South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says there is no place for threats of violence or instability after African National Congress (ANC) party lost its majority in last week’s election.
The result, announced on Sunday, was the worst election showing for the ANC, Africa’s oldest liberation movement, once led by Nelson Mandela, since it came to power 30 years ago, ending white minority rule.
Ramaphosa reacting to the results told newsmen that the moment calls for responsible leadership and constructive engagement, rather than result to hate and violence.
He also called on South Africans to stand firm against any attempts to undermine the constitutional order for which so many struggled and sacrificed.
The sharp drop in ANC support has fueled speculation that Ramaphosa’s days might be numbered, either due to the demands of a prospective coalition partner or as a result of an internal leadership challenge.
But so far senior party officials have publicly backed him, and analysts say he has no obvious successor.
Former president Jacob Zuma’s uMkhonto we Sizwe party has said it is considering a court challenge to the election results, despite performing much better than many had expected to come in third with 14.6% of the vote.
