Post date: Dec 18, 2012 3:13:45 PM
South Africa's governing African National Congress re-elects President Jacob Zuma as its leader.
BLOEMFONTEIN, SOUTH AFRICA ( DECEMBER 18, 2012) ( REUTERS) - South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) re-elected President Jacob Zuma as leader of the party on Tuesday ( December 18, 2012), setting him up for another seven years as head of state, and it chose businessman Cyril Ramaphosa as his deputy.
More than 4,000 ANC delegates crammed into a marquee in the central city of Bloemfontein erupted into wild cheers when Zuma was confirmed in the top party post after comfortably seeing off a challenge by Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe."Comrade Jacob Zuma received 2,983 ballots" said electoral officer, Dren Nupen .
A beaming Zuma then walked on stage to shake hands with his colleagues and members of the party's election commission.
The rand edged higher against the dollar after the announcement, reflecting relief among investors inAfrica's biggest economy at the likelihood of policies remaining largely unchanged under Zuma.
But he will have a new deputy.
"Comrade Cyril Ramaphosa is a successful candidate for deputy president," said Nupen.
Ramaphosa is an anti-apartheid union leader who his now South Africa's second-richest black businessman.
His return to frontline politics is also seen as broadly favourable to business and investment.
Many delegates were happy with the results outcomes.
"He is the choice of the people, and the track record speaks for itself." said ANC delegate Jonas Ramokhoase.
Zuma came to power in 2009 during South Africa's first recession in 18 years. His economic record has been chequered and he has also been dogged by personal scandals, but his popularity within Nelson Mandela's 100-year-old liberation movement is overwhelming.
ANC National Executive Committee member Paul Mashatile said the party will now regroup.
"Some of the things we are stressing is lets rebuild the core values of the ANC of discipline, values of unity, selflessness, and that's what we are going to focus our minds on. Once we are done with the elections we will put our heads together, the leadership, to build a strong ANC because in two years time we're going to national elections and we can't afford to go limping, so we will unite, we'll work together and make sure that we accelerate the pace of transformation in the country to bring about a better life for all," he said.