Intelligence structures 'should've known better' than to send Ramaphosa to Rustenburg - analyst
Political analyst Theo Venter has questioned the efficiency of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s intelligence structures following the Workers’ Day mayhem in Rustenburg on Sunday.
The ANC’s head honcho joined union federation Cosatu in North West at the weekend.
Ramaphosa was heckled and forced to abandon his speech at the Royal Bafokeng stadium during the annual celebrations as a crowd gathered there expressed frustration over failed wage talks in the area.
It’s believed the group was part of the Sibanye-Stillwater employers engaged in a protracted strike at the company’s gold operations amid failed wage talks.
Venter says Ramaphosa’s intelligence teams should have known better than to allow his visit to a volatile area.
“There’s a lot of irony involved in this situation - he used to be the secretary-general of the National Union of Mineworkers which chased him away yesterday.
“The second thing is how on earth can your planners and your advisors send you a place where people are unhappy? What kind of intelligence did they have by allowing the President into a situation that is red-hot politically?
Venter adds the incident is growing evidence of the frustrations of South Africans faced with dwindling job prospects and rising living costs.
“It all gives us a sense of the climate among workers lately. They really are not happy and I think they showed that.
“When people are mobilised and they frustrated, they’re fed up and they take control of an otherwise organised meeting, there’s no use talking to them. It’s like talking to a drunk person, it’s the wrong time under the wrong conditions.”
Venter doesn't believe it was a personal attack on Ramaphosa.
“It also happened to Jacob Zuma. It happened to both of these presidents from a union that is in alliance with the ruling party, that should give you some kind of contact. They feel that they have the right, within the alliance, to air their frustrations.”
Despite facing embarrassment, Venter doesn’t believe the incident will dampen Ramaphosa’s bid for the governing party’s top job during the December elective conference.
“The unions that did this to Ramaphosa will in all probability support him in the December election.”
ALSO READ:
