South Africans have woken to a nation without Jacob Zuma as president for the first time in nine years after the scandal-plagued head of state reluctantly resigned on orders from the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Acting president Cyril Ramaphosa is due to be confirmed as Zuma's permanent successor in a parliamentary vote at 2pm on Thursday, ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu said.
The road back to prosperity and self-respect under Ramaphosa, who became ANC head in December, will be long and hard in a nation divided by race and inequality.
Zuma resigned as president late on Wednesday after nine years in office.
The 75-year-old said in a 30-minute farewell address to the nation he disagreed with the way the ANC had pushed him towards an early exit after Ramaphosa replaced him as party president, but would accept its orders.
"Defiant in defeat" and "Going, Going, Gone" were some of the newspaper headlines that captured Zuma's reluctance to leave.
"South Africa's long nightmare is over," read the headline of an analysis on online news site Daily Maverick.
The foundation set up to guard the legacy of the late anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela said on Thursday Zuma's resignation brought to an end "a painful era for the country."
Ramaphosa looks set to be president until elections next year.
His first state of the nation address is expected on Friday. The speech had been scheduled to be delivered by Zuma last Thursday, but was postponed after pressure mounted for him to resign.
The rand currency soared to a near three-year high against the US dollar on Zuma's resignation.
"One chapter in South Africa's political soap-opera has finally ended with the resignation last night of President Jacob Zuma," NKC African Economics analysts wrote in a note.
"It would be gratifying to see the dedication and purpose the ANC put into ridding itself of Zuma now be directed into rebuilding the economy, dealing with the corruption still residing in the ANC and improving its shoddy governance record."
Zuma's resignation came just hours after police raided the luxury home of the Gupta family, Indian-born billionaire allies of the former president who have been at the centre of corruption allegations against Zuma.
Police said three people were arrested during the raids on properties in Johannesburg.
State broadcaster SABC said a Gupta family member was among those detained, while a senior judicial source said police were expected to arrest up to seven more people and Gupta family members would be among them.
Police said the raid was in connection with a state-funded dairy farm, which prosecutors last month called a "scheme designed to defraud and steal".
Australian Associated Press
