The issue of land reform has largely dominated discussions Ramaphosa’s presidency, with the ANC adopting land expropriation without compensation as its official policy at its national conference at Nasrec. In his reply to his State of the Nation Address, Ramaphosa said land redistribution would be an urgent priority for his administration. Shortly thereafter the National Assembly passed a motion for a parliamentary committee to investigate the necessity of changing section 25 of the Constitution to allow for land expropriation without compensation.

This provoked widespread response from opposition parties, civil society groups, big business and the agriculture sector with many raising serious concerns about how changing the Constitution with regards to property rights would affect the economy.

The EFF has been advocating that land should be expropriated and transferred to the state where after citizens would be able to lease it from the state. The ANC, however, has since said it will explore how the Expropriation Bill can be adapted to allow for expropriation without compensation and Ramaphosa has said government will be looking at low hanging fruit in urban and peri-urban areas for immediate land reform.

While there is general agreement about the need for land reform, Ramaphosa’s pronouncements about expropriation, amplified by populist EFF rhetoric, have led to uncertainty in the private sector around land tenure, possibly scaring foreign direct investors away. While Ramaphosa’s sentiments about the need for land reform is.

2. Minimum wage

The national minimum wage was set to take effect on May 1, but in March Parliament agreed that the deadline should be pushed back to allow MPs more time to consider more than 40 public submissions received on the draft legislation. Negotiations with labour unions have since spiralled to the point where a violent fight broke out between Saftu activists and Members of Parliament in the portfolio committee on labour, where the issue was discussed.

Saftu demands a minimum wage of R12 000 per month while the current amount is set at R20 an hour or R3 500 a month for a 40-hour week. Ramaphosa himself has entered negotiations and has remained adament that an agreement will be reached. However, so far, the different parties do not seem to be closer to a resolution.

3. Healthcare

In his State of the Nation Address Ramaphosa said the next critical steps to eliminate HIV will be taken. He also committed to launch a huge cancer campaign similar to the HIV counselling and testing campaign in the first three months of his presidency. This has yet to materialise.

Director of media relations at the Department of Health, Foster Mohale, told City Press that the delay was because the department was waiting for stakeholders, but that they were still hoping to roll out the campaigns by the end of May.

(Photo: Residents of Parkwood show defeat as law enforcement officials try and settle the residents on May 23, 2018 in Cape Town after they tried to invade land illegally. Gallo Images/Brenton Geach)

1. Cabinet reshuffle

After much speculation, and barely a week into his presidency, Ramaphosa announced a new Cabinet on January 27. Notable ministers who were removed included Jacob Zuma loyalists Faith Muthambi as minister of public service and administration, Fikile Mbalula as police minister, and Lynne Brown as public enterprises minister.

To bolster the economic portfolios, Ramaphosa brought back Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister and Pravin Gordhan as public enterprises minister. The two set to work to turn around the dire situation the economy was in. Ramaphosa and Nene met with ratings agencies and foreign investors and Gordhan started going through state-owned enterprises with Occam’s razor to remove corruption and maladministration.

While Ramaphosa drew heavy criticism for retaining Zuma loyalists Bathabile Dlamini as minister of women in the presidency and Malusi Gigaba as home affairs minister, critics agreed that he did well to appoint a capable Cabinet, given his obligations to senior members of the ANC.

“He could not immediately get rid of everyone who was corrupt in the ANC,” says political analyst Ralph Mathekga. “But he made sure to strengthen Cabinet where it mattered – in the economic portfolios.”

2. State capture

On the day of Ramaphosa’s inauguration as president, the Hawks raided the infamous Gupta brothers’ compound in Saxonwold, heralding the end of an era of unbridled state capture. Varun Gupta was arrested, along with other known associates of the brothers. Atul, Ajay and Tony Gupta fled to Dubai. Authorities are currently working on getting them back to South Africa for questioning.

Parliament’s mineral resources committee also adopted in principle the terms of reference for its inquiry into the activities of former mineral resources minister Mosebenzi Zwane, after allegations that he was closely linked to the Guptas, particularly with regard to the pressured sale by Glencore of its coal mine assets to the Gupta-owned Tegeta Exploration and Resources.

On March 7, Deputy Chief Justice Raymond announced the appointment of key staff for the State Capture Inquiry, which includes former Auditor General Terrence Nombembe as head of investigations. Ramaphosa changed a crucial regulation of the commission that determined that evidence produced during the inquiry could not be used in a criminal case, a clause Zuma signed on February 8 before he stepped down from office. The inquiry is yet to start proceedings, but is set to expose the cabal implicated in using state resources for personal gain.

Perhaps the most significant achievement of all has been Zuma’s appearance in court on April 6 on 16 charges relating to 783 irregular payments, which he allegedly received in connection with the controversial multibillion-rand arms deal. Zuma’s case was postponed to December, but his first appearance was a victory for civil society and opposition parties who fought years to get the charges against him reinstated.

3. State-owned enterprises

Ramaphosa promised, in his State of the Nation Address, that his government will intervene decisively to stabilise and revitalise SOEs, with funding models to be renewed and only people with expertise, experience and integrity serving on the respective boards. New Minister of Public Enterprises Pravin Gordhan jumped straight to work to “recapture” the parastatals. To date, sweeping changes have been made to the boards of Denel, Eskom, Prasa and Transnet, and their respective executives have been bolstered with business heavyweights. Gordhan’s department has been hard at work, working out new funding models for the respective entities, and is also on a mission to recover funds stolen from them through state capture.

4. SARS

In a late-night statement on March 19, the Presidency announced that SARS commissioner Tom Moyane had been suspended with “immediate effect”, pending the institution of disciplinary proceedings. Ramaphosa appointed Mark Kingon, an experienced tax practitioner, as acting head.

The move came days after Jonas Makwakwa, chief officer for business and individual tax, resigned with immediate effect. Moyane has since been served with disciplinary charges and Ramaphosa has refused him state funding for his legal costs. A commission of inquiry into the country’s tax administration, headed by former Judge Robert ‘Bob’ Nugent, was also announced. During his maiden State of the Nation Address in February, Ramaphosa said the commission would ensure that the credibility of SARS was restored, as well as its capacity to meet revenue targets.

“By proceeding to charge Moyane and refusing to give him legal funding, Ramaphosa set the right tone,” says analyst Mpumelelo Mkhabela.

5. Economy

Since day one, Ramaphosa has made all the right noises to boost the economy. The rand strengthened immediately on the back of his election as president, and investor confidence got a huge boost. Rampahosa reappointed Nhlanhla Nene as finance minister, who almost immediately took off to meet with foreign investors. Meetings with Moody’s saw the ratings agency change South Africa’s economic outlook to stable, and keeping its debt at investment grade.

Making a big deal about the importance of foreign investment, Ramaphosa announced plans to raise R1.2 trillion to boost the economy over the next five years. As promised, he announced an economic advisory panel to achieve this. On the panel are Trudi Makhaya, who was appointed as Ramaphosa’s economic adviser, as well as former finance minister Trevor Manuel, former deputy finance minister Mcebisi Jonas, executive chair of the Afropulse Group Phumzile Langeni, and chair of the Liberty Group and former Standard Bank head Jacko Maree, who were all appointed as envoys.

On the negative side, Value Added Tax (VAT) was raised by one percentage point, to 15%. With South Africa’s economy being consumer driven, it is a big impediment to much sought after economic growth.

(Photo: Felix Dlangamandla/Netwerk24)

1. Shaun Abrahams appeal withdrawn

Days after being inaugurated as president, Cyril Ramaphosa withdrew the president’s appeal against a High Court judgment that NPA boss Shaun Abrahams should vacate his position, after the court found that former president Jacob Zuma was conflicted when appointing Abrahams. Zuma and Abrahams appealed the decision together, but with Ramaphosa withdrawing his appeal, the compromised Abrahams now fights alone to keep his job.

2. Youth Employment Service initiative

Ramaphosa announced the Youth Employment Service in March, and said it is anticipated that the YES initiative will generate more than 300 000 work experiences annually for South African youth over the next three years. Led and supported by the private sector, the initiative will incentivise businesses to employ young people, giving them a chance at a life-changing first work experience. Major companies that have pledged their support for the initiative include the MTN Group and Volvo South Africa. MTN promised to create 1000 jobs within the first year and Volvo invested R25 million in the youth initiative.

3. Easing of visa regulations to boost tourism

Ramaphosa undertook to enhance support for destination marketing in key tourism markets and take further measures to reduce regulatory barriers and develop emerging tourism businesses. On May 2, Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba and Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom announced that their departments will set up a dedicated team of officials to fast-track progress in easing visa requirements for visitors in order to boost the number of tourists to South Africa.

Specific areas that will be looked at include travel by minors, easing visa requirements for residents of Brazil, Russia, India and China (Brics) and the introduction of electronic visas for incoming tourists.

4. Declaration on African free trade region

President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Kigali Declaration on the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) at the 10th Extraordinary Summit of the Assembly of the African Union in Kigali, Rwanda. South Africa is one of 44 African countries to sign a declaration on establishing a free trade region in Africa. Bloomberg reported that years of talks were expected to culminate in the creation of the almost $3trn African trade bloc.

The creation of a free trade area – billed as the world’s largest – comes after two years of negotiations and is one of the AU’s flagship projects for greater African integration. However, the agreement will still have to be ratified at a national level.

5. State Security Agency DG Arthur Fraser moved to Correctional Services

In April, the State Security Agency (SSA) announced that its director general, Arthur Fraser, would be moved to the Department of Correctional Services. Jacques Pauw, in his book The President’s Keepers, accused Fraser of running the parallel intelligence network during a previous stint at the spy agency before 2010. According to the book, an internal SSA probe concluded that Fraser should be charged with treason for his role in the running of the project.

6. ‘Gupta clause’ cut out of Mining Charter

A clause that includes naturalised citizens in the group of people who should benefit from attempts to more evenly redistribute the country’s mineral wealth will be cut from the Mining Charter.

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe is in talks with companies, unions and mining communities on an update to the Mining Carter after a version published last year by his predecessor prompted legal challenges from the industry. Among the criticisms of the 2017 charter was its recognition of black and other historically disadvantaged people who had taken citizenship after being in the country for long enough.

Opposition parties suggested that the clause was included to benefit the Gupta family, who are friends with former president Jacob Zuma.

(Photo by Gallo Images / Netwerk24 / Jaco Marais)