Ugee

New S Africa president sworn in

The deputy leader of South Africa's ruling party Kgalema Motlanthe has been sworn in as caretaker president, replacing Thabo Mbeki. Mr Motlanthe won three-quarters of the votes cast by MPs in a secret ballot in parliament in Cape Town. A veteran of the African National Congress (ANC), Mr Motlanthe said he was "deeply humbled" by the outcome. Trevor Manuel, the widely respected finance minister, has been retained despite offering to step down. Mr Mbeki's departure led to a flurry of resignations from the cabinet and caused uncertainty on the markets. Mr Manuel was one of 11 cabinet members who resigned, but said he would be happy to serve a new president.    In a turbulent global economy, we will remain true to the policies that have kept South Africa steady, and that have ensured sustained growth Kgalema Motlanthe Interim President Mr Motlanthe said on Thursday he would keep Mr Manuel in his post, recognising his role in leading the nation to sustained growth. In his first speech as president, the interim president vowed that the country's economic policies would not change, and that he would intensify efforts to create more jobs. "In a turbulent global economy, we will remain true to the policies that have kept South Africa steady, and that have ensured sustained growth," he said. The new president is seen as a figure who can help ease tensions between supporters of Mr Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. He will serve until polls next year, when Mr Zuma, as ANC leader, is widely expected to become president.    KGALEMA MOTLANTHE Kgalema Motlanthe 1949: Born 1967: Detained for 11 months 1977: Sentenced to 10 years on Robben Island 1987: Joined National Union of Mineworkers, rising to become its secretary-general 1997: Elected ANC secretary-general 2007: Elected ANC's deputy president 2008: Becomes an MP and minister without portfolio Mr Zuma is not an MP and so was not eligible to be elected president. He watched Thursday's vote from the public gallery. Mr Mbeki announced his resignation on Sunday amid claims of political interference in a corruption case against Mr Zuma. He denies the allegations but said he was stepping down in the interests of party unity, as the ANC leadership said it was recalling him. There were loud cheers in the national assembly as the chief justice announced that Mr Motlanthe had secured 269 of 360 votes cast. His challenger, Joe Seremane, of the opposition Democratic Alliance, got just 50 votes in a parliament heavily-dominated by the ANC. However, there were 41 spoiled papers, suggesting a protest by some parliamentarians, the BBC's Southern Africa correspondent Peter Biles says. One of Mr Motlanthe's tasks will be to ensure a smooth political transition given the talk of feuding and divisions within the ANC, our correspondent adds. Mr Motlanthe is a long-serving member of the party hierarchy and a man generally seen as a safe pair of hands, our correspondent says. During the apartheid years, he was imprisoned on Robben Island along with Nelson Mandela. Earlier, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe described Mr Mbeki's resignation as "devastating". Mr Mbeki was the key mediator during months of negotiations that recently led to a power-sharing agreement in Zimbabwe. "It's devastating news that President Mbeki is no longer president... but that is the action of the South African people," he was quoted as saying by Zimbabwe's state-run Herald newspaper.

 

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