Ramaphosa takes over: The big issues facing South Africa’s new president

But unless he is able to bring Mr Zuma’s supporters on board, and address the issues in the economy, the job of president could slip through his fingers once more.

Agreeing with the former president on the transition process, Zuma said the decision to recall his father was irrational.

“The Deputy President has already been sworn in as Acting President”.

Zuma is also referred to by his initials JZ and his clan name Msholozi.

Mr Ramaphosa, who won control of the ANC when he was elected as its head in December, is likely to be voted in by parliament as South Africa’s new president later today or tomorrow. Born poor, Zuma taught himself to read and write and joined the anti-apartheid ANC at age 17.

There are several Cabinet ministers who received a stay of execution when Mr Zuma resigned rather than go the route of a no-confidence vote that would have forced all of them to quit with no guarantee they would be reappointed.

Ramaphosa will need to restore ANC credibility by appointing capable individuals to key roles without isolating the support of ex-Zuma allies who still wield clout in key constituencies.

November 29, 2016 – Members of the ANC say that Zuma will not step down as president, despite calls from people within his own party to resign.

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.

Mr. Zuma’s evident greed and palpable absence of integrity influenced the public’s growing disdain for both state and regime and, indeed, for the national values that had been nurtured by late president Nelson Mandela, the icon of probity and fair dealing. On his watch, the economy of Africa’s most industrialised nation has declined, the country’s credit status has been reduced to junk and its currency has wildly fluctuated against global benchmarks.

“Under Jacob Zuma’s leadership, we’ve seen a failure to ensure access to justice for victims of a range of human rights violations”.

Zuma’s tenure has been marred by years of corruption scandals.

South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma has resigned after days of defying orders from the ruling African National Congress to leave office.

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

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April 29, 2016 – A South African court rules that prosecutors acted “irrationally” when they made a decision to drop more than 700 corruption and fraud charges against Zuma in 2009. “We are not happy because his term was about to come to an end and if they were patient with each other they should have waited until he finished his term‚” Joseph Zuma said.

“For the first time in nearly a decade, South Africans can rejoice that the sun has set on the Zuma era”.

Mashatile said Zuma was given yesterday as his deadline to resign.

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 legitimize an ANC candidate.