CAPE TOWN, (Reuters) – ANC leader Jacob Zuma was elected president of South Africa by parliament yesterday, and set boosting the economy and creating jobs as his immediate priorities.
Zuma, jailed for 10 years under apartheid before going into exile, is the nation’s fourth head of state since the end of white rule in 1994.
An eight-year corruption case nearly ruined him, but graft charges against him were dropped shortly before the election on April 22, which his ruling party won handsomely.
Aside from fighting poverty, crime and AIDS, Zuma faces the task of guiding Africa’s biggest economy, which may already be in recession, through the global financial crisis.
Zuma moved quickly to reassure foreign investors who will be watching to see if the charismatic former guerrilla steers the economy to the left despite his assurances of policy continuity.
He also sought to comfort trade union allies who helped him become president and may want payback in the form of more government spending.
