South Africa's Ramaphosa: wounded president re-elected to party helm

Cyril Ramaphosa reacts after being re elected as ANC president during the 55th National Conference of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko

(Reuters) - President Cyril Ramaphosa, the anti-apartheid champion who become one of South Africa's wealthiest businessmen, survived a challenge for the leadership of his party on Monday, days after he was spared impeachment proceedings over a scandal dubbed "Farmgate".

He took on the presidency in 2018 after being elected party leader in 2017, vowing to root out corruption and fix the economy. But just as he was about to start campaigning for his second term, he faced calls to quit after an advisory panel found preliminary evidence that he may have committed misconduct.