South Africa's Ramaphosa reelected as ruling party leader

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has been reelected as leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), an ANC official said Monday.

Ramaphosa beat his rival, former Health Minister Zweli Mkhize, by 2,476 votes to 1,897 votes from a total of 4,386 votes cast by party delegates from across the country.

The victory paves the way for Ramaphosa to run for reelection to a second term as South Africa's president in the national election in 2024.,

'Farmgate' scandal

Ramaphosa is widely regarded as the country's most popular politician, despite being embroiled in a scandal. He recently faced calls to step down as the country's president over a corruption scandal.

Last week, he survived a vote to start impeachment proceedings against him over a parliamentary report that said he might have broken anti-corruption laws by keeping undeclared sums of money at his farm.

Ramaphosa has denied wrongdoing and has not been charged with a crime over the so-called Farmgate scandal, but it has raised questions about how he acquired the money and why he didn't declare it.

Challenges ahead

With crippling nationwide blackouts lasting more than seven hours a day, an unemployment rate of 35% and widespread reports of corruption, Ramaphosa and the newly elected ANC leadership face many challenges as the party that runs the government and the legislature.

Opening the ANC conference on Friday, Ramaphosa acknowledged that his government was partly responsible for the country's electricity crisis. He promised that his government would ensure sufficient electricity supply in the coming years by purchasing more renewable energy.

Ramaphosa also pledged that his government would continue to fight corruption.

dh/fb (AP, AFP, Reuters)