Billionaire Christo Wiese Calls Ramaphosa's Presidency 'a Disappointment'

South African billionaire Christo Wiese has delivered one of his bluntest verdicts yet on President Cyril Ramaphosa, saying the leaders legacy so far has been a disappointment. Wiese, founder of supermarket giant Shoprite and budget retailer Pepkor, said Ramaphosa came into office in 2018 with rare goodwill after the corruption scandals of the Jacob Zuma years. Many in business hoped he would reset the economy, restore confidence and end the rolling crises that have dogged Africas most industrialized nation. That great hope was stoked in the country, Wiese said in a recent interview. But it has been a disappointment. He was careful, though, to separate the man from the system around him. Wiese called Ramaphosa a good person who likely wanted a stronger record but was boxed in by a political structure that makes bold decisions risky. He pointed to the African National Congress ability to recall its presidents, as it did with Thabo Mbeki and Zuma, as a central problem. In a system where a handful of party officials can end a presidency, Wiese argued, leaders are less willing to push through tough reforms that might cost them support in the short term. Ive always defended him because I blame the system, he said, adding that he is increasingly in favor of South Africans directly electing their president. Beyond politics, Wiese said the government has failed miserably on its most basic job: enforcing the law. He criticized the police, prosecuting authority and parts of the judiciary, warning that weak institutions have eroded trust and scared off investment. If you let the rule of law go, you have a huge problem, he said. The numbers tell a difficult story. Since Ramaphosa took office, official unemployment has climbed from about 27 to more than 32, with youth joblessness hovering near 46. Economic growth has averaged around 0.8 a year, the rand has lost roughly 30 of its value against the dollar, and power cuts surged to record levels before easing only recently. Supporters argue that reforms at the state power utility and modest improvements in growth show Ramaphosa is slowly turning a corner. Critics like Wiese counter that change has come too late and too slowly to meet the scale of the crisis. For Wiese, the shortcomings of Ramaphosas term underscore a broader truth: South Africas political system, as currently constructed, makes strong and consistent leadership exceedingly difficult. And until that changes, he suggested, even well-intentioned presidents will continue to fall short of the countrys needs.