Cyril Ramaphosa hails 'new era' as he begins South African presidency

Cyril Ramaphosa told South Africans on Saturday that “a new era” had dawned as he was sworn in for a five-year term as president, but said the troubled country was at a defining moment in its history.

“It is time for us to make the future we yearn for … it is through our actions now that we will determine our destiny,” Ramaphosa said, after taking the oath of office in front of 30,000 people in the administrative capital, Pretoria.

“The challenges our country faces are huge and real. But they are not insurmountable. They can be solved. And I stand here today saying they are going to be solved.”

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Ramaphosa’s inauguration followed the ruling African National Congress party’s 57.5% victory in this month’s election. Though this was the ANC’s weakest showing at the ballot box since taking power at elections in 1994 at the end of the repressive, racist apartheid regime, supporters said it vindicated Ramaphosa’s leadership.

Many voters have been alienated by repeated corruption scandals during the administration of the former president, Jacob Zuma, who was ousted by Ramaphosa last year.

Unemployment also remains high, the economy has dipped into recession and rolling national power outages have underlined the poor state of national infrastructure. Violent crime is a serious problem, with poor people most likely to be victims.

The former labour activist and tycoon called for a state free from graft and “resources squandered”, as he urged South Africans to end poverty in a generation.

A former protege of Nelson Mandela, who was a Nobel laureate and South Africa’s first black president, Ramaphosa is seen by many as having the potential to clean up both the government and the ruling party’s reputation. Without him, the ANC likely would have received just 40% of the vote, one party leader, Fikile Mbalula, has said.

Zuma did not attend the inauguration. He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and says allegations are politically motivated.

Analysts say the greatest challenge facing Ramaphosa will be to overcome significant resistance from entrenched networks of opponents within the ANC who will try to block radical reforms.

In his speech on Saturday the president also addressed public frustration with joblessness, patchy delivery of basic services and a failure to overcome many of the economic legacies of apartheid. South Africa remains one of the most unequal countries in the world, with disproportionate wealth in the hands of the white minority.

“All South Africans yearn for a society defined by equality, by solidarity, by a shared humanity … They yearn for a society in which our worth is determined by how much we value others,” Ramaphosa said. “Many live lives of intolerable deprivation. Too many of our people do not work, especially the youth.”

There was criticism from opposition parties of the expense of the inauguration ceremony, which ANC officials said they would try to keep at about $8m (£6.3m), considerably less than was spent in 2014.

“We just feel that money could have been better spent on a lasting legacy project rather than a one-day jamboree, which is essentially to make politicians feel good about themselves,” said John Steenhuisen of the Democratic Alliance.

Julius Malema, the leader of the leftwing Economic Freedom Fighters, attended the inauguration but appeared to warn Ramaphosa that he would have “no peace” if he did not allow David Mabuza, the deputy president, to continue in his office.

Mabuza has temporarily stepped aside while he is being investigated for graft.
Ramaphosa will appoint a new cabinet on Sunday. Analysts say his choice of ministers will be seen as an indication of how far the president will go to placate opponents within the ANC.