Why this is South Africa’s most important election since 1994
It may force the country’s indecisive leader to make a fateful choice
![A pensioneer in her home in Bioemfontein, South Africa](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/content-assets/images/20240525_FBP002.jpg)
Since taking office in 2018, Cyril Ramaphosa has turned indecisiveness into an art form. No matter the problem, South Africa’s president will dither about the solution. Six years after pledging a “new dawn” he has yet to get to grips with the country’s multiple crises, including record unemployment, the highest murder rate in 20 years and widespread corruption.
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This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Dawdling and decay”
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