Cyril Ramaphosa, the President of South Africa, has long been portrayed as a champion of economic transformation and a unifier in the region. Of course the USA an issue with that and it’s not an easy one.
But behind this carefully crafted image lies a darker reality—one where his financial empire and political ambitions are inextricably linked to the exploitation and suffering of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
In 2012, Cyril Ramaphosa solidified his financial empire through a controversial mining deal with Glencore, a global commodities giant notorious for corruption, bribery, and environmental destruction. Under the guise of Black Economic Empowerment (BEE), Ramaphosa acquired a 67.77% controlling stake in Optimum Coal Holdings (OCH), a move that secured his financial dominance while entangling him in one of Africa’s largest corruption scandals.
Glencore, which has a long history of bribing officials to secure mining rights, found in Ramaphosa a politically connected enabler. The company manipulated Eskom, South Africa’s power utility, into overpaying for low-quality coal, increasing prices from R150 ($8) per tonne to R530 ($28) per tonne. When Eskom CEO Brian Molefe and COO Matshela Koko resisted, Glencore forced Optimum into business rescue, later selling it to Gupta-linked Tegeta Exploration in a shady R2.15 billion ($113 million) deal, backed by a R1.68 billion ($88 million) Eskom guarantee.
Ramaphosa’s Military Gamble in Congo
Fast forward to 2025, and Ramaphosa’s reach has extended to Congo’s mineral wealth, where South African troops are now accused of massacring Congolese civilians to protect his financial interests. Officially, South African troops were deployed to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) brigade. However, instead of bringing stability, they have been accused of committing horrific war crimes.
Reports indicate that these troops have massacred at least 600 people, including members of the Banyamulenge community, a persecuted Tutsi group in eastern Congo. Worse still, South African forces have bragged about ‘mowing down’ 600 M23 fighters, but what they fail to mention is that these include innocent civilians, targeted under the false pretext of being M23 combatants. The indiscriminate killings have sent shockwaves through the region, fueling further violence instead of ending it.
But South Africa’s real mission in the DRC has little to do with protecting civilians. It is about securing cobalt and copper mines controlled by Glencore and other Western corporations, ensuring that Kinshasa remains loyal to these foreign interests.
Glencore’s Role in Fueling the Conflict
Glencore’s corruption in Congo’s mining sector has been well documented. Between 2007 and 2018, the company paid over $27.5 million in bribes to secure favorable deals in the Mutanda and Kamoto copper-cobalt mines—two of the world’s richest sources of cobalt, a mineral essential for electric vehicle batteries. In 2022, Glencore admitted in a U.S. court to paying over $100 million in bribes across Nigeria, South Sudan, and Equatorial Guinea, but its influence in the DRC remains intact.
To protect this lucrative business, Ramaphosa and DRC President Félix Tshisekedi struck a secret military deal. Tshisekedi, who has struggled to control the crisis in eastern Congo, needed a foreign army willing to do the dirty work. In return, South Africa secured a larger stake in Congo’s mining economy.
Further proving the alignment between South Africa’s military intervention and Glencore’s business interests, Glencore CEO Gary Nagle met with President Tshisekedi and Prime Minister Judith Suminwa on December 10, 2024. His visit was a clear indication that corporate interests were driving the war. During the meeting, Nagle reinforced Glencore’s “commitment” to the DRC while securing assurances that Kinshasa would not obstruct South African-led military operations, including full-fledged attacks on M23 positions.
M23’s control of key territories in eastern Congo has severely disrupted the transportation of looted minerals. By holding crucial supply routes, the movement has prevented illicit mineral flows from reaching foreign corporations. This economic blockade is precisely why South Africa’s military has intensified its operations—removing M23 is the key to unimpeded mineral extraction and transport.
Ramaphosa’s Political Nightmare
Ramaphosa’s involvement in these exploitative ventures was so deep that he knew it could come back to haunt him politically. When he sought office, he publicly distanced himself from the company, fronting his business allies and cronies to take over on his behalf. But this deception has not helped. His dirty, bloody hands are still visible in every financial transaction and every politically motivated military intervention in the region.
His Congo gamble is now turning into a political nightmare. Earlier this month, reports emerged that 13 South African soldiers had been killed in battle. However, insiders reveal the real number is between 50 and 100, with many of the bodies still rotting on the battlefield because South Africa lacks the air support to recover them.
Facing outrage back home, Ramaphosa scrambled to shift blame. At first, he admitted to President Kagame in a private call that South African troops had been mistakenly killed by FARDC (Congolese Army) soldiers who had lost control in the heat of battle. But after backlash from Kinshasa, he changed his story, now blaming M23 rebels for the attack. Under pressure from South African opposition parties, he then accused Rwanda, drawing a sharp rebuke from Kagame, who called him a liar.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s parliament is in crisis as opposition lawmakers demand answers. Why have the decomposing bodies of fallen soldiers not been repatriated? Why was South Africa’s military sent into this quagmire without a clear strategy or the capacity to extract its own casualties? Ramaphosa’s government remains silent, unable to provide a clear explanation, fueling further anger among South Africans questioning the purpose of this costly and bloody intervention.
Congo produced 72 percent of the worlds cobalt last year, according to Darton Commodities. And demand for the metal is exploding due to its use in the rechargeable batteries that power mobile phones and electric cars.
But the countrys poorly regulated artisanal mines, which produce a small but not-negligeable percentage of its total output, have tarnished the image of Congolese cobalt. (Photo by Junior KANNAH / AFP)
https://x.com/fgoloobamutebi/status/1886803001257431164?s=46
Malema’s Hypocrisy and Muhoozi’s Response
Julius Malema, who initially slammed Ramaphosa for sacrificing South African soldiers in Congo, has now shifted his tone. His stance has become increasingly inconsistent, swinging between condemning the deployment and attacking Rwanda. Malema’s sudden pivot to smearing Kagame exposes a lack of a principled position—one moment, he decries Ramaphosa’s involvement in the DRC, and the next, he parrots Kinshasa’s propaganda, ignoring the atrocities committed by FDLR, FARDC, and other armed groups. His selective outrage has left observers questioning whether his motivations are ideological or merely opportunistic.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Uganda’s Defense Forces Commander, did not hold back in addressing Malema’s contradictions. He issued a sharp rebuke, warning Malema against reckless rhetoric.
“My dear brother Malema should stop insulting our fathers and uncles. That is very dangerous for him and totally unnecessary. Instead, he should come and talk to us.”
Muhoozi emphasized the need for dialogue rather than inflammatory accusations, urging Malema to engage directly with regional leaders rather than fueling misinformation.
At the same time, Muhoozi attempted to de-escalate tensions, acknowledging Ramaphosa’s leadership while making it clear that South Africa’s intervention in the DRC was fundamentally flawed.
“President Cyril Ramaphosa is a great man. Nobody should belittle him. We actually respect him a lot. He has Nkore cows! No one can mock him. The South African deployment in DRC was wrong on so many levels. But our brothers in South Africa never consult us before they do their things.”
Kabarebe Exposes South Africa’s Deep State Operations
Meanwhile, Rtrd General James Kabarebe has chipped in, as an undisputed authority on these matters due to his background, directly called out South Africa’s intelligence network and its role in supporting Rwanda’s enemies. He condemned those in South Africa who continue to fuel instability in the Great Lakes region.
“Nyamwasa is a coward and an opportunist who betrayed his country out of greed. Attempting to sanitize this crook and distort historical facts is part of a failed agenda to cover up the mess that led to SA troops dying at the hands of FARDC and FDLR genocidaires, whom they fought alongside in the Eastern DRC. Millions of Rwandans who genuinely care are at home, defending and developing their country every single day.”
Kabarebe further exposed how South Africa’s intelligence agencies have been working against Rwanda’s security interests:
“Rtd Lt Gen Maomela Motau, former SA intelligence chief, is haunted and desperate, having supported the Rwandan dissidents living in SA during his time of active service. It’s such kind of bankrupt and backward minds that are behind the futile mess of SA forces in EDRC fighting alongside FDLR genocidal forces and European mercenaries to kill innocent Congolese Tutsi in North Kivu struggling for their rights to survival.”
A War for Power and Profit
The victims of this predatory war are watching. Is Ramaphosa the only culprit? Not at all, but his recent actions and bad mouthing of Rwanda and casting war threats simplified his whole dirty dealings. The opposition, the people, and history itself will judge Ramaphosa. The bodies are piling up in Eastern DRC, but the world remains silent.
This is not about human rights or stability—this is about money and power. The corporate-political nexus between Ramaphosa, Glencore, and Tshisekedi has turned Congo into a killing field for profit.
Ramaphosa is not a liberator—he is a war profiteer, and the world must hold him accountable.
