South Africa’s scandal-hit President Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected as the governing ANC’s leader to wild cheers from his supporters.
He defeated his opponent Zweli Mkhize by a margin of 2,476 votes to 1,897.
Mr. Ramaphosa prevailed despite allegations of money laundering and a surge in support for Mr. Mkhize, who has also been accused of corruption. Both deny the allegations.
His victory places him in the first place to lead the ANC in the 2024 election.
He is still in danger, though, as he is under investigation by the police, the tax office, and the central bank on claims that he concealed the theft of at least $580,000 (£475,000) from his private farm by hiding it in a sofa.
He may have infringed both the constitution and anti-corruption legislation, according to a team of legal experts that the speaker of parliament convened. They declared that he had a case to answer.
In a victory that saw him win by a wider margin than when he initially ran for the leadership of the ruling party, the African National Congress, in 2017, his supporters broke into song and dancing after he was pronounced the victor.
The fact that the ANC used its legislative majority to vote down the panel’s recommendations helped Mr. Ramaphosa’s reelection campaign.
The president has filed a lawsuit to have the panel’s report thrown out and has denied any wrongdoing.
He claimed that the sale of buffalo was where the $580,000 came from, but the panel stated that there was a “strong question” as to whether a transaction actually took place.
Prior to being forced to leave last year amid claims of misusing funds set aside to address the Covid-19 outbreak, Mr. Mkhize served as the health minister in Mr. Ramaphosa’s administration.
His supporters believed the claims were an effort to undermine him, and he has also denied any wrongdoing.
Even though Mr. Ramaphosa was the overwhelming favorite to win, some of Mr. Mkhize’s supporters appeared shocked when the outcome was revealed.
After making deals with other influential leaders to provide them with significant positions right before conference delegates cast their votes, they were sure of their success.
Vote-buying allegations were refuted by both sides.
Since the end of white minority rule in 1994, the ANC has been in power, and it plans to win a sixth term in the legislative elections of 2024. But according to polls, its support has significantly decreased as a result of pervasive government corruption, excessive unemployment, and subpar public services, which include frequent power outages.
Paul Mashatile was chosen by the ANC as the new deputy leader, unseating Mr. Ramaphosa’s favored nominee for the second-most important position in the party.
Currently, Mr. Mashatile is the favorite to succeed Mr. Ramaphosa as president and vice president of South Africa, respectively.
Other significant party positions, such as secretary-general and national chairman, were gained by the president’s loyalists.
After a contentious meeting, the losers hugged the winners in a display of solidarity.
Jacob Zuma’s supporters heckled Mr. Ramaphosa during his opening remarks at the conference last week.
However, no politician from KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma’s political stronghold, was chosen to any of the ANC’s top seven positions, the most recent indication of the region’s and his own waning power within the organization.
Last year, after refusing to appear before a judge-led inquiry into corruption during his administration, Zuma was given a contempt of court penalty.
Additionally, he is accused of engaging in corrupt behavior in connection with an enormous arms transaction that South Africa negotiated more than 20 years ago. He has refuted the accusations.
