President John Dramani Mahama on Saturday joined his colleague Presidents and representatives at Nelson Mandela Amphitheatre in the Presidential inauguration of President Jacob Zuma of South Africa.
The programme was also attended by 4,500 invited guests at the Mandela Amphitheatre, while 20,000 other invited guests were confined in the Union Buildings of the Presidency at Pretoria.
Also in attendance were; Asantehene Osei Tutu II, King of the Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana, members of the Diplomatic Corps, representatives of various international organisations among other important dignitaries.
Members of the South African council churches, the Islamic Clerics and other religious Faith in the Southern African country were allso fully represented.
President Zuma was re-elected as President of South Africa following his ANC party resounding victory in the May 7, election inspite of the breaking away of the Economic Freedom Fighters members led by Julius Malema from the ANC this year.
The Tennis Lawns of the Union Buildings were inundated with entertainment from popular musical artistes to herald in a night long concert that would also mark 20 years of democratic governance in the Southern African country.
President Zuma is the third African National Congress President in South Africa after previously serving as a Vice President to President Thambo Mbeki from the same political party.
The other past presidents of the ANC are Nelson Mandela who began the journey after coming from prisons to become the first Black President of South Africa and was succeeded by Mr Thambo Mbeki after the famous one term of meritorious service to the people.
The ceremony was also marked by musketry and aircraft formation displays to entertain the teeming Guests at both the 4,500 capacity and 2,0000 capacity Nelson Mandela Amphitheatre and the Union Buildings respectively.
After administering the oath of office in the rapturous Nelson Mandela Amphitheatre, President Zuma gave the assurance that his administration would continue to work tirelessly to ensure better living conditions for all South Africans especially the marginalized poor.
He said giving where the country came from in the face of racial discrimination to democracy; there was the need for more policies and programmes that would make society comfortable.
President Zuma mentioned some of the policies as community development with basic amenities such as health, education, adequate nutrition, economic transformation with high level public transport, water and electricity to every community in the country.
He said broad- based industrialization would also become the hallmark of his economic transformation programme, where more jobs would be created and reduce importation of basic goods and services in the coming years.
The Southern African President outlined the infrastructural development programme and support to private enterprises as some of the measures his administration would adopt in economic transformation.
By 2030, the President promised South Africa would become self- reliant by eradicating corruption and increasing accountable measures that would discourage perpetrators of the canker.
On Regional integration, President Zuma said his government would promote nation- building programmes that would ensure unity, reconciliation, tolerance and embrace democracy to sustain the rule of law, peace and development.
He promised to champion intra-African trade, regional integration, continental and global deliberations that would unite the continent and beyond.
Source: GNA