PARLIAMENT, February 15 (ANA) - Newly elected South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Thursday committed to become accountable to Parliament and to become a "servant of the people".
In his first address as head of State shortly after his election in the National Assembly, Ramaphosa said he will regularly account to Parliament and plans to meet with opposition parties soon to discuss how they could work together.
"I will do all this as a servant of our people," said Ramaphosa, adding he will exercise his duties as president "with humility, faithfulness, and dignity".
Ramaphosa said he believed he faced a difficult task and was humbled to have been entrusted with it.
"I will do all of this as the servant of our people. I will seek to execute that task with humility, with faithfulness, and with dignity too."
Ramaphosa lightly rebuked Maimane for the warning, in congratulating him on his election, that the ANC faced uphill in the 2019 national elections.
"Leave 2019 aside let us deal with the current moment and work together on how we are going to improve the lives of our people rather than grandstanding."
He said the opposition's call for the government to tackle corruption and state capture was "on our radar screen".
Opposition parties congratulated Cyril Ramaphosa on his election as the new South African President but did not give him a free pass.
"President Ramaphosa, I want to on behalf of the DA congratulate you, wish you well and I want you to know, if you act in interests of the people of South Africa, we will cooperate as best we can...," said Mmusi Maimane, leader of the biggest opposition party, Democratic Alliance, shortly after Ramaphosa's election.
Maimane warned that since Ramaphosa's predecessor, Jacob Zuma, who resigned on Wednesday night under pressure from his own party, SA's governing African National Congress (ANC), was defended time and again by the very same people who recalled him, meant the problem did not lie with the man.
"We don't have a Jacob Zuma problem, we have an ANC problem," said Maimane, adding that the best way forward was to dissolve Parliament and call fresh elections.
"This is a moment in our country where we must move section 50 of the Constitution and go back to the people of SA and ask them for a fresh mandate."
The Economic Freedom Fighters left the sitting early, protesting Speaker Baleka Mbete's refusal to immediately hear a motion to dissolve Parliament.
United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa reminded Ramaphosa that his rise to power was not due to just his party.
"Mr. President, your abrupt rise to the highest office in the land is the collective efforts of the relentless struggles of people of South Africa from all walks of life against the then ANC deployed corrupt leader [Zuma]," said Holomisa.
African Christian Democratic Party leader Kenneth Meshoe said Ramaphosa needed "the courage to use the broom to sweep clean", referring to corruption in state institutions.
"Let the fear of God guide you, Mr. President...hope is dawning and may the people who are hopeful out there not be disappointed by the honourable Cyril Ramaphosa," Meshoe said.
