South Africa president, newly elected by parliament, vows to tackle corruption News
South Africa president, newly elected by parliament, vows to tackle corruption

Cyril Ramaphosa [Independent, profile] was elected as South Africa’s president in a parliamentary vote [Reuters report] on Thursday after former president Jacob Zuma resigned, ending his nine year presidency, in the face of a pending no-confidence vote.

Ramaphosa is expected to be sworn in later in the day, and to make any changes to the cabinet after an address on Friday. He pledged to tackle endemic corruption in the government that was so widespread [NYT report] in Zuma’s administration that it was often clear when business partners or friends influenced government decisions in their personal interest.

The parliament had called [JURIST report] for Zuma’s resignation amidst corruption allegations and social and economic issues [WP report] such as unemployment, economic stagnation and water shortages. The ANC invoked Rule 12.2.21.2 of the ANC Constitution [text] allowing the National Executive Committee of the ANC to recall any public representative.

THIS DAY @ LAW

Georgia became first US state to ban lynching

On December 20, 1893, Georgia became the first state in the Union to pass a law against lynching, making the act punishable by four years in prison. The statute was not particularly effective—read the text of the 1899 pamphlet Lynch Law in Georgia by anti-lynching activist Ida Wells-Barnett.