South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa Re-Elected As President

Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected as the President of South Africa.

He was re-elected under the African National Congress (ACN).

Ramaphosa won his re-election bid with 2,476 votes to defeat his rival, a former health minister, Zweli Mkhize.

His re-election comes after his opponents asked him to step down over a scandal known as ‘Farmscandal’ involving the discovery of a stash of cash at his farm.

Ramaphosa denied the allegation and has not been charged with any crimes over the scandal, but it has raised questions about how he acquired the money and whether he declared it.

His main rival for the leadership, Zweli Mkhize, was the health minister during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, until Ramaphosa, put him on special leave last year after allegations that his department had irregularly awarded contracts to a communications company controlled by his former associates.

Mkhize has denied wrongdoing over the contracts.

Mkhize ran for leadership in the party’s last contest, in 2017, losing out to Ramaphosa.