The new AU chair Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. (SABC)
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South Africa's Home Affairs minister, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, has been elected as the new chairperson of the African Union Commission. She beat the Gabonese diplomat, Jean Ping, who had been at the helm for the past four years.
Dlamini-Zuma took the lead from the first round right until the end. The African Union will today officially pronounce her as the continental body's new chief. Wild celebrations as news trickled in that Dlamini-Zuma had been crowned the AU's Commission's chairperson.
Team South Africa, led by President Jacob Zuma, was visibly elated as they congratulated the woman of the moment.
Dlamini-Zuma was the SADC's region's candidate. It's the first time that a Southern African occupies this position in the AU’s 49 years of existence.
It's also a first for a woman to lead this continental body. The AU declared this decade as a decade for women, perhaps a fitting tribute that it has bestowed such an honour to a woman.
She will be officially installed today at the new AU headquarters in Addis Ababa.
But she will be under no illusions of the challenges facing continent as she moves office from Pretoria to Addis Ababa for the next four years.
