BREAKING: Cyril Ramaphosa Re-elected South Africa President As ANC Leader

South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has emerged as the leader of the African National Congress (ANC).

Ramaphosa, 70, who remains popular with the public despite a recent scandal, won 2,476 votes from African National Congress (ANC) delegates.

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The Eagle reports that he received 2,476 votes from ANC delegates, compared to 1,897 for his only competitor, former health minister Zweli Mkhize, 66, who was implicated last year in a corruption scandal.

The overwhelming vote for the president paves the way for a second term if the ANC, increasingly challenged by unemployment and the energy crisis, wins the 2024 general election.

The African National Congress’ elections chief, Kgalema Motlanthe, confirmed his victory on Monday morning.

His re-election comes after his opponents asked him to step down over a scandal known as ‘Farmscandal’ involving the discovery of a stash of cash at his farm.

The ANC parliamentary caucus largely voted last week to block an investigation into an ongoing scandal, after initial evidence found Ramaphosa could have violated his oath of office.

Ramaphosa was first confirmed as South African president in 2018 after his predecessor, a scandal-plagued Jacob Zuma, was effectively pushed out of office by his own party.

He made his name as a trade union leader during the apartheid era and as the chief negotiator for Nelson Mandela, helping to guide South Africa out of white minority rule in the 1990s.

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Former South Africa President Mandela made it clear he wanted Ramaphosa to replace him after his presidency ended. But Ramaphosa lost the race to helm the ANC – and the country – to Thabo Mbeki, another anti-apartheid leader who came back to South Africa after living in exile.

Ramaphosa left the government afterward and made his fortune in the business world.