Cyril Ramaphosa was inaugurated for a second full term as President of South Africa in a ceremony held in Pretoria on Wednesday, June 19, 2024. This event followed the African National Congress (ANC) securing a coalition government deal despite a weakened position.
Chief Justice Raymond Zondo administered the oath of office to Ramaphosa in the presence of lawmakers, foreign dignitaries, religious and traditional leaders, and enthusiastic supporters at the Union Buildings, the seat of government. Ramaphosa declared, “In the presence of everyone assembled here, and in full realisation of the high calling I assume as President… I Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa swear that I will be faithful to the Republic of South Africa.”
Numerous heads of state, including Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Angola’s Joao Lourenco, Congo Brazzaville’s Denis Sassou Nguesso, and Eswatini’s King Mswati III, attended the inauguration.
Guests in formal attire began arriving early in the morning, despite the chilly winter weather, amid a heavy police presence. VIPs, some singing anti-apartheid struggle songs, were allowed into a small amphitheatre within the sandstone government building. Other attendees, some holding South African flags, enjoyed performances by dancers and musicians on a large stage outside.
After taking the oath, a band played the national anthem, followed by a 21-gun salute and a fly-past by army helicopters displaying large South African flags.
Third Time Sworn In
This marks the third time Ramaphosa has taken the oath of office. He first ascended to power in 2018 following the ousting of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma, amidst corruption allegations. Ramaphosa was re-elected for a full five-year term in 2019. In South Africa, the parliament elects the president.
Ramaphosa promised a new dawn for South Africa, launching an anti-corruption drive and initiating reforms in the collapsing energy sector. However, his tenure has been marred by economic stagnation, persistent power cuts, rampant crime, and rising unemployment, which reached 32.9 percent.
In May, the ANC, under Ramaphosa’s leadership, faced another general election but secured only 40 percent of the vote, a significant drop from 57.5 percent five years earlier. For the first time since the advent of democracy in 1994, the ANC lost its absolute majority in parliament and had to form a coalition government.
The coalition, described as a national unity government, includes the centre-right Democratic Alliance (DA), the Zulu nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party, the anti-immigration Patriotic Alliance, and the small centre-left GOOD party. This coalition allowed Ramaphosa to comfortably defeat a last-minute challenge from leftist politician Julius Malema, securing 283 votes in the 400-seat National Assembly.
However, this coalition has faced strong opposition from the left, with Malema’s Economic Freedom Fighters and former President Zuma’s uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) denouncing the inclusion of right-wing parties and the DA. MK, which came third in the election, has contested the results and refused to participate in the inauguration.
Party spokesman Nhlamulo Ndhlela criticized the ceremony, referring to it as the “farcical inauguration of Cyril Ramaphosa as the puppet DA-sponsored President.”
President Ramaphosa is expected to announce his cabinet within days, as coalition negotiations continue.
(AFP)
