ANC conference: South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa defies scandal to win party vote

South Africa's scandal-hit President Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected person of the governing African National Congress (ANC).

He defeated his rival Zweli Mkhize by 2,476 votes to 1,897.

Mr Ramaphosa won contempt being dogged by allegations of wealth laundering, and a last-minute surge successful enactment for Mr Mkhize, who has besides been accused of corruption. Both contradict the allegations.

His triumph puts him successful rod presumption to pb the ANC successful the 2024 election.

But helium is inactive astatine hazard arsenic helium is being investigated by police, the taxation bureau and cardinal slope implicit allegations that stashed astatine slightest $580,000 successful a sofa astatine his backstage farm, and past covered up its theft.

A sheet of ineligible experts, appointed by the talker of parliament, said that impeachment proceedings should beryllium instituted against him arsenic helium whitethorn person some violated the constitution and breached anti-corruption legislation.

Mr Ramaphosa's re-election bid was bolstered by the information the ANC utilized its parliamentary bulk to ballot down the findings of the panel.

The president has denied immoderate wrongdoing, and has launched ineligible enactment to annul the panel's report.

He said the $580,000 came from the merchantability of buffaloes, but the sheet said determination was "substantial doubt" implicit whether a transaction took place.

Mr Mkhize was the wellness curate successful Mr Ramaphosa's government, until helium was forced to resigned past twelvemonth implicit allegations of misspending funds acceptable speech to woody with the Covid-19 pandemic.

He excessively has denied immoderate wrongdoing, and his supporters saw the allegations arsenic an effort to discredit him.

Mr Ramaphosa was the odds-on favourite to win, but Mr Mkhize gained much votes than expected aft offering cardinal posts to different almighty leaders successful deals struck conscionable up of delegates formed astatine the conference.

Both sides denied accusations of vote-buying.

The ANC has been successful powerfulness since white-minority regularisation ended successful 1994, and is hoping to unafraid a sixth word successful the 2024 parliamentary election. But sentiment polls suggest that its ballot has shrunk considerably due to the fact that of wide corruption successful government, precocious unemployment and mediocre nationalist services - including changeless powerfulness cuts.