Lagos, Dec. 19, 2022 -The President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, has been elected as President of African National Congress to fly the party’s presidential ticket in the country’s 2024 general elections.
He was announced as president on Monday during the ANC National Elective Conference announcement of results.
Ramaphosa defeated former health minister, Zweli Mkhize, an ally of the former president, Jacob Zuma.
The coast became clear for Ramaphosa after the National Assembly rejected a move to probe and possibly impeach him over a report that allegedly indicted him for financial scandal in office.
Section 89 Independent Panel report before the assembly accused Ramaphosa of keeping the sum of $580,000 cash in his Phala Phala game ranch.
Ramaphosa had accepted there was money on his farm, but denied any wrongdoing, maintaining that the monies were legitimately made by him.
A large number of parliamentarians opted for a secret ballot to vote on the report, but the National Assembly Speaker, Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, blocked it and called for manual voting.
Members of the National Assembly then voted by 214 to 148 against the report and that favoured Ramaphosa because it could not reach the 50% threshold constitutionally required to begin the impeachment proceedings.(GBN)