Cape Town - The EFF has left the National Assembly after saying it would not legitimise the election of incoming president Cyril Ramaphosa by participating in the process in Parliament on Thursday.

EFF leader Julius Malema held a press conference on Thursday before proceedings started during which he said that a new president needed a new mandate from the electorate following the constitutional violations of the past few years.

"The EFF has no confidence in the entire leadership of the ANC, and therefore believes that even those who will be elected after Jacob Zuma will be nothing but substitutes in the same corruption game.

"If Ramaphosa becomes president, he is simply going to replace Zuma's corruption stooges with his own corruption stooges."

The recent appointment of Sifiso Dabengwa onto the Eskom board was a "worrying sign", as Dabengwa is a close associate of Ramaphosa, Malema said.

"The EFF therefore will not participate in the election of a new president, to replace Zuma because we do not want to legitimate anyone from the ruling party."

The party will therefore support the Democratic Alliance's motion, filed last week and still waiting for a scheduling, to dissolve Parliament.

"This is to allow our people to renew Parliament in favour of early elections."

However, Malema said the EFF would be in the House, and warned journalists to "wait and see" what the party's MPs would do during the sitting on Thursday.

The red berets are expected to participate in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Friday, and its debate on Monday.

Parliament's Acting Secretary Penelope Twaya on Thursday said SONA preparations were on track for the event to be hosted on Friday at 19:00.

The party meanwhile welcomed Zuma's "long overdue" resignation, and gave 29 reasons why Zuma should have resigned long ago.

These include corruption at state-owned entities, Constitutional Court rulings against him, a stagnation of the economy and mass Cabinet reshuffles.

Malema said his party was not sympathetic to Zuma's appeals that he was being victimised, and warned South Africans not to fall for his "crocodile tears".

"The EFF patiently and relentlessly fought against Jacob Zuma's leadership of South Africa because he was a disaster, a post-colonial disaster who almost brought South Africa to its collapse.

"He is a conman and a trickster who when caught in the wrong, plays victimhood with the aim of misleading the gullible into supporting him [sic]."

Malema admitted he felt robbed by the fact that he would not be leading a motion of no confidence against Zuma.

"We are [still] going to the House. The Speaker received a letter and it must be read to the House. We want to be there for the victory.

"Thereafter, we will put it to the House that Parliament must be dissolved."

The National Assembly will meet from 14:00. Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng will oversee the process.</s>JOHANNESBURG — Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday was elected as South Africa's new president by ruling party legislators after the resignation of Jacob Zuma, whose scandals brought the storied African National Congress to its weakest point since taking power at the end of apartheid.

"I will try very hard not to disappoint the people of South Africa," Ramaphosa said in ending his speech to parliament shortly after it elected him. He said the issue of corruption is on "our radar screen."

Ramaphosa was the only candidate nominated for election after two opposition parties said they would not participate. The two parties instead unsuccessfully called for the dissolution of the National Assembly and early elections.

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng presided over the parliamentary election and congratulated Ramaphosa, who had been Zuma's deputy and in December was narrowly elected leader of the ruling party over Zuma's ex-wife.

Zuma resigned after years of scandals that damaged the reputation of the ruling ANC, which had instructed him this week to step down or face a parliamentary motion of no confidence that he would almost certainly lose. Zuma denies any wrongdoing.

Ramaphosa is South Africa's fifth president since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994. On Friday evening, he is expected to deliver the state of the nation address that had been postponed during the ruling party's days of closed-door negotiations to persuade Zuma to resign.

As some South Africans cheered the end to Zuma's era, the rand currency strengthened against the dollar in early trading Thursday.

The country's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, will cooperate with Ramaphosa if he acts in the interests of the South African people, said party leader Mmusi Maimane.

"We will hold you accountable and I will see you in 2019 on the ballot box," Maimane said.

Members of a smaller opposition party walked out of parliament before the election, saying the ANC plan to choose a new president was "illegitimate."

Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party, said ANC lawmakers had failed to hold former Zuma to account for alleged corruption and had therefore violated the constitution.

Ramaphosa now is challenged with reviving the reputation of the ANC, Africa's most prominent liberation movement, which fought apartheid and has been in power since the first all-race elections in 1994. The party's popularity fell as anger over corruption allegations grew and it suffered its worst showing at the polls in municipal elections in 2016.

The prospect of facing a possible coalition government for the first time helped push some ANC leaders to decide that Zuma had to go.

On Thursday the foundation of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, welcomed Zuma's departure but said the state must act against "networks of criminality" that have hurt the country's democracy.

As the country marks the centenary of Mandela's 1918 birth, "there is a need to reckon with the failures of the democratic era," the foundation said. "We believe that we are at a critical moment in our history, one which offers us the unique opportunity to reflect, to rebuild, and to transform."</s>JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday was elected as South Africa's new president by ruling party legislators after the resignation of Jacob Zuma, whose scandals brought the storied African National Congress to its weakest point since taking power at the end of apartheid.

"I will try very hard not to disappoint the people of South Africa," Ramaphosa said in ending his speech to parliament shortly after it elected him. He said the issue of corruption is on "our radar screen."

Ramaphosa was the only candidate nominated for election after two opposition parties said they would not participate. The two parties instead unsuccessfully called for the dissolution of the National Assembly and early elections.

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng presided over the parliamentary election and congratulated Ramaphosa, who had been Zuma's deputy and in December was narrowly elected leader of the ruling party over Zuma's ex-wife.

Zuma resigned after years of scandals that damaged the reputation of the ruling ANC, which had instructed him this week to step down or face a parliamentary motion of no confidence that he would almost certainly lose. Zuma denies any wrongdoing.

Ramaphosa is South Africa's fifth president since the end of the apartheid system of white minority rule in 1994. On Friday evening, he is expected to deliver the state of the nation address that had been postponed during the ruling party's days of closed-door negotiations to persuade Zuma to resign.

As some South Africans cheered the end to Zuma's era, the rand currency strengthened against the dollar in early trading Thursday.

The country's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, will cooperate with Ramaphosa if he acts in the interests of the South African people, said party leader Mmusi Maimane.

"We will hold you accountable and I will see you in 2019 on the ballot box," Maimane said.

Members of a smaller opposition party walked out of parliament before the election, saying the ANC plan to choose a new president was "illegitimate."

Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party, said ANC lawmakers had failed to hold former Zuma to account for alleged corruption and had therefore violated the constitution.

Ramaphosa now is challenged with reviving the reputation of the ANC, Africa's most prominent liberation movement, which fought apartheid and has been in power since the first all-race elections in 1994. The party's popularity fell as anger over corruption allegations grew and it suffered its worst showing at the polls in municipal elections in 2016.

The prospect of facing a possible coalition government for the first time helped push some ANC leaders to decide that Zuma had to go.

On Thursday the foundation of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, welcomed Zuma's departure but said the state must act against "networks of criminality" that have hurt the country's democracy.

As the country marks the centenary of Mandela's 1918 birth, "there is a need to reckon with the failures of the democratic era," the foundation said. "We believe that we are at a critical moment in our history, one which offers us the unique opportunity to reflect, to rebuild, and to transform."</s>JOHANNESBURG -- Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday was elected as South Africa's new president by ruling party legislators after the resignation of Jacob Zuma.

Ramaphosa was the only candidate nominated for election in the parliament after two opposition parties said they would not participate. The opposition parties instead unsuccessfully called for the dissolution of the National Assembly and early elections.

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng presided over the parliamentary election and congratulated Ramaphosa, who had been Zuma's deputy and has called for a fight against corruption.

Zuma resigned after years of scandals that damaged the stature of the ruling African National Congress party.

The opposition Democratic Alliance party will co-operate with Ramaphosa if he acts in the interests of the South African people, said party leader Mmusi Maimane.

"We will hold you accountable and I will see you in 2019 on the ballot box," Maimane said.

Members of a smaller opposition party walked out of parliament before the election, saying the ruling ANC party plan to choose a new president was "illegitimate."

Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party, said ANC lawmakers had failed to hold former Zuma to account for alleged corruption and had therefore violated the constitution.

Ramaphosa is South Africa's fifth president since majority rule started after the end of apartheid in 1994. On Friday evening, he is expected to deliver the state of the nation address that had been postponed during the ruling party's days of closed-door negotiations to persuade Zuma to resign.

Zuma resigned in a nationally televised address late Wednesday after the ANC instructed him to step down or face a parliamentary motion of no confidence that he would almost certainly lose.

The South African currency, the rand, strengthened against the dollar in early trading Thursday after Zuma's resignation, which ended political turmoil that had stalled some government business.

On Thursday the foundation of Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, welcomed Zuma's departure but said the state must act against "networks of criminality" that have hurt the country's democracy.

As the country marks the centenary of Mandela's 1918 birth, "there is a need to reckon with the failures of the democratic era," the foundation said. "We believe that we are at a critical moment in our history, one which offers us the unique opportunity to reflect, to rebuild, and to transform."</s>Cyril Ramaphosa has been elected President of the Republic of South Africa unopposed.

Ramaphosa’s election comes a day after Jacob Zuma tendered his resignation following pressure from his party, the African National Congress.

Ramaphosa’s candidacy was nominated by ANC backbencher Patrick Maesela and seconded by his colleague‚ Joan Fubbs.

None of the opposition parties nominated a presidential candidate.

Ramaphosa was congratulated by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng who presided over the election and was later on sworn in as the country’s President.

Ramaphosa will the deliver the state of the nation address scheduled to take place on Friday at 7pm.-Sowetan.co.za</s>JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday was elected as South Africa’s new president by ruling party legislators after the resignation of Jacob Zuma.

Ramaphosa was the only candidate nominated for election in the parliament after two opposition parties said they would not participate. The opposition parties instead unsuccessfully called for the dissolution of the National Assembly and early elections.

Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng presided over the parliamentary election and congratulated Ramaphosa, who had been Zuma’s deputy and has called for a fight against corruption.

Zuma resigned after years of scandals that damaged the stature of the ruling African National Congress party.

The opposition Democratic Alliance party will cooperate with Ramaphosa if he acts in the interests of the South African people, said party leader Mmusi Maimane.

“We will hold you accountable and I will see you in 2019 on the ballot box,” Maimane said.

Members of a smaller opposition party walked out of parliament before the election, saying the ruling ANC party plan to choose a new president was “illegitimate.”

Julius Malema, leader of the Economic Freedom Fighters party, said ANC lawmakers had failed to hold former Zuma to account for alleged corruption and had therefore violated the constitution.

Ramaphosa is South Africa’s fifth president since majority rule started after the end of apartheid in 1994. On Friday evening, he is expected to deliver the state of the nation address that had been postponed during the ruling party’s days of closed-door negotiations to persuade Zuma to resign.

Zuma resigned in a nationally televised address late Wednesday after the ANC instructed him to step down or face a parliamentary motion of no confidence that he would almost certainly lose.

The South African currency, the rand, strengthened against the dollar in early trading Thursday after Zuma’s resignation, which ended political turmoil that had stalled some government business.

On Thursday the foundation of Nelson Mandela, South Africa’s first black president, welcomed Zuma’s departure but said the state must act against “networks of criminality” that have hurt the country’s democracy.

As the country marks the centenary of Mandela’s 1918 birth, “there is a need to reckon with the failures of the democratic era,” the foundation said. “We believe that we are at a critical moment in our history, one which offers us the unique opportunity to reflect, to rebuild, and to transform.”</s>South African lawmakers on Thursday elected wealthy former businessman Cyril Ramaphosa as the country’s new president after scandal-tainted Jacob Zuma resigned under pressure from his own party.

Ramaphosa was elected without a vote after being the only candidate nominated in the parliament in Cape Town, chief justice Mogoeng Mogoeng told assembled lawmakers.

Zuma resigned on Wednesday as the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party finally turned against him after a nine-year reign dominated by corruption scandals, economic slowdown and plummeting electoral popularity. Zuma had been in a power struggle with Ramaphosa, his deputy president since in 2014.

Members of the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party walked out of Thursday’s parliament session, saying the ANC’s election was “illegitimate”.

Julius Malema, leader of opposition party, said the ANC had failed to hold former leader Zuma to account for alleged corruption and had therefore violated the constitution.

Following his election, Ramaphosa told lawmakers that curbing corruption in state enterprise would be a priority. But that’s only the start of the challenges facing South Africa’s new president.

Though the country ended a repressive and racist apartheid regime 23 years ago and holds enormous amounts of resources and wealth, it is also crippled by massive inequality and poverty.

Successive ANC governments have made huge efforts to build homes and supply basic services to millions of people, but have been unable to meet expectations. Many people live without electricity or sanitation. Schooling and health care are often rudimentary. One recent survey found eight out of 10 nine-year-olds in South Africa are functionally illiterate. Levels of violent crime are among the highest in the world, with poor South Africans suffering most.

Cape Town, the country’s second city, is running out of water. According to government statistics, the total number of people living with HIV increased from an estimated 4.72 million in 2002 to 7.03 million by 2016, though the rate of infection is declining.

Unemployment remains at a historic high of 27.7 per cent across the general population, and as high as 68 per cent among young people. Economic growth has been limited in recent years, averaging little more than half the rate of population growth of 1.2 per cent. Zuma’s departure has sent the rand surging and will spur a rush of much-needed foreign investment.

Goldman Sachs has identified South Africa as the “big emerging market story” of 2018, and some analysts forecast growth of 2 per cent this year.

But this is way short of levels that would generate the millions of jobs needed. The country’s massive structural problems – such as a chronic lack of skilled workers – remain.

Then there is the corruption – from the police officer demanding cash to ignore a minor driving offence, to the massive sums mentioned in allegations of graft levelled at senior public figures.

Corruption has not just undermined public finances but also public confidence in the state. South Africa still has many strong institutions, particularly its judiciary, but there is limited faith in the police or public prosecutors. This week a court in Durban heard claims that officials had received bags of bank notes and diamonds from a businessman in exchange for access to legal documents.

Nor can the ANC rely on its extraordinary history and the reputations of the giants who led the anti-apartheid struggle to guarantee political power today. A younger generation of ANC politicians is pushing through, and they cannot counter accusations of incompetence or wrongdoing by appealing to the efforts made by their forebears to build a multiracial democracy against the odds. There is impatience and anger. Thirty per cent of the South African population is under 15, and for them the racist regime that fell in 1994 is ancient history, however toxic its legacy today.

The first task for Ramaphosa will be to unite the ANC before the campaign for the 2019 elections gets under way. The organisation’s political dominance is still not fundamentally threatened by opposition parties. But the ANC must limit losses – recent municipal polls saw serious setbacks – and avoid being forced into a coalition government. This will not be easy. The disaffected followers of Zuma will need to be co-opted, or marginalised, even though many remain in positions of power, and ideological disputes which have split the ANC remain largely unresolved.

Analysts described the ANC’s choice of leader in December as a turning point for the country, not just the party. Now Ramaphosa is in charge of both. Some 54 million South Africans – and many others across the continent and the world – will be watching his every pronouncement to know whether the future will bring new hope or disappointment.

Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and The Guardian</s>Cyril Ramaphosa was elected as South Africa’s president in a parliamentary vote on Thursday and pledged to tackle endemic corruption after scandal-ridden Jacob Zuma resigned on orders from the ruling African National Congress.

Ramaphosa faces an uphill battle in revitalising growth, creating jobs and stamping out a culture of graft in a nation still polarised by race and inequality more than two decades after the end of white-minority rule.

Still, Zuma’s departure late on Wednesday provided evidence of the strength of South Africa’s democratic institutions, from the courts to the media and the constitution.

Ramaphosa, in brief remarks to parliament ahead of his first state of the nation address expected on Friday, said he would work hard “not to disappoint the people of South Africa”.

“The issues that you have raised, issues that have to do with corruption, issues of how we can straighten out our state-owned enterprises and how we deal with state capture (influence-peddling) are issues that are on our radar screen,” he said.

Ramaphosa, 65, was elected unopposed as Zuma’s permanent successor by parliament, and sworn into the post by South African Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, who had earlier read out the former president’s resignation letter.

The rand, which has gained ground whenever Zuma ran into political turbulence, soared to a near three-year high against the dollar on word of his resignation.

South Africa’s main stock market index jumped nearly 4 percent and headed for its biggest one-day gain in more than two years as investors hailed Zuma’s exit after nine years in office rife with allegations of sleaze and economic mismanagement.

Ratings agency Moody’s said it was closely monitoring developments in South Africa, focusing on the policy implications of Zuma’s political demise.

The S&P Global agency said South Africa’s sovereign credit ratings and outlook will not be immediately affected by the change of the country’s leadership.

Ramaphosa, who was elected ANC head in December and will be president until elections next year, has his work cut out to win back disaffected voters after a string of scandals and policy blunders under Zuma, as well as investor confidence.

But his stated commitment to boosting growth and stamping out graft has gone down well with foreign investors and ANC members who felt Zuma’s handling of the economy could seriously damage the party in the 2019 election.

Africa’s most developed economy needs faster economic growth if it is to reduce high unemployment – currently at 27 percent, up from around 22 percent in the year before Zuma first took power – and alleviate persistent, widespread poverty that aggravates inequality and stokes instability.

The economy slipped into recession last year for the first time since 2009 and has also declined in indices that measure corruption and the ease of doing business.

Moreover, the economy remains largely under the control of whites who held power under apartheid.

The 75-year-old Zuma said in a 30-minute farewell address to the nation he disagreed with the way the ANC had thrust him towards an early exit after Ramaphosa replaced him as party president, but would accept its orders.

“Zuma did the right thing to resign. Yes, let’s see what Ramaphosa is having for us, thank you,” said Hlengiwe Mswazi, an office worker in the capital Pretoria.

Tshepo Kgobane, also in Pretoria, said: “So it is a good thing that he resigned. We must have a party, a big party, we must throw a party because he resigned. We wanted to see that.”

Zuma bowed out hours after police raided the luxury home of the Gupta family, the Indian-born billionaire allies of the former president who have been at the centre of corruption accusations against Zuma and his circle for years.

Zuma and the Guptas have always denied wrongdoing.

“Defiant in defeat” and “Going, Going, Gone” were among the newspaper headlines that captured Zuma’s unwillingness to leave.

“South Africa’s long nightmare is over,” read the headline from online political news website Daily Maverick.

Julius Malema, leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led his party in a mass walkout from parliament on Thursday, saying it would not take part in the election of a new president so as not to legitimise an ANC candidate.

The EFF, which has six percent of the seats in parliament, had sponsored a no-confidence motion in Zuma that would have gone ahead on Thursday had Zuma not jumped.

The foundation set up to guard the legacy of the late anti-apartheid icon and first black South African president Nelson Mandela said Zuma’s departure brought to an end “a painful era for the country”.

“One chapter in South Africa’s political soap opera has finally ended with the resignation last night of President Jacob Zuma,” NKC African Economics analysts wrote in a note.

“It would be gratifying to see the dedication and purpose the ANC put into ridding itself of Zuma now be directed into rebuilding the economy, dealing with the corruption still residing in the ANC and improving its shoddy governance record.”

South African police said officers had arrested eight people so far in its investigations into high-echelon influence-peddling revolving around the Gupta family.

Chief prosecutor Shaun Abrahams declared Ajay Gupta, one of the three Gupta brothers, a “fugitive from justice” after he failed to hand himself in. Abrahams provided no further details.

State broadcaster SABC said a Gupta family member was among those detained, while a senior judicial source said police were expected to arrest up to seven more people and that Gupta family members would be among them.

Police said the raid on the Gupta estate was in connection with a state-funded dairy farm, which prosecutors last month called a “scheme designed to defraud and steal”.</s>Cyril Ramaphosa has been elected as president of South Africa, a day after Jacob Zuma resigned from office following allegations of corruption.

Mr. Ramaphosa’s is scheduled to give the state of the union address tomorrow.</s>ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa was elected President of South Africa unopposed in the National Assembly on Thursday afternoon (15/02/18).

Ramaphosa’s candidacy was nominated by ANC backbencher Patrick Maesela and seconded by his colleague‚ Joan Fubbs.

None of the opposition parties nominated a presidential candidate.

Ramaphosa was congratulated by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng who presided over the election.

His first state of the nation address is expected to take place on Friday.

Watch here – Cyril Ramaphosa elected as president of South Africa:

There were equal measures of congratulations and caution from opposition parties in reaction to Ramaphosa becoming the fifty democratically-elected president of South Africa.

After Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng declared Ramaphosa president‚ Speaker of the National Assembly‚ Baleka Mbete‚ gave opposition parties time to respond to the election of the new president.

Leader of the official opposition‚ Mmusi Maimane‚ congratulated Ramaphosa – but noted that the DA will raise concerns if he does not deliver to the people.

“If you act in the interest of the people of south Africa we will cooperate as best we can to assist in that mission‚” he said.

Maimane said the DA believed South Africa did not only have a Jacob Zuma problem‚ but an ANC problem.

The EFF’s Narend Singh said they realised that Ramaphosa did not have a magical wand to fix the problems facing the country‚ but urged him remove those involved in state capture from his cabinet.

“We trust that in the execution of your duties‚ you will do the right thing‚” Singh said.

The NFP’s Moses Kubisa said Ramaphosa’s election heralded a time for South Africans work together.

“You are taking office at a crucial time when the economy is ailing. It’s time to rally around each other and build our country‚” Kubisa told Ramaphosa.

UDM leader Bantu Holomisa was jovial towards Ramaphosa‚ congratulating him and urging him to move to the president’s seat in the National Assembly.

“You have brought the toxic leadership of Mr Zuma to ground‚” he said.

Holomisa said Ramaphosa’s “abrupt rise” to the presidency was as a result of a collective effort of all South Africans.

Other political parties called on Ramaphosa to work towards the best interest of South Africans.
Cyril Ramaphosa is elected by the National Assembly as President of South Africa.