President Cyril Ramaphosa and Lindiwe Sisulu. Images: GCIS/ Flickr
SONA 2022: Did Ramaphosa take a ‘constitutional’ jab at Sisulu?
Lindiwe Sisulu and President Cyril Ramaphosa have made it clear they disagree about the state of the Constitution and judiciary
President Cyril Ramaphosa and Lindiwe Sisulu. Images: GCIS/ Flickr
It seems there may still be tension between President Cyril Ramaphosa and his rogue Tourism Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, as evidenced by some of his utterances during his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday evening, 10 February 2022.
For the first time, the SONA was not delivered in the National Assembly, but from the Cape Town City Hall, following the blaze which gutted the Parliamentary precinct in January.
It’s no secret that the genesis of this was a lengthy opinion piece Sisulu had penned in The Star newspaper, where she criticises both the country’s judiciary and Constitution. This was met with much backlash and prompted speculation that Sisulu was tactfully launching her bid for the ANC Presidency and would be challenging Ramaphosa, who is vying for a second term in office.
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RAMAPHOSA: ‘THE BEST CONSTITUTION IN THE WORLD’
Lindiwe Sisulu has stuck to her guns and President Cyril Ramaphosa has made it clear that he doesn’t agree with her stance on the Constitution. During his first part of the SONA, Ramaphosa said: “There are moments in the life of a nation when old certainties are unsettled and new possibilities emerge. In these moments, there is both the prospect of great progress and the risk of reversal. Today, we are faced with such a moment. The path we choose now will determine the course for future generations. That is why we are taking steps to strengthen our democracy and reaffirm our commitment to a Constitution that protects us all”
Ramaphosa then went off script, saying: “The best Constitution in the world,” which was met with applause by some MPs.
Meanwhile, Sisulu, who is also a member of the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC), the party’s highest decision-making body, was set to appear before its Integrity Commission to explain her controversial remarks. In the opinion piece, Sisulu criticises the constitution and black judges, claiming the rule of law does not serve African values and interests.
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