Timing is everything in politics. And President Cyril Ramaphosa failed dismally to assert himself as head of state and statesman in his address to the nation on July 12. Most people hoped he would call a spade a spade on the looting of shops, the torching of trucks and barricading of main roads after the imprisonment of former president Jacob Zuma. 

People thought he would kick-start his speech by reminding the nation of the reason Zuma had been incarcerated. He did not. As usual he waffled while the country was in flames. Why did he shy away from telling the nation that Zuma was imprisoned for contempt of the law and that it had nothing to do with him being a Zulu South African?..