All eyes were on President Cyril Ramaphosa last Thursday night as the nation eagerly awaited how his government planned to haul SA out of these gloomy times.

The president told those lending him an ear that now was the time to implement all the plans that have been drawn and redrawn for the umpteenth time in an attempt to resuscitate an economy in reverse gear and prone to shedding hundreds of thousands of jobs at the drop of a hat.

The onerous task of pulling SA out of the doldrums cannot, for a moment, rest on the shoulders of one man in the form of the president. But he and his administration are the cogs on the wheels.

But at the rate at which the plot is unfolding in the political drama surrounding Ramaphosa, many will be excused for questioning whether the president can focus fully and deliver what is asked of him and the office he occupies.

Almost every second day there seems to be all sorts of obstacles and booby-traps laid in the president's way by forces that would obviously cheer a failed Ramaphosa presidency.

It is well-documented that perhaps the greatest threat to his continued leadership of the country is housed nowhere but in his party, the ANC.

The political settlement that birthed our democracy opted that we have a proportional representation model that bequeathed political parties with powers over public representatives, such as the president who owes their positions to how well the party did in an election.

Therefore, there is little that can be done about distractions such as those seemingly fueled by an antagonistic secretary general reigning supreme at Luthuli House.

However, a cloud has been hanging over Ramaphosa regarding the funding of his campaign for the ANC presidency.

The public protector has been tasked with probing that, and the picture that is slowly emerging doesn't look pretty for Ramaphosa. As things stand, he has asked and was granted extra time to respond to her findings.

It's time the president took the nation into his confidence and cleared the air. The country is crying out for leadership that is fully focused on her interests rather than personal battles.