CLEAR MANDATE
The real work starts now, says President Ramaphosa
Ramaphosa’s first big task as president, following his inauguration on May 25, will be to appoint a cabinet that is credible and untainted
The real work starts now, President Cyril Ramaphosa said following the national elections which saw the ANC retain power with a smaller majority. While the ANC’s 57.5% share means Ramaphosa will be the first president to govern SA with less than a 60% majority, it was an improvement on the 53% it received in local government elections in 2016, meaning he has managed to arrest a decline in support that was attributed to rampant corruption during the presidency of Jacob Zuma. The official opposition, the DA, bled support and saw its share of the vote drop to 20.76%, from 22.23% in 2014, as the party failed to capitalise on a steady stream of corruption allegations made against senior ANC members in the Zondo commission of inquiry. The EFF was the only one of the country’s three biggest parties to increase its support, nationally from 6.35% in 2014 to 10.79%, though it fell short of some polls forecasts of a doubling in its support. An energised Ramaphosa addressed thousands of ANC sup...
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