RANJENI MUNUSAMY: The Ramaphosa era begins on a high note
In his first address as president, Ramaphosa said South Africa should “come first in everything that we all do”
President Cyril Ramaphosa squirmed in embarrassment when his name was put forward to fill the vacancy for president of South Africa. ANC MPs Patrick Maesela and Joanmariae Fubbs were effusive in their commendations, causing a mortified Ramaphosa to visibly cringe.Ramaphosa, who has sat in the front bench of the National Assembly next to former president Jacob Zuma since he became an MP in 2014, was reluctant to move over to take the president’s seat after being elected on Thursday afternoon. He had a similar awkwardness with taking the main seat after being elected leader of the ANC at its Nasrec conference in December. He seemed to have become accustomed to playing second fiddle to Zuma. Ramaphosa is not oblivious to the weight on his shoulders or the incredible events that led to him standing next to Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng on Thursday afternoon to be sworn as South Africa’s fifth president. The emotion showed on his face at the key moments of his sudden rapid rise – at Nasr...
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