Lessons in leadership for Ramaphosa from Madiba, Mbeki and Zuma
President Cyril Ramaphosa has been bestowed a heavy and not particularly fair burden in carrying the hopes of a nation, writes Mias de Klerk
With the recent centenary celebrations of the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela in 2018, and a recently elected president who must provide leadership to a somewhat damaged SA, it is apt to reflect on and learn from the leadership lessons SA experienced from the top, since 1994. The inauguration of President Cyril Ramaphosa as our new president was filled with much expectation and hope that things are about to change. He became the projected target of a whole nation’s hopes to rebuild a heritage of dysfunction and to do so quickly and with authority. The leadership expectations bestowed on Ramaphosa are perhaps not fair and too much to carry for one person, but it was similarly unfair on Madiba after his inauguration as president.
Although we should not project idealisations of a new messiah on Ramaphosa, we can rightly ask "quo vadis" Mr President? However, it appears as if Ramaphosa had gone underground. Ramaphosa is a typical coalitional leader, a renowned strategist and neg...
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