Moeletsi Mbeki’s criticism of President Cyril Ramaphosa is unfair. In his May 23 2022 interview on Ukhozi FM he refers to the president as a non-leader and a party agent who lacks an opinion of his own and goes with the wind. I beg to differ.

Mbeki compares Ramaphosa to Nelson Mandela, Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Let’s look at their presidencies.

Mandela was an icon respected worldwide for his quality and achievements. His influence was not only felt locally but also internationally, hence it was sometimes difficult to differ with him. Because of his stature it was easy for him to impose his will in whatever the situation he was in. People respected him for what he was.

Thabo Mbeki, who literally ran the country when Mandela was crisscrossing the world, got the leadership on a platter and everything became simple for him by virtue of having served as Mandela’s deputy.

Mbeki was able to impose his will by virtue of the influence bequeathed to him by Mandela. This helped him to be decisive in whatever he was doing. Let us not forget that Mbeki was elected unopposed, hence the warning by Mandela when he was elected that he would be tempted to become a dictator. It became very easy for Mbeki to impose his will on the ANC and government.

Zuma defeated Mbeki at the Polokwane conference by a wide margin. This happened because ANC members saw Mbeki as a dictator who made decisions alone and did not consult. What irked people most was Mbeki’s desire to lead the ANC for a third term.

So, Zuma obtained an overwhelming mandate as a leader to do as he wished with the ANC and the government, hence all the shenanigans such as state capture and corruption. As a result of the overwhelming support he received within the party he was able to impose his will on the ANC and government and he became decisive no matter how wrong he was, leading to him reshuffling his cabinet any time he wanted even if in most instances it was at the behest of his masters, the Guptas.

This led to him to push Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma to become the next president of the ANC and the government. The ANC conference at Nasrec led to Ramaphosa winning the ANC presidency by a slight margin, a mere 179 votes. As a result, he could not receive the overwhelming mandate he needed to fully take control of the party, thereby unable to impose his will like the previous presidents. Hence, he opted to preach unity and accommodated his erstwhile foes who failed to support him.

He had to tread carefully in decision making to avoid giving ammunition to those who dislike him within the party. This he did because of the desire to lead the ANC and government for a second term. He should not be seen as dictatorial and autocratic.

He spends much time consulting in order not to alienate the majority of members within the party. As a result he is perceived as weak and indecisive.

After the December conference, he will change his tune if he wins with a landslide majority.

Ramaphosa has his weaknesses but criticism of his leadership should be fair.

Let us bear in mind that he inherited a party and  government in tatters as a result of Zuma’s corruption and he had to rescue the ship.

• Khomo is a Sowetan reader