SA president Cyril Ramaphosa goes off-piste in Davos - again

Loading player...
The annual Brand South Africa dinner in Davos was so heavily oversubscribed this year that I only got a seat because of some late cancellations. A huge difference to recent years where there were always plenty of no-shows – such was the decline in the nation’s appeal while Jacob Zuma ruled the roost.
Last year in Davos Cyril Ramaphosa led the delegation, even though still the deputy president.  His impromptu speech, which I recorded on my iPhone, went viral with tens of thousands of South Africans encourage by his message.
He took the mike again tonight, and once more delivered an uplifting message without referring to a single note – or that politician’s crutch, the autocue. And once again he delivered as inspiring a message as you’re likely to hear in the Alpine resort. It was also under half the length of last year’s.
Once again my trusty iPhone did the recording so apologies for the less than broadcast quality. And to give you a better feel of the mood, the recording starts as SA’s president takes the microphone – bantering with his Finance Minister Tito Mboweni, with whom the rumour mill said there was friction after his late arrival at the pre-Davos breakfast last week.
Pic: Greg Beadle
  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 Jan 2019 6PM English South Africa Investing · Business News

Other recent episodes

David Lupafya: the Land Bank backed black farmers, then pulled the rug

David Lupafya spent 25 years at AT&T, Microsoft and Lockheed Martin before coming home to grow grain on 1,300 hectares outside Potchefstroom. He did what careful farmers do: planned a season ahead and put more than R5 million of his own money down on tractors, a combine and implements, counting…
30 Sep 11AM 29 min

Ian Cameron - You lied blatantly, Mr President

In his latest interview with Chris Steyn, Ian Cameron, the chairperson of Parliament's Portfolio Committee on Police, has a very blunt response to President Cyril Ramaphosa's latest address to the nation in which he outlined measures to deal with gender-based violence: “The president lied”. One “blatant lie” was increased police…
30 Sep 10AM 20 min

Rory Steyn on who really runs South African sport

In two years, Comrades runners threw out a board accused of vote-buying and steering tenders to friends, and cut ties with the provincial and national athletics bodies to run their own race. Swimming South Africa had to wait for an integrity panel in Switzerland to act. Rory Steyn, Nelson Mandela's…
29 Sep 11AM 39 min