Cyril Ramaphosa elected South Africa's new president

Cyril Ramaphosa has been elected as South Africa'spresident just hoursafter the country's scandal-plagued leader Jacob Zuma resigned on Wednesday.

• South African President Jacob Zuma resigns

But he had to strike a fine balance between applyingpressure onZuma, a 75-year-old anti-apartheid veteran, and
affording him a dignified exit.

On Wednesday,Zumaheeded theorders of the ANCto end to his nineyears in power. The ANC, which replaced Zuma as party leader in December with then Deputy President Ramaphosa, ordered him to step down on Tuesday.

When Zumafailed to resign, it announced it would back an opposition motion in parliament to force him out.

Ramaphosa, 65, has put the focus on rooting out corruptionand revitalizing economic growth.

Dealmaker for decades

Ramaphosa's deal-making skills have been apparent fordecades.

Nelson Mandela turned to the former trade union leader whenhe needed a tenacious negotiator to lead talks to end apartheid.The successful conclusion of those talks paved the way forMandela to sweep to power in 1994 as head of the victorious ANC after South Africa's first democratic vote.

Mandela wanted Ramaphosa to be his heir but was pressuredinto picking Thabo Mbeki by a group of ANC leaders who hadfought apartheid from exile.

It has taken more than two decades for Ramaphosa to getanother chance to run the country.

"Ramaphosa's ambition for the presidency has been clearthroughouthis adult life. He was quite clearly wounded by
his marginalization in the Mbeki period," said Anthony Butler, apolitics professor who has written a biography of Ramaphosa.

Major challenges ahead

Ramaphosa faces a major challenge in turning the countryround. But his pledges to boost growth and fight corruption havegone down well with foreign investors and ANC members whothought Zuma's handling of the economy could cost the partydearly in a parliamentary election next year.

Financial markets have seen a "Ramaphosa rally" since hedefeated Zuma's preferred successor and ex-wife NkosazanaDlamini-Zuma in last year's ANC leadership contest.

Unlike Zuma, Ramaphosa was not driven into exile for opposing apartheid, which some of the party's more hardline
members hold against him.

He fought the injustices of white minority rule from withinSouth Africa, most prominently by defending the rights of blackminers as leader of the National Union of Mineworkers.

A member of the relatively small Venda ethnic group,Ramaphosa was able to overcome divisions that sometimes
constrain members of the larger Zulu and Xhosa groups.

A massive strike by miners led by Ramaphosa's NUM in 1987taught business that "Cyril was a force to be reckoned with,"said Michael Spicer, a former executive at Anglo American.

"He has a shrewd understanding of men and power,and knowshow to get what he wants from a situation," Spicer said.

Helped draft constitution

The importance of Ramaphosa's contribution to the talks toend apartheid is such that commentators have referred to them intwo distinct stages: BC and AC, Before Cyril and After Cyril.

Ramaphosa also played an important role in drafting SouthAfrica's post-apartheid constitution.

After missing out on becoming Mandela's deputy, Ramaphosawithdrew from active political life, switching to business.

His investment vehicle Shanduka(Venda for change)grewrapidly, and acquired stakes in mining firms, mobile phone
operator MTN and McDonald's South African franchise.

Phuti Mahanyele, a former chief executive at Shanduka,recalled that Ramaphosa required staff to contribute to
charitable projects aimed at improving access to education forthe underprivileged.

By the time Ramaphosa sold out of Shanduka in 2014, he was one of South Africa's 20 richest people.

'Cyril has got to be wiser'

Pravin Gordhan, a former finance minister, toldReuters that Ramaphosa's election as ANC leader was enough tochange "the whole narrative about South Africa's economy" withinthree months.

But Ramaphosa has his detractors.

He was a non-executive director at Lonmin when negotiations to halt a violent wildcat strike at itsMarikana platinum mine in 2012 ended in police fatally shooting 34 workerson strike.

An inquiry subsequently absolved Ramaphosa of guilt. But some families still blame him for urging theauthorities to intervene.

"My conscience is that I participated in trying to stop further deaths from happening," Ramaphosa said of the incident.

Others have warned Ramaphosa that he should not take theirsupport for granted.

"Cyril has got to be wiser than President Zuma," said SdumoDlamini, president of South African trade union federation
and a member of the ANC's national executive.

"He leads as part of a collective, and we need to see aserious turnaround to address the challenges of joblessness andinequality, which are huge."