Iran Press/Africa: Ramaphosa, the fourth democratically elected president since the end of apartheid, took the presidential oath before a crowd of about 32,000 people including foreign leaders like Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.
“Let us forge a compact for growth and economic opportunities, for productive land and wider opportunities ... A compact of an efficient, capable and ethical state. A state that is free from corruption,” said Ramaphosa, 66, a former anti-apartheid activist and trade union leader who has wide-ranging business interests, Al Jazeera reported
Ramaphosa’s African National Congress (ANC) clinched a 57.5% majority in a general election earlier in May, down from 62% in 2014 as voters turned against the ruling party due to revelations about government corruption and record unemployment.
Ramaphosa narrowly won the ANC leadership race in late 2017 and replaced scandal-plagued predecessor Jacob Zuma as state president in February 2018, a year before the latter’s term was due to expire.
“The challenges our country faces are huge and are real but they are not insurmountable. They can be solved and I stand here to say they are going to be solved,” Ramaphosa said in his speech on Saturday. 101/211/205
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