South Africa’s Ramaphosa: Power transfer to be finalized

JOHANNESBURG » South Africa’s deputy president consolidated his control of the government on Sunday, promising to conclude a power transition in which he would succeed President Jacob Zuma, who faces widespread calls to resign because of corruption allegations.

Standing on the balcony of Cape Town’s pillared City Hall, Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa delivered what amounted to a state of the nation address of the kind that Zuma was unable to give as scheduled last week because of the leadership crisis in South Africa.

Ramaphosa, Zuma’s expected successor, set out a policy agenda for the year in his nationally televised speech, which marked the beginning of commemorations of the centenary of Nelson Mandela’s birth on July 18, 1918. Then he referred to the topic that people really wanted to hear about: his confidential negotiations in recent days with Zuma over the president’s exit after a scandal-marred tenure.