New president calls on South Africa to unite as police step up hunt for former leader’s son and missing Gupta brother

Cyril Ramaphosa, the new president of South Africa, is expected to move within days to purge his cabinet of ministers tainted by allegations of corruption, and to intensify efforts to bring to trial high-profile businessmen alleged to have made millions under his predecessor, Jacob Zuma.

Ramaphosa, 65, hailed a “new dawn” in South Africa in his first major speech on Friday and promised to fight to “turn the tide of corruption in our public institutions”. His speech, with its call to all South Africans to unite to set the country on a new path, prompted an outpouring of enthusiastic patriotism in the media.

“What has been unleashed is a sense of building and not of only opposing,” wrote former editor and columnist Ferial Hafferjee on the Huffington Post website.

Newspaper the Sowetan hailed “the end of an error”. An editorial said: “Is it just not awesome finally getting off the cuckoo Planet Zuma?”

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Ramaphosa was sworn in as head of state last Thursday after Zuma reluctantly resigned on orders of the ruling African National Congress (ANC). “We are determined to build a society defined by decency and integrity, that does not tolerate the plunder of public resources, nor the theft by corporate criminals of the hard-earned savings of ordinary people,” he told lawmakers, prompting cheers.

However, analysts say Ramaphosa will have to act fast. “It is important that he has some quick wins because that will show people he is serious and willing to take action even if there is some pushback from the ANC, or at least from a faction within the party,” said Richard Calland of the University of Cape Town.

The Hawks, South Africa’s elite police investigation unit, launched a series of raids hours before Rama-phosa formally took power and police are searching for a number of high-profile figures.

One is Duduzane Zuma, a son of the former president, who once worked for the wealthy Gupta family, who are at the heart of corruption allegations levelled at the former president. All deny any wrongdoing.

Duduzane Zuma is being investigated for his role in a failed state-backed dairy farm scheme that saw millions of dollars funnelled to Gupta-owned companies. He could face charges of fraud, money laundering and corruption. The luxurious Johannesburg home of the Guptas was raided last week as part of an investigation into allegations of influence-peddling in the government and the misuse of millions of dollars of public funds, a Hawks spokesperson said. Ajay Gupta, one of the three Gupta brothers under investigation, has been declared “a fugitive from justice”.

Play Video 1:39 South African MPs celebrate as Cyril Ramaphosa is sworn in - video

A billionaire businesswoman and an investigative reporter have both offered £30,000 for information leading to Ajay Gupta’s arrest, or information about his two brothers and Duduzane Zuma.

Other investigations will focus on alleged corruption at state utilities, especially South Africa’s sole power provider, Eskom.

Ramaphosa is expected to announce a new cabinet as early as Sunday, though the new head of state may wait until after the annual budget is presented to parliament this week.

Many analysts expect Malusi Gigaba, the finance minister, to be moved, while other Zuma loyalists who could lose their jobs include the police minister, Fikile Mbalula, the state security minister, Bongani Bongo, and the scandal-hit social development minister, Bathabile Dlamini. Ramaphosa is also likely to review a series of controversial appointments of senior police officers, and take steps to revitalise tax revenue services.

He is also expected to support a judicial inquiry into allegations of corruption ordered by the constitutionally mandated public protector, an anti-graft watchdog. Zuma had attempted to block the move.

The appointment of a new chief public prosecutor will have to wait for a key legal decision later this month, but is crucial, experts say.

“Ramaphosa needs somebody who is seen to be independent and whom everyone can trust, or there is a risk that a drive against corruption will be seen as a partisan attack,” said Calland.

As president, Ramaphosa will have to balance the need to reassure foreign investors and local businesses with the intense popular demand for dramatic measures to address South Africa’s serious problems.

He will also have to restore the battered reputation of the ANC. The party suffered significant setbacks in municipal polls in 2016 and could be forced into a coalition government at national level, experts have said.

Since it became clear that Rama-phosa, seen as the leader of the ANC’s moderate, pro-market faction, was set to take power, the rand has strengthened and many analysts are more positive about economic growth.