President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa was on June 19, sworn in for a second term in office with a pledge to improve basic living conditions for all citizens. Despite not having a majority in the country’s elections of May 29, the African National Congress (ANC) was able to strike a deal with opposition parties to form a government of national unity. Under the new arrangement, Ramaphosa’s ANC will share power with five other political parties having lost its parliamentary majority for the first time in South Africa’s 30 years of democracy. Other parties in the power sharing deal include the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Zulu Nationalist Inkatha Freedom Party and other smaller groups. The coalition accounts for 68 per cent of the seats in parliament.
The election marked a historic turning point for South Africa, as it ended three decades of dominance by the ANC. The party won only 40 per cent of the votes and, for the first time, lost its absolute majority in the parliament. This notwithstanding, the ANC remains the largest party in the country, followed by the Democratic Alliance (DA). Ramaphosa was re-elected President by fellow members of the parliament with 283 votes in a secret ballot. African heads of state, including President Bola Tinubu, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and dignitaries from other parts of the world attended the inauguration.
No doubt, the ANC must have learnt some lessons from the loss of its majority in the parliament. The ANC came to power under late President Nelson Mandela’s leadership in the 1994 elections that ended the obnoxious apartheid policy in South Africa’s history. The party had maintained the records of winning the majority in subsequent elections, but lost its shine after presiding over years of decline and allegations of corruption.
The poor showing by the ANC in the May polls is seen as an expression of discontent by the voters over rising poverty and unemployment, rampant crime, rolling power cuts and corruption in the country under the party. Therefore, Ramaphosa’s election for a second term challenges him to ensure good governance for all South Africans. The reelection is a wake-up call on him to work for the people and meet their aspirations.
Under the watch of the ANC, there were allegations of exclusionist policies in South Africa. The blacks are still grappling with disempowerment and denial of equal opportunities compared with the whites. The party was also accused of not carrying the people along adequately.
The ANC should now begin to address these issues. There is need to ensure equity in the distribution of land and other factors of production among the citizens. President Ramaphosa should see his reelection as a call to duty to address the allegations of corruption against his party and government. The pledge by Jacob Zuma’s fledgling uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party, to provide robust opposition to the ruling coalition is a welcome development. He should not relent. One of the problems of democracy in Africa is the absence of robust opposition.
Instructively, Ramaphosa sees his inauguration as the beginning of a new era for the country. As he begins his second term in office, Ramaphosa must take bold steps to revamp the economy, ensure energy security, and advance land reforms. At the same time, he must ensure that democracy translates to good governance and shared prosperity for all the people. Furthermore, the government should not forget the anti-apartheid struggles and those who laid their lives for South Africa’s independence.
There are some lessons other African countries should learn from the election in South Africa. Apart from being free, fair and transparent, it reflected the wishes of the people. Moreover, their votes were made to count. Let African countries emulate the peaceful conduct of the election in South Africa. The poll was can be said to be devoid of violence, rigging and other electoral infractions associated with elections in other parts of Africa.
The South African poll has again shown that a ruling party can lose some grounds and still negotiate for the prime position without compromising the integrity of the electoral process. We congratulate President Ramaphosa on his reelection for a second term and wish him a successful tenure.
