South Africa\u2019s new ruling-party leader, Cyril Ramaphosa, vowed to fight corruption, revive the struggling economy and restore investor confidence, the latest sign that he\u2019s planning a dramatic shift after years of decline under Jacob Zuma.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are resolute in our commitment to make this the year in which we rebuild our movement and turn around the South African economy,\u201d Ramaphosa said in a speech Saturday to mark the 106th anniversary of the founding of the African National Congress in the southern city of East London.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur vision is an economy that encourages and welcomes investment, offers policy certainty and addresses barriers that inhibit growth and social inclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramaphosa, 65, took over control of the ANC at the party\u2019s national conference on Dec. 18 from Zuma, whose scandal-tainted tenure as the nation\u2019s president has eroded support for the ANC and led to mounting calls from within its ranks to resign.<\/p>\n
Speculation has been increasing that Zuma will be toppled before his current terms ends in 2019. Ramaphosa, a lawyer and one of the wealthiest black South Africans, made no reference to taking over the reins of government in his address.<\/p>\n
He told the crowd of about 20,000 that the ANC\u2019s new leadership was committed to doing things differently.<\/p>\n
Renewal Message<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cThe speech did signify that the Jacob Zuma era was largely over,\u2019\u2019 Daniel Silke, director of Cape Town-based Political Futures Consultancy said by phone in Cape Town.<\/p>\n \u201cRamaphosa succeeded in delivering a message of renewal, which will clearly be the ANC\u2019s message over the next year.\u201d<\/p>\n The central bank projects economic growth of just 1.2% this year after the economy went through a recession in 2017, but Ramaphosa said on the campaign trail that he\u2019s targeting 3% expansion.<\/p>\n The economy has \u201cbeen severely undermined by corruption and state capture, institutional instability, policy inconsistency, poor performance of state-owned enterprises and a sense of drift within the ANC,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to work with urgency and seriousness to address these challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018State Capture\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n The ANC\u2019s former head of intelligence, Zuma, 75, took office in May 2009 just weeks after prosecutors dropped graft charges against him.<\/p>\n He\u2019s spent years fighting a bid by opposition parties to have those charges reinstated and fending off allegations that he oversaw \u201cstate capture\u201d by allowing members of the Gupta family to influence cabinet appointments and the award of state contracts.<\/p>\n Zuma was booed when he arrived at Saturday\u2019s rally.<\/p>\n The challenges at state companies \u201chave been exacerbated by state capture, through which billions of rand have been illegally diverted to individuals,\u201d Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernance of these state-owned enterprises has been severely weakened and confidence in the public sector generally has been undermined.\u201d<\/p>\n Zuma announced on Tuesday that he will appoint a commission of inquiry into allegations that the Gupta family was allowed to influence state decisions, abiding by a court-ruling which ordered him to do so.<\/p>\n The ANC welcomes the announcement, Ramaphosa said.<\/p>\n Anti-corruption battle<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cWe shall confront corruption and state capture in all the forms and manifestations that these scourges assume,\u201d he said. \u201cThe investigation and prosecution of those responsible will be given top priority.\u201d<\/p>\n Other main points from Ramaphosa\u2019s speech include:<\/p>\n\n
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