South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called for unity following the just concluded general elections where his party, Africa National Congress, lost the governing majority in Parliament.
South Africa last week held their general elections where over 16 million citizens cast their votes at more than 23,000 voting stations across the country.
Ramaphosa said this was the most competitive election South Africa has ever held since attaining democracy in 1994, with a record number of political parties on the ballot and independent candidates standing for the first time.
He termed the election results as a win for democracy.
"According to the results of the Election Satisfaction Survey conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), the majority of the voters were generally satisfied with the voting procedures, felt safe to cast their ballots in secrecy, and were confident that the election was free and fair," he said.
"This successful poll shows that our democracy is strong, that it is robust and that it endures."
Ramaphosa called for unity stating that although every political party carries a mandate based on the commitments they made to the electorate, all parties share an over-arching mandate to build a country that is inclusive, united and prosperous.
"This moment in our country calls for responsible leadership and constructive engagement and can be no place for threats of violence or instability," he said.
"South Africans must stand firm against any attempts to undermine the constitutional order we have worked so hard to build, and for which so many struggled and sacrificed."
He said that whatever challenges they may face as political events unfold, they should be dealt with in a spirit of cooperation and accordance with the prescripts of the Constitution and the rule of law.
Ramaphosa commended the work of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) as the election was declared to be free and fair, having taken place peacefully and with no serious incidences of intimidation or violence.
"Despite the mammoth logistical undertaking, and despite several challenges it faced, IEC once more acquitted itself with excellence, professionalism and integrity," he said.
Results of the survey conducted by HSRC also showed that the majority of voters surveyed expressed confidence in the IEC.
"Having achieved yet another milestone on our democratic journey, we should all take pride in our contribution towards giving meaning to the values and principles of our constitutional democracy," he highlighted.
He urged political parties to demonstrate both through actions and utterances that they hold the Constitution and the rule of law to be paramount.
"Let us remember that whatever authority, whatever power, we are entrusted with must be exercised to advance the interests of the South African people," he said.