President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered his second Government of National Unity (GNU) State of the Nation Address on Thursday, outlining government priorities and policy commitments but it was his wardrobe choice that unexpectedly sparked conversation.
Ramaphosa took to the podium dressed in a black suit, white shirt and blue tie, a colour some observers quickly linked to the Democratic Alliance.
Speaking a day later at the Presidential Golf Day, the President addressed the chatter with humour, suggesting critics were focusing on the wrong details.
“I want you to focus on the things that work well. Yesterday somebody said, ‘the President delivered a good speech, but the tie he was wearing…’,” Ramaphosa said.
“What does the tie have to do with it? They must listen to the speech. They mustn’t look at how handsome I am. I know I am handsome, but do not focus on that,” he added, drawing laughter.
While the light-hearted remarks provided a moment of levity, Ramaphosa stressed that attention should remain on the substance of the address and the issues facing the country not the colour of his tie.
In politics, it seems, even a tie can make headlines though the President would clearly prefer the policies to do the talking.