JOHANNESBURG — South Africa’s governing African National Congress voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to keep President Jacob Zuma as the head of the nation’s dominant political force, more than likely guaranteeing the politician another five years as the country’s president.
Zuma trounced Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe, his only challenger who ran a largely muted and reluctant campaign, getting 2,983 votes to Motlanthe’s 991.
A smiling Zuma went to the stage immediately after the announcement, waving to the cheering crowd with both hands.
“We can boast that we’re a leader of our society, that therefore we have something to contribute to the democratic life of this country, to this democratic Republic of South Africa,” Zuma said in brief remarks after his victory. “We are certain that at this course in our democracy we are correct, that what we do at all material times, it is in the interest, not just of our organization, but of our country and its people.”
The ANC voted to install wealthy businessman Cyril Ramaphosa as deputy president of the party.
Ramaphosa is a former union leader who was African National Congress general secretary during the constitutional negotiations that ended apartheid in 1994. He went on to found an investment empire with interests that include a power plant, McDonald’s franchises, a Coca-Cola bottler and mines. In November, Forbes magazine estimated his net worth to be about $675 million.