Cyril Ramaphosa has been re-elected President of South Africa. The election of the president went to the vote after the United Democratic Movement nominated EFF leader Julius Malema as President. This stretched out a long day for the newly minted Members of Parliament who first entered the house at 10am on Friday. Presiding over proceedings Chief Justice Raymond Zondo read out Ramaphosa's name after 11pm.

The 71-year old will be inaugurated into his second full term on Wednesday 19 June in Pretoria, after winning the nod from the newly-constituted National Assembly with 283 votes.

Ramaphosa's retention of his position is intimately linked to the wider political deal-making which has seen the ANC enter into a government of national unity with the DA, the IFP, and possibly other smaller parties.

The DA wanted to work with the ANC under the leadership of Cyril Ramaphosa, while other potential coalition partners, and in particular the EFF and the MK party, had indicated that there could be no political marriage with the ANC if Ramaphosa stayed on.

But ANC Secretary General Fikile Mbalula came straight out of the gates at the IEC's results centre, before all votes had even been tallied, to tell journalists that the removal of Ramaphosa was a non-starter.

That principle effectively constrained the ANC's ability to make deals to ensure the quantum of support necessary in the National Assembly.

President...but for how long?

The South African Constitution prevents state presidents from holding power for more than two full terms; Ramaphosa initially completed the unfinished term of his successor Jacob Zuma, which does not count towards...