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South Africa: Cyril Ramaphosa to Become President as Jacob Zuma Resigns

HeadlineFeb 15, 2018

South African President Jacob Zuma resigned from office Wednesday, effective immediately, after his ruling ANC party ordered him to step down or face a no-confidence vote. The 75-year-old Zuma had been in power since 2009 but faced widespread calls to step down amid a number of corruption scandals. Longtime ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa is poised to take Zuma’s place. Ramaphosa once led the National Union of Mineworkers under apartheid in the 1980s. He later built a business empire that included mining interests—including the Marikana platinum mine, where police killed 34 workers during a strike in 2012. Ramaphosa is now one of Africa’s wealthiest men, with a net worth of about $450 million.

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