PRESIDENT Cyril Ramaphosa has congratulated Zambia’s new president, Hakainde Hichilema, according to the Presidency in a statement to congratulate the new president on behalf of South Africa.
In the statement, Ramaphosa said: “The success of the recent presidential election provides the basis for continued stability and development in the Republic of Zambia and, through this, in the Southern African region.”
He also sent his “appreciation” to the outgoing president, Edgar Lungu, for his work in the region, as well as Zambia’s electoral commission for its diligence amid “the danger of the Covid-19 pandemic”.
“President Ramaphosa expresses his appreciation to the Government and electoral authority of the Republic of Zambia for holding a successful election amid the danger of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said the Presidency.
“The President also offers his appreciation to Outgoing President Edgar Lungu for his leadership during his term in office and his role as a partner for peace and development within the Southern African Development Community and the African Union.”
Hichilema, the veteran opposition politician who made six bids for the country’s presidency before finally landing the top job in a landslide, has described himself as just an ordinary “cattle boy”.
He unsuccessfully contested the 2016 election which he lost by just 100 000 votes, but on Monday his margin over incumbent Edgar Lungu was nearly a million.
This time around, the 59-year-old opposition leader tapped into widespread dissatisfaction with Lungu’s running of the economy and what he called a “brutal regime.”
Hichilema is no stranger to controversy in the copper-rich nation, having run afoul of the authorities numerous times. He regularly mentions that he has been arrested 15 times since getting into politics.
- Inside Politics
