Mr Ramaphosa, you and the ANC have changed

12 April 2016

Dear Mr Ramaphosa,

Exactly a week ago, I was seated opposite you in the National Assembly during the debate on the DA’s motion to remove Jacob Zuma from office. I must be honest with you, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of respect for you whenever you walked into Parliament. 

This is because I remember learning at school about how you out-negotiated the Apartheid government and helped draft our precious constitution. I remember seeing the picture of you standing next to tata Madiba when he was released from prison. 

So I feel I must tell you, out of respect for what you used to stand for, that you have left me and many other young South Africans, who love our Constitutional Democracy, heart-broken. You voted against the very Constitution that you and so many others fought and died for.

It sadly didn’t end there. Less than a week later, I heard on the radio that you lashed out at our people for saying that the ANC is in crisis because its President broke the law by violating the Constitution. These are the very stalwarts, like the remarkable Ahmed Kathrada, who fought next to you for our freedom and dignity to be treated like human beings. 

I heard you also take a swipe at religious leaders who have criticized the government and the ANC. It reminded me of those people who attacked people like Archbishop Desmond Tutu for standing up to the Apartheid government before we were a democracy.

The truth, Mr Ramaphosa, is that you are not the man you once were. You, like the ANC, have changed. The party that helped liberate South Africa and which you jointly lead now symbolizes greed and corruption, and not freedom and respect for the rule of law. 

But I think many South Africans should now thank you for what you did last week. Because what your actions did help confirm for so many young people across the country is that you are no hero, waiting in the wings, to help save the ANC “from the inside”. 

You, like Jacob Zuma, will always put the ANC first and the people of South Africa last. 

Mr Ramaphosa, I will always respect what you used to stand for. But the next time you walk into Parliament, I will no longer feel respect for what you and the party you lead have now become.

Yours sincerely,

Phumzile Van Damme MP

Issued by the DA, 12 April 2016