PRETORIA - Cyril Ramaphosa vowed a"new era" Saturday after he was sworn in as president of South Africa at a colourful ceremony in the capital, as he looks to revitalise his push to revive the economy and fight corruption.
"A new era has dawned in our country. A brighter day is rising upon South Africa," said Ramaphosa, promising that the nation was beginning"a new era of hope and renewal". Ramaphosa vowed to root out corruption as he took power last year when the ANC forced scandal-plagued Zuma to resign after nine years in office."Let us forge a compact for an efficient, capable and ethical state, a state that is free from corruption." Ramaphosa faces a herculean task to tackle the country's many problems - from a sickly economy, in which more than a quarter of the workforce is jobless, to land ownership that remains overwhelmingly in the hands of whites.
"Today is a historic day in South Africa, the people of this country... have spoken, now the job that we have to make sure we do is build the reforms. All other leaders after Mandela have taken their oaths at the Union Buildings, whose grounds can accommodate only up to 4,500 people.