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Cyril Ramaphosa Themba Hadebe

Cyril Ramaphosa wins South Africa's ANC presidential election

The African National Congress has ruled in South Africa since 1994.

SOUTH AFRICAN DEPUTY president Cyril Ramaphosa has been narrowly elected as head of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, winning a bruising race that exposed rifts within the organisation that led the fight against apartheid.

“We declare comrade Cyril Ramaphosa the new president of the African National Congress,” an election official told party delegates in Johannesburg.

The victory puts Ramaphosa in line to succeed President Jacob Zuma, whose reign has been plagued by corruption scandals, economic slowdown and growing anger at the once-omnipotent party.

Thousands of raucous Ramaphosa supporters sang and chanted in the conference hall as rival backers of defeated candidate Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma appeared dejected.

Ramaphosa won 2,440 votes to Dlamini-Zuma’s 2,261.

The vote was a long and acrimonious process. Delegates from around South Africa cast their ballots after repeated delays caused by disputes over who was entitled to vote.

Hundreds of attendees were banned from the poll, raising the possibility that supporters of Dlamini-Zuma, a former minister who is Zuma’s ex-wife, could launch legal appeals against the result.

“I hope you will cooperate with the new leadership… as we move to the 2019 elections” Baleka Mbete, the party chairwoman, told delegates.

[image alt="South Africa Leadership Fight" src="http://cdn.thejournal.ie/media/2017/12/south-africa-leadership-fight-2-296x198.jpg" width="296" height="198" credit-source="Themba%20Hadebe" credit-via="PA%20Images" caption="Winnie%20Madikizela-Mandela%20hugs%20Deputy%20President%20Cyril%20Ramaphosa%20and%20President%20Jacob%20Zuma" class="alignnone" /end]

Falling public support

The ANC, which has ruled since 1994 when Nelson Mandela won the first multi-racial vote, could struggle to retain its grip on power in the 2019 election due to falling public support.

Ramaphosa, aged 65, is a former trade unionist leader who led talks to end white-minority rule in the early 1990s and then became a multi-millionaire businessman before returning to politics.

He is often accused of failing to confront Zuma while serving as his deputy since 2014.

Dlamini-Zuma was head of the African Union commission until earlier this year and a former interior, foreign affairs and health minister.

She had four children with Zuma before divorcing in 1998.

Allegations swirled of delegates being targeted with bribes, but ANC spokesman Khusela Sangoni earlier told reporters that the process had proceeded “smoothly”.

Zuma, who could face prosecution for corruption charges, will step down as party chief at the conference but will remain as head of state ahead of the 2019 vote.

“I’m bowing out very happy because I think… I made my contribution, so I’m very happy,” Zuma said as he walked around the vast conference centre hosting the event.

Soaring unemployment and state corruption have fuelled frustration at the ANC among millions of poor black South Africans who face dire housing, inadequate education and continuing racial inequality.

© – AFP 2017

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    Mute Ken Hayden
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    Dec 18th 2017, 6:18 PM

    All together now Ramaphosa family , we’re in the money , we’re in the money .

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    Mute Mary Loony Mc Donald
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    Dec 18th 2017, 6:27 PM

    @Ken Hayden: S.A. was fookd when they had apartheid..and it’s been downhill since.

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    Mute Ken Hayden
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    Dec 18th 2017, 7:09 PM

    @Mary Loony Mc Donald: Cyril here is worth a cool $450 million .
    So I honestly don’t think he’ll need need to rip South Africa anymore , or anyless .

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    Mute Mary Loony Mc Donald
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    Dec 18th 2017, 8:14 PM

    @Ken Hayden: it’s never enough..and his cronies need money too..btw where’d he get that much?

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    Mute ktsiwot
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    Dec 18th 2017, 6:44 PM

    SA is now a one party state, the result of this will always lead to rank corruption. For the sake of SA the ANC needs to split or an alternative party take shape or else this overt corruption will continue and lead to the same fate as Zimbabwe.

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    Mute
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    Dec 18th 2017, 6:21 PM

    What’s happening with Zim no stories.

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    Mute Angela O'Riordan
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    Dec 18th 2017, 7:17 PM

    He has a lovely smile, I wish him all the best.

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    Mute Fergus Kavanagh
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    Dec 19th 2017, 5:40 AM

    @Angela O’Riordan: Is this an ode to Ken M Angela?

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    Mute sean o'dhubhghaill
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    Dec 18th 2017, 7:46 PM

    Don’t knock Ramsphosa. A pragmatic businessman and good negotiator.

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    Mute Minom Pnnomm
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    Dec 19th 2017, 8:57 AM

    @sean o’dhubhghaill: more hope for SA in terms of less corruption with this guy head of the ANC than another Zuma crony in the form of his ex wife.

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    Mute Aine Foley
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    Dec 18th 2017, 10:28 PM

    2019 will hopefully see ANC losing seats to DA! Then progress will be made.

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    Mute Brendan Hughes
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    Dec 19th 2017, 1:24 AM

    @Aine Foley: they won’t lose enough though. The elections are a vote for colour nothing else. The ANC have nothing else to offer.

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