Cyril’s punishment must fit his crime: He’s worth more than the weight of his mistakes

How can you sit there so calmly, when we are in the middle of a constitutional crisis?

And not just any old crisis, like the ones we’ve seen before.

This is a very public and obvious attempt to remove our top corruption gatekeeper.

I was one of millions of very nervous people last week, when there was serious talk of President Cyril Ramaphosa resigning.

Many political analysts see a resignation as his only dignified recourse, following the damning report by the independent panel, tasked with determining whether he has a case to answer with regards to the Phala Phala scandal.

They see the report as a precursor to an inevitable and humiliating impeachment process that could potentially remove him from office.

Even some of those who are usually in his corner, are advising that he jump ship gracefully, rather than be unceremoniously pushed.

We should all be extremely nervous at the turn of events.

Let me just state for the record, that I agree that Ramaphosa has a case to answer.

I think most South Africans are very curious about the thousands of dollars that were tucked away inside his couch, from where it was stolen by a gang of robbers.

But I also believe that most South Africans don’t think that he should lose his job over it. And there are several reasons why.

I’ll spare you the deep legal analysis, which other, much smarter commentators have done very well, and instead talk about the obvious, anecdotal stuff that we are all wondering about.

Firstly, we can see the clear difference between the illegality of Ramaphosa’s supposed actions and the morally reprehensible behaviour of other politicians, including his predecessor.

The difference is chalk and cheese; the equivalence of a misdemeanour versus a serious crime that impacted millions of people.

I say this because – considering that he has someone managing Phala Phala – I’m not even sure that Ramaphosa was personally involved in the sale of those buffaloes.

It would explain the chaotic nature of the paperwork, the money exchange and the couch storage – not exactly the characteristics of a highly competent and successful businessman accustomed to ironing out small details in corporate deals.

But even assuming that the man himself took charge of the sale, the fact remains that this was honest money made from the sale of his own personal resources.

As far as I can tell, none of it was looted from State coffers through dodgy tender deals, corrupt cadre deployment or self-enriching executive orders.

A businessman hiding some cash earnings from the taxman to avoid his liability, is, of course, common and reprehensible, and more so when that businessman happens to be the president of the country, who should be setting an example in all aspects of life.

But considering the level of sustained corruption that we have been through as a nation, such a possible misstep from a man who is clearly out to clean up government, is the least of our worries, and easily forgiven and repaired.

I would support a stiff fine from SARS – as they do in all other cases of this nature; and a severe reprimand with regards to the undeclared foreign currency, but certainly not what essentially amounts to a soft coup.

Secondly, we can see that this is a carefully orchestrated character assassination, evidenced by the fact that Arthur Fraser waited so long before making details of the Phala Phala burglary public.

Politically this smear campaign was necessary, because, despite his administrative failings and personal flaws, Ramaphosa is simply being too successful at cleaning up government.

There are some very itchy long fingers forced to lay idle for fear of being caught, if not now, then almost certainly later, as we have seen happening recently thanks to the Hawks, the Assets Forfeiture Unit and even SARS.

And let’s face it, these bodies have been particularly effective recently, with a presidency that is supporting, not undermining them.

The fact is that Cyril Ramaphosa may have prejudiced us by not paying his fair amount of taxes, but he did not steal from us directly.

He did not institutionalise brazen looting, creating an enabling domino-effect of corruption up and down the chain of command, the consequences of which will be felt for generations.

Ramaphosa isn’t too busy with a private fire pool, or meeting with architects of grand scale State capture to care about the wellbeing of the masses.

Yes he can do better, but by almost every measure, he exemplifies political progress – most definitely over his predecessor and almost certainly over whoever will replace him.

And it’s that momentum of progress that we should attempt to maintain.

We cannot afford to take any number of steps backwards with anyone less capable and determined.

So in plain simple terms, Ramaphosa may have made a few silly mistakes, or allowed his staff to.

He may have carried on an ill-considered side hustle, but his value is worth more than the weight of his mistakes.

He did not steal from our treasury to enrich himself. But he is mostly definitely standing in the way of those who would like to continue doing so!

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