Cyril Ramaphosa Archives

23 Aug

Kicking against the Brics

August 23, 2023
By Ben Trovato
13 comments

Since today falls in the middle of the Bric's meeting, it seemed right to send each leader a personalised message. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva: Bem-vindo! You will feel right at home here bec...

22 Jun

Cut&Run

Dear President Ramaphosa…

June 22, 2023
By Ben Trovato
8 comments

Congratulations on your successful mission to Europe. You have shown the world that South Africa is even able to unite countries that are at war with one another. Both Russia and Ukraine now agree tha...

09 Feb

Cut&Run

My fellow South Africans …

February 9, 2023
By Ben Trovato
12 comments

For the second year, the State of the Nation Address is not being delivered in the National Assembly. It feels like yesterday that a fire swept through parliament 375 days ago. This is why we have not...

08 Dec

Cut&Run

A letter to the president

December 8, 2022
By Ben Trovato
10 comments

Dear Comrade Cyril, Congratulations/condolences on recent developments in the Phala Phala clusterfuck. Things are moving fast and there's no way of telling whether you'll be president, jobless or on ...

20 Oct

Cut&Run

Shooting the breeze … and the boss

November 1, 2022
By Ben Trovato
12 comments

An internal survey has found that 65% of cops don't look forward to going to work in the morning. This means the 35% who do enjoy the job are the ones collecting protection money, soliciting bribes an...

16 Jun

Cut&Run

We’ve got an Ankole in the forex business

June 16, 2022
By Ben Trovato
5 comments

I wanted to write about the last nail being hammered into Cyril Ramaphosa's political coffin. Or about a fat, repulsive ex-spook stabbing South Africa in the back, not to put it out of its misery, but...

09 Dec

Cut&Run

The jellysloths and flying snakes of the ANC

December 9, 2021
By Ben Trovato
10 comments

How peculiar to live in a country where the only person still capable of being shocked is the president. Not that I am currently in the country. If you've been paying attention, you will know that I a...

13 Jun

Cut&Run

Dear Comrade President Cyril Ramaphosa the First…

June 14, 2021
By Ben Trovato
1 comment

Well done on reminding us that members of parliament are people, too. Real people with real feelings. If you tickle them, do they not laugh? If you cut them, do they not bleed? If you pay them R100 00...

27 Apr

Columns

No safe harbour for Gigaba – a flashback

April 27, 2021
By Ben Trovato
5 comments

Here's a letter I wrote to the man of the moment two-and-a-half years ago after Ajay Gupta gave him the home affairs ministry. ........................................ Dear Comrade Malusi Gigaba...

16 Jul

Columns

Bored in the RSA

July 16, 2020
By Ben Trovato
19 comments

I am starting to get the feeling this government might not think we're all that bright. I can understand where it comes from, I suppose, this notion that South Africans are morons. I can almost hear t...

08 May

Columns

Dear Cyril …

May 8, 2020
By Ben Trovato
70 comments

Dear Comrade President Ramaphosa, Defender of the Lockdown, Punisher of the Pandemic, Destroyer of the Economy, Nemesis of Smokers and Drinkers. May I call you Cyril? I don't mean to be overfamilia...

07 Nov

Cut&Run

The dark side of change

November 7, 2019
By Ben Trovato
6 comments

It’s unlikely I was the only one suffering from a minor medical emergency last Sunday. Having tried all the regular remedies – aspirin, fried food, suicide – I dragged my shattered carcass off to the ...

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