Zuma sweeps to South African presidency

Jacob Zuma, the son of a housemaid and a police officer, was elected president of South Africa by lawmakers Wednesday, a decision that was expected given his African National Congress party’s large parliamentary majority.

Zuma won with 277 votes in the 400-member National Assembly in Cape Town, including those of 13 opposition lawmakers.

Ruling party members jeered and catcalled earlier when members of the Congress of the People, an opposition party that broke away from the African National Congress last year, were sworn in.

They also booed when COPE nominated its own candidate, Mvume Dandala, for president. Dandala received 47 votes.

Zuma, dressed in a plain gray suit and patterned navy tie, licked his lips nervously, then broke into a grin as the result was announced. The 67-year-old president-elect bowed and clapped as ANC lawmakers clamored to shake his hand, chanted his name and broke into song.

To abide by South Africa’s constitution, which requires the president to be elected from among members of the National Assembly, the lower house, Zuma was sworn in as a lawmaker for a few hours while the vote was taken, then resigned from the body.

He did not announce his Cabinet but said it would be working by the beginning of next week.

Zuma is to be inaugurated in Pretoria on Saturday in a ceremony to be attended by a number of world leaders.

“Our people have high expectations. As the executive, we will do our best to be more hands-on, more accessible and to deliver on our commitments,” he said in a clear reference to the formal and remote former president, Thabo Mbeki, who sacked Zuma as the nation’s deputy president in 2005 over corruption allegations.

The charges, dropped recently by prosecutors because of outside interference in the timing of them, have never been tested in court.

Prosecutors insisted that they had a strong case and said their decision to back off did not amount to an acquittal. During the presidential campaign, Zuma said he had no cloud of suspicion over him and told journalists he did not like discussing the subject.

With the ANC’s record on health, education, poverty, crime and unemployment widely criticized, even by party members, Zuma said those would be his top priorities.

“It’s going to be a busy five years. . . . We are determined to leave an indelible mark in these five areas,” Zuma said, warning the bureaucracy to improve its performance and delivery of services.

“It’s my fervent hope that our public servants heard our campaign message and understand that it shall not be business as usual,” he said. “We expect hard work and utmost determination.”

Ian Davidson, spokesman for the opposition Democratic Alliance, which has 67 lawmakers in the assembly, congratulated Zuma but said there were serious issues to be resolved concerning his conduct, and he called for Zuma to let the legal case proceed.

“The real test of the forthcoming presidency will be whether the judicial process is allowed to run its course in an unimpeded and dignified manner,” Davidson said.

“The president-elect will take up the highest office in the land with a great deal of support but also with the burden of high expectations on his shoulders,” he said. “We call on him in particular to ensure the constitution and the critical institutions that uphold constitutional values are protected and strengthened.”

--

robyn.dixon@latimes.com