Cyril Ramaphosa, a former anti-apartheid activist turned businessman, was named South Africa's president Thursday and immediately vowed to fight corruption, in a direct reference to accusations levelled against his predecessor Jacob Zuma. Tainted by scandal, Zuma resigned on Wednesday under intense pressure from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party that he had dominated during nine years in power. "Issues to do with corruption, issues of how we can straighten out our state-owned enterprises and how we deal with 'state capture' are issues that are on our radar screen," Ramaphosa told lawmakers in parliament.
"State capture" refers to the alleged corruption of government institutions and state-owned businesses by Zuma's associates. "Tomorrow we will also have an opportunity to outline some of the steps we are going to be taking," Ramaphosa said. ANC lawmakers hailed his appointment as president with songs, dancing and a standing ovation.
Ramaphosa, a hugely wealthy former entrepreneur, will deliver his first State of the Nation address to parliament in Cape Town on Friday. After multiple corruption scandals, economic slowdown and falling popularity among voters, the ANC had threatened to oust Zuma via a no-confidence vote in parliament.
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