The Presidents

Since 1994, South Africa has had five presidents who have varied greatly in style and character, despite all coming from the same political party. How do they compare? How did they handle the crises they faced? What effect did they have on the country?As the ANC’s next elective conference approaches and Cyril Ramaphosa seeks a second term as president, the country is reeling from the effects of state capture and the Covid-19 pandemic. Coupled with an ailing economy and record unemployment, the need for good political leadership to steer us through the morass is more urgent than ever.It is, therefore, a perfect time to think critically about the role that presidential leadership plays in our lives and in history. To this end, The Presidents provides an honest assessment of the five post-democracy presidents – Mandela, Mbeki, Motlanthe, Zuma and Ramaphosa – examining their strongest qualities and greatest weaknesses in the context of the momentous challenges they faced.

Richard Calland is one of South Africa’s most incisive political analysts. During a fifteen year career at IDASA, he also founded a number of organisations, including the Parliamentary Monitoring Group (PMG), the DGRU and Judges Matter, as well as the Council for the Advancement of the South African Constitution (CASAC). He is now an associate professor in public law at UCT, a Fellow of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and a co-founding partner of political risk advisory The Paternoster Group. Earlier publications include Thabo Mbeki’s World, Anatomy of South Africa, The Zuma Years and Make or Break. Mabel Sithole is the Building Bridges Programme Officer at the Nelson Mandela School. She has over thirteen years’ experience working in human rights, public policy and development in Africa. She worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross as the Communications Officer for the Regional Delegation of Southern Africa, and Skillshare International as the Regional Programme Officer for Southern Africa. She has contributed to studies assessing the implementation of affirmative action and employment equity policies in South Africa’s tertiary education sector. Her current research interests focus on leadership and governance in southern Africa. She is also an established musician (Mae Sithole), recipient of the ConcertsSA Mobility Fund, and was named one of Cape Town’s Top 5 Innovative Female Musician Innovators by Of Africa magazine.