SA President Cyril Ramaphosa meeting with US President Joe Biden of the United States of America on the sidelines of the G7 Summit held in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. Picture: Jairus Mmutle.
The US is a superpower and has influence all over the world. When it coughs, the whole world catches the flu. And it has a tendency of abusing its power, especially against countries that don’t agree with it.
Next year, the US and South Africa are going to the polls. At the same time, these two countries are at odds with each other due to SA being accused of supporting Russia in its (the latter) war against Ukraine.
Interestingly, there are similarities between the two country's presidents – Joe Biden and Cyril Ramaphosa. They both took over from disastrous presidents Donald Trump and Jacob Zuma, respectively.
When Biden and Ramaphosa took to power, both carried the hopes of the citizens of their countries, but have failed dismally to meet expectations. Now citizens feel like they have wasted their votes on them.
Biden is 82. This year, he has fallen twice in a space of two weeks. He is old and should be enjoying his twilight years at home. His mind is no longer sharp enough to be able to lead a complex country such as America.
The economy of the US is dwindling. When the economy is down, it affects everything. The American president has done nothing to resuscitate it except pay lip service. As a result, the country's citizens have lost confidence in him.
On the other hand, Ramaphosa is no longer interested in his job. He remains president because his allies want or need him to be there. Otherwise, he is ready to step down.
Like in the US, the South African economy is at an all-time low. As a result, it is failing to create the much-needed jobs. Ramaphosa has promised many times to jerk up the economy but failed.
The pertinent question is: come 2024, will citizens of both countries (US and SA) re-elect Biden and Ramaphosa, who have failed to keep their promises? Only time will tell.
* Thabile Mange, Mogale City.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Independent Media.
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