The new South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for South Africans to put negativity behind them during his first state of the nation address.
Mr Ramaphosa, 65, delivered a message of optimism during a dramatic week in which he was elected by ruling party lawmakers.
His election came after his predecessor Jacob Zuma, whose time in office was marked by corruption scandals, resigned.
Mr Ramaphosa said in a speech in parliament: ‘We should put all the negativity that has dogged our country behind us because a new dawn is upon us and a wonderful dawn has arrived.
The new South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (pictured) has called for South Africans to put negativity behind them during his first state of the nation address
Mr Ramaphosa, 65, delivered a message of optimism during a dramatic week in which he was elected by ruling party lawmakers after his predecessor resigned (pictured: arriving at Parliament to give his state of the nation address)
‘Tough decisions have to be made to close our fiscal gap, stabilise our debt and restore our state-owned enterprises to health.’
Mr Ramaphosa, who had been deputy president under Mr Zuma, said his administration would concentrate on creating jobs and attracting investment, and that youth unemployment was a priority.
‘This is the year in which we will turn the tide of corruption in our public institutions,’ he added.
‘We are determined to build a society defined by decency and integrity, that does not tolerate the plunder of public resources, nor the theft by corporate criminals of the hard-earned savings of ordinary people.’
He said: ‘This is the year in which we will turn the tide of corruption in our public institutions’ (pictured: President Cyril Ramaphosa and Speaker of Parliament Baleka Mbete)
Mr Ramaphosa, who had been deputy president under Mr Zuma, said his administration would concentrate on creating jobs and attracting investment, and that youth unemployment was a priority
The South African currency, the rand, has strengthened against the dollar since Mr Ramaphosa took over, but the new president faces the long-term problem of sluggish economic growth and unemployment of over 25%.
Mr Zuma resigned on Wednesday, opening the way for Mr Ramaphosa to become South Africa’s fifth president since the end of white minority rule in 1994.
Mr Ramaphosa was a lead negotiator in the transition from apartheid to democracy who became one of South Africa’s most prominent businessmen.
He now leads a government anxious to shed months of political limbo and public frustration that weakened the reputation of the ruling African National Congress party.
Ahead of the speech, he told journalists he was ‘a little bit excited, expectant, a little apprehensive’.
Ahead of the speech, he told journalists he was ‘a little bit excited, expectant, a little apprehensive’