South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), despite being embroiled in a scandal involving a sofa full of cash.
A veteran of the anti-apartheid fight, Ramaphosa, 70, was a close associate of anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela but was unable to become his successor in 1999 when the ANC opted for Thabo Mbeki.
He then made a fortune in mining and also took stakes in McDonald’s and Coca-Cola before returning to politics.
Here is a snapshot of his presidency:
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2018: president
On February 15, 2018, Ramaphosa is elected president by parliament after the ANC ousts Jacob Zuma.
Ramaphosa had been elected leader of the ANC two months earlier.
He comes to power promising to tackle corruption and unemployment, promising “a new dawn” for his country.
2019: party weakened
The ANC suffers losses in the May 2019 general elections but retains its absolute majority in parliament.
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Later that year, Ramaphosa is accused of lying to parliament about a 500,000 rand (€32,000) donation to his 2017 ANC leadership campaign by an industry group.
Ramaphosa is acquitted by the Constitutional Court in July 2021.
2020: Covid-19
His plans to revive the long-sick South African economy are hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.
South Africa is the African country hardest hit by the pandemic in 2020. Several members of the Ramaphosa administration are accused of diverting funds meant to combat the pandemic.
Zweli Mkhize resigns as health minister in August 2021 amid the allegations.
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2021: riots
In July 2021, the Zulu-majority province of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) erupts in riots a day after KZN native Zuma is jailed for contempt of court.
The riots spread to the most populous province of Gauteng, killing at least 350 people in the worst violence since the end of apartheid.
Ramaphosa describes the riots as an orchestrated attempt to destabilize the country.
March 2022: refusal to condemn Russia
In March 2022, South Africa is among a small group of mostly African countries with long-standing ties to Russia abstaining from voting on a UN resolution condemning Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and demanding an immediate withdrawal. .
Ramaphosa tells parliament that he will not be swayed into taking a “contradictory” position on the conflict.
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June 2022: cash theft scandal
In June 2022, former South African spy chief Arthur Fraser accuses Ramaphosa of concealing from the authorities a large cash heist at his luxury ranch.
Ramaphosa is accused of organizing the kidnapping of the thieves and bribing them into silence.
He denies any wrongdoing and says $580,000 in cash from a buffalo sale was stolen from a couch where it had been hidden for safekeeping.
The matter raises questions about why he kept so much unreported foreign currency.
On November 30, a special panel investigating the scandal says there is enough evidence to warrant a parliamentary debate on Ramaphosa’s impeachment.
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Thanks to a comfortable ANC majority, Ramaphosa survives the vote, which comes days before a crucial ANC leadership conference.
December 2022: re-elected head of the ANC
On December 19, Ramaphosa overcomes a challenge from former health minister Zweli Mkhize to be re-elected party leader, paving the way for him to win a second term as South African leader if the ANC wins the next general election in 2024.
© Agence France-Presse
