Cyril Ramaphosa, the leader of South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC), was on Wednesday sworn in for his second term as the country’s president.
The ceremony took place in Pretoria, the country’s administrative capital.
This came amidst political turmoil that saw the ANC losing its strong grip on power, with Ramaphosa acknowledging and respecting the results of the May 29 elections.
At 71, Ramaphosa was re-elected as South African president by the National Assembly on June 14, securing 283 votes against Julius Malema of the Economic Freedom Fighters, who received 44 votes.
The May 29 general elections marked a significant downturn for the ANC, which garnered only 40 per cent of the vote, its worst result since the end of apartheid 30 years ago, resulting in the loss of its absolute majority in parliament.
Ramaphosa officially began his second term at the Union Buildings in Pretoria following the ANC’s formation of a Government of National Unity (GNU) that includes its long-time rival, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and other smaller parties.
In his address, Ramaphosa said, “The people of South Africa have spoken, and their will shall be done without any doubt or question. They have expressed their appreciation for the progress in many areas of their lives over the past 30 years of democracy. They have also been unequivocal in expressing their disappointment and disapproval of our performance in some of the areas we have failed them.
“Above all, the people of South Africa have stressed that they are impatient with political bickering and the endless blame game among politicians and political parties.
They want us to put their needs and aspirations first; and they want us to work together for the sake of our country.”
He said the voters wanted everyone to have enough food, decent homes, clean water, affordable and uninterrupted electricity supply, well-maintained roads, good care for the sick and the elderly, quality schools and other basic services.
In the general elections on May 29, the ANC secured 159 out of the 400 seats in the National Assembly.
Some world leaders, including Nigeria President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, King Mswati III of Kingdom of Eswatini, Cuba Vice President Salvador Valdés Mesa, Zimbabwea President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Samia Hassan of United Republic of Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire Vice President Tiemoko Meyliet Koné and Ghanaian President Nana Akufo, among others attended the inauguration.