‘New era’: Ramaphosa sworn in as South Africa’s president for second term
Al Jazeera
ANC leader now set to appoint cabinet featuring his weakened party and coalition partners in unity government.
Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in for a second term as South Africa’s president, hailing his broad coalition government as the “beginning of a new era”.
Ramaphosa, whose inauguration took place on Wednesday in Pretoria, now faces the challenge of appointing a cabinet featuring his weakened African National Congress (ANC) party and coalition partners.
Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to re-elect the 71-year-old last week, after elections in May that produced no outright winner, forcing the ANC to strike deals with five other parties, including the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA), to form a government of national unity.
“The formation of a government of national unity is a moment of profound significance. It is the beginning of a new era,” Ramaphosa said at his inauguration ceremony, led by Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.
The ANC, which came to power under Nelson Mandela’s leadership in 1994 after waging a decades-long battle against apartheid, lost its majority for the first time in 30 years of democracy, gaining just 40 percent of the vote.
