Ramaphosa inaugurated for Second Term as South African President

South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, is sworn in as President at his inauguration at the Union Buildings in Tshwane, South Africa, Wednesday, June 19, 2024.

Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa’s president, was on Wednesday sworn in for his second mandate after a tedious last month election.

He received a 21-gun salute, military fles-by and a parade of honour by the South Africa National Defence Forces (SANDF).

Ramaphosa secured his position after garnering majority votes among members of Parliament allied to the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA) and other parties that backed his candidacy in Parliament last week.

This was the first time the ANC failed to secure the majority after the May 29 election when other parties like Zuma’s outfit uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK), Malema’s allied party the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the DA strengthened their numbers in the parliament.

Ramaphosa won accordingly in Parliament against a surprise candidate who was also nominated — Julius Malema of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters, by receiving 283 votes against Malema’s 44 in the 400-member house.

South Africa has been undergoing pressing problems that include some of the world’s highest levels of unemployment, inequality and violent crime.

ANC, the famed party of Nelson Mandela, had ruled South Africa with a comfortable majority since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994.

But it lost its 30-year majority in the humbling national election on May 29, a turning point for the country. The vote was held against the backdrop of widespread discontent from South Africans over high levels of poverty, inequality and unemployment.

Analysts warn there may be complications ahead, though, given the starkly different ideologies of the ANC, a former liberation movement, and the centrist, business-friendly DA, which won 21% of the vote in the national election, the second largest share behind the ANC’s 40%.

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