AU Members Endorse Dlamini-Zuma As Next South African President
Members and leaders of the African Union have voiced their endorsement of South African politician, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, as the next president of the southernmost African country.
It was also Dlamini-Zuma’s last appearance as the AU Commission Chairperson – a post she held since July 2012.
In her farewell speech at the recent African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Dlamini-Zuma said that she intended to continue her work with, and for, the African continent.
“For my part, wherever I shall be and in whatever capacity, I shall forever remain a soldier for the African cause,” she said.
Dlamini-Zuma will be succeeded by Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Foreign Minister of Chad.
During her farewell speech, Dlamini-Zuma praised the work of Liberian president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
Johnson-Sirleaf made history when she was elected president of Liberia in 2006, as the first elected female president in Africa.
Dlamini-Zuma and Johnson-Sirleaf have been actively working on gender issues in the African continent, especially fighting for the rights of women in Africa.
Many AU members have praised Dlamini-Zuma for her work – especially that concerning women – and have thus endorsed her as the next president of South Africa.
Current South African president, Jacob Zuma, will end his term in office this year, as the country’s ruling party, the African National Congress, selects a new president.
While AU members have voiced their endorsement of Dlamini-Zuma to run for president of South Africa, she has remained silent on the topic.
However, when asked about the endorsement by her fellow AU members, and whether or not she will run for president of the African National Congress and eventual president of South Africa, she did not answer.
