South Africa’s ANC Names New Secretary-General

South Africa’s ruling party, African National Congress (ANC) has appointed a new secretary-general, Jessie Duarte, after Ace Magashule was suspended on Thursday on corruption charges.

At the end of a three-day ANC meeting, Cyril Ramaphosa announced that Jessie Duarte, deputy secretary-general since 2012, “will, in accordance with the ANC constitution, perform the functions assigned to the secretary-general.

Last week, Elias Magashule, nicknamed “Ace” became the first senior party official to be temporarily sidelined in the wake of the ANC’s new anti-corruption policy.

At the end of March, Ace Magashule was given a 30-day ultimatum to step down after being accused of misappropriating public funds while serving as premier of the Free State, one of South Africa’s nine provinces.

This is a victory for Cyril Ramaphosa, who has vowed to eradicate corruption.

After his suspension was announced, the senior official said he was not going anywhere but instead of stepping down, he wrote a letter to Cyril Ramaphosa asking him to temporarily step down as president, citing his powers as party secretary general.

Currently out on bail, “Ace” will be tried in August along with some 15 co-accused.

Embroiled in corruption scandals for several years, Nelson Mandela’s ANC is seeking to regain its dignity in the eyes of disgusted voters.