The inauguration ceremony, held at the Presidential Palace (Union Building) in the capital, was attended, among other dignitaries, by the Cuban Vice President, Salvador Valdés Mesa; the Presidents of Namibia and Tanzania, Nangolo Mbumba, and Samia Suluhu Hassan, respectively.

Also present were King Mswati III of Swaziland, President Philip Jacinto Nyusi of Mozambique and Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe.

After being sworn in to lead the nation for a second term in the next five years, the South African president recalled how, as we enter “another era of national life,” the people have chosen peace and democracy over violent, undemocratic and unconstitutional methods.

In the past elections, he added, South Africans did not give any one party a full mandate to govern the nation on its own, instead, he argued, “they have asked us to work together to address their plight and fulfill their aspirations.”

As leaders of this diverse nation, Ramaphosa stressed, we respect the results of elections and therefore have a sacred duty to unite the people of South Africa.

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