Cyril Ramaphosa sworn in as a new President of South Africa on Thursday after Jacob Zuma resigned overnight, heeding orders of the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to bring an end to his nine scandal-plagued years in power.

Ramaphosa, 65, was elected unopposed as Zuma's permanent successor by parliament, and sworn into the post by South African Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, who had earlier read out the former president's resignation letter, Reuters reported. 

“I certainly hope that the team that Mr. Ramaphosa puts behind him is going to be a team that puts South Africa first, because this last team has consistently put Mr. Zuma and their party ahead of the interest of the country and of course parliament,” Democratic Alliance Chief Whip John Steenhuisen said as quoted by Reuters.  

The report says that opposition leaders said Ramaphosa would not solve country's problems alone and they hoped he would put South Africa first, leaving party's interests behind him.

The new South African president faces an uphill battle in revitalizing growth, creating jobs and stamping out a culture of graft in a nation still polarised by race and inequality more than two decades after the end of white-minority rule. 

This comes after Jacob Zuma on Wednesday night resigned as President of South Africa, reluctantly heeding orders by the ruling African National Congress (ANC) to bring an end to his nine scandal-plagued years in power.

In a 30-minute farewell address to the nation, 75-year-old Zuma said he disagreed with the way the ANC had shoved him toward an early exit after the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as party president in December but would accept its orders.