Cape Town - Cyril Ramaphosa has been elected president unopposed despite the DA earlier contesting the position of Speaker.
He received a standing ovation from all MPs, including those occupying the opposition benches.
Ramaphosa’s election on Wednesday in the National Assembly paves the way for his inauguration on Saturday.
The president will then appoint his Cabinet.
Earlier Thandi Modise was elected Speaker of the National Assembly following a decision by the DA to field its own candidate to contest the position.
In a majority of 250 votes against 83 for DA MP Richard Majola, Modise was officially elected the new Speaker of the House.
Modise succeeds Baleka Mbete as the fourth Speaker of the House in the last 25 years of democracy.
Lechesa Tsenoli was elected unopposed for the position of deputy Speaker.
The votes for Modise did not only come from the ANC, but other opposition parties as well.
The ANC has 230 seats in the House, and the other seats seats belong to opposition parties. There are 14 parties represented in the National Assembly.