South African Parliament Elects Cyril Ramaphosa New President

By Dipo Olowookere

Following the resignation of Mr Jacob Zuma on Wednesday as the President of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa has been elected to replace him.

Mr Ramaphosa was elected the new South African President on Thursday by the nation’s 400-member parliament.

The country’s legislature, which is dominated by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, elected Mr Ramaphosa to complete Mr Zuma’s term.

South Africans will head for the polls next year to elect a new leader and the opposition party would look to give the ruling ANC a big fight.

Mr Zuma was forced to leave office yesterday following allegations of corruption against his administration.

Mr Ramaphosa was born in 1952 in Soweto, a township southwest of the Johannesburg city centre, and went on to study law at the University of the North at Turfloop.

In December, 65-year-old new President narrowly defeated Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, a former wife of Mr Zuma, in the race to replace him (Mr Zuma) as the head of the ANC.