Pretoria - The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa said Wednesday during his swearing-in speech for the second term that the formation of a government of national unity will create stability and multi-racial inclusion.
During the inauguration ceremony witnessed by Angolan president, João Lourenço, Ramaphosa said the government of national unity will promote economic growth and lead its representatives to work in favor of the nation, promoting employment and community protection.
The re-elected president highlighted that the formation of a government of national unity is a moment of great significance and represents the beginning of a new era.
In his speech, the South African president underscored that the current moment in the country is creating an environment for working together and moving forward to build an inclusive society, with a view to promote peace and equality for all.
Cyril Ramaphosa added that the formation of the government of national unity comes at a time of profound significance and marks the beginning of a new era to build a strong and united nation together.
The President-elect emphasized that the political parties have adopted a consensus to promote economic development, social justice, health, education, the fight against corruption and to build a united nation.
The ceremony, at which Ramaphosa took the oath before the Chief Justice, Raimond Zondo, was also attended by heads of state and government from Botswana, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, e-Swatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Congo.
The ceremony was marked by some demonstrations by the South African National Defense Forces, followed by the oath of allegiance to the Republic and to the Commander-in-Chief, Cyril Ramaphosa.
It also included a 21-gun salute, a flight by the South African Air Force, a parade by a battalion of the National Defense Force and a march past by the various branches of the South African Armed Forces.
On June 14, South Africa's National Assembly (Lower House) re-elected Cyril Ramaphosa as president of the country, despite losing his party’s absolute majority in the May 29 elections.
John Steenhuisen, leader of the main opposition party Democratic Alliance (DA, a center-right liberal party), said hours later in a message to the nation that he had reached an agreement with the President's party for a "government of national unity".
Ramaphosa's party, the historic African National Congress (ANC), won 40.20% of the vote and 159 of the 400 seats in parliament, while the DP, heir to the white political leadership that opposed apartheid, won 21.81% of the vote and 87 seats.
The ANC lost its absolute majority for the first time since the 1994 elections, when Nelson Mandela became the country's first black president putting an end to the segregationist apartheid regime (1948-1994).
After playing an important role in the negotiations that led to the dismantling of apartheid, having been a trade union leader and prospered in the private sector, Cyril Ramaphosa, took up the presidency in 2018 with the promise of putting an end to the corruption that marred the mandate of his predecessor, Jacob Zuma (2009-2018).
Ramaphosa won 283 votes, far ahead of the other candidate, Julius Malema of the left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), who received 44.
The new government to be formed in the coming days, is expected to include members of four opposition parties, namely the Democratic Alliance (DA), the main opposition force, the Inkatha Free Party (IFP) and the Patriotic Alliance (PA).
South Africa is located at the southern tip of the African continent between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, with an area of 1 221 037 square kilometers and an estimated population of 60.4 million inhabitants.
It is bordered by Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe to the north, as well as Mozambique, E-Swatini and Lesotho to the east.
Considered an upper middle-income economy by the World Bank, it is regarded as an emerging market. AFL/ART/DAN/AMP
