to Ramaphosa, so there were channels to discuss matters instead of using a public platform.

He described Mbeki’s relationship with Ramaphosa as “healthy”, adding that Ramaphosa valued opportunities to engage with the former president.

Magwenya said that Zuma could approach Ramaphosa at any time. 

“President Ramaphosa’s expectation of the former president is that their presence is that of elders … and, of course, they will criticise where they see fit and necessary; however, what will be most appreciated is constructive engagement that aims to build.

“However, at any point in time any of the former presidents know how to get a hold of Ramaphosa and do have a direct line and access to him [if] they wish to contribute constructively,” he said.

When asked whether there were suspicions about a deliberate attempt to derail Ramaphosa’s election, Magwenya said the President was preoccupied with his state duties.

Ramaphosa is seeking to be re-elected as the leader of the governing party at its national conference at the end of the year. The party’s branches, which will make up 90% of delegates, have until 7 November to nominate their desired candidates to lead the party.

“The President is not blind to the fact that there is an upcoming national conference of the ANC this year, but I think we need to balance the reality that a lot of his time is taken up by his responsibility as the head of state.

“The President gets criticised all the time; he must be criticised and scrutinised in terms of how he goes about carrying out his duties. At the same time, he must be constructively engaged and there must be an exchange of ideas, thoughts, and there must be some form of partnership … as you know, South Africans are generally a robust, engaging nation.

“Every day we pick up some form of media coverage which is critical to the President and social media posts, and he takes that as commitment that South Africans have to the country and the desire they have for it to succeed,” Magwenya said. DM