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Cyril Ramaphosa is officially the fifth president of South Africa since democracy.
He was sworn in on Wednesday afternoon at the presidential residence in Cape Town, Tuynhuys, by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng.
Ramaphosa came into office less than a day after Jacob Zuma officially announced his resignation as president late on Wednesday night.
Mogoeng read out the oath of office to Ramaphosa, to which he repeated.
“And I solemnly and sincerely promise that I will always promote all that will advance the republic and oppose all that may harm it,” he said.
Ministers could be seen making their way into Tuynhuys moments before Ramaphosa began taking the oath of office.
Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane and Energy Minister David Mahlobo were both spotted making their way into the residence.
MT @muzahu: The minister of water and sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane walks into the presidential office, Tuynhuys, ahead of swearing-in of the president pic.twitter.com/lb0l5mYUA7
— City Press Online (@City_Press) February 15, 2018
RT @the_pixelat0r: David Mahlobo arriving for #CyrilRamaphosa's swearing in pic.twitter.com/4Po9Ryyouc
— City Press Online (@City_Press) February 15, 2018
Earlier, during the parliamentary election of Ramaphosa, the Economic Freedom Fighters refused to participate in the election process and stormed out, after party leader Julius Malema said they wouldn’t legitimise the process of electing Ramaphosa into office.
The EFF held a press conference earlier in the day where Malema called for the dissolution of Parliament, and he took the opportunity to “remind” Zuma of his “sins” and Ramaphosa’s affiliation with Zuma.
Read: Here’s what you did wrong: Malema reminds Zuma of his sins
“It was under Zuma’s presidency that 34 mine workers were massacred by the ANC government in Marikana and this of course happened in collaboration with and due to the pressure of current ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa,” Malema said.
The EFF this evening called Ramaphosa’s election “illegitimate”.
“We see it as an illigitimate move because Parliament should cleanse itself of all the Constitutional Court rulings that have found it to be in violation of the Constitution in that it failed to hold the executive accountable. This failure to hold the executive accountable means there cannot be a new cabinet that rises out of this Parliament with legitimacy,” the EFF’s Mbuyiseni Ndlozi said.
