South Africa’s president, Cyril Ramaphosa was among the first members of parliament to be sworn in on Wednesday. His deputy, David Mabuza, however, could not be sworn in having requested a postponement to enable him address corruption allegations brought against him.

A statement issued by Rampahosa shortly after his swearing in said the allegations levelled against Mabuza have brought the ruling African National Congress (ANC) into disrepute.

“The Deputy President has indicated he would like to have an opportunity to address these allegations. The Deputy President believes that the ANC as a governing party should advance the electoral mandate in an environment of public trust,” Ramaphosa said in the statement.

Mabuza, the former Premier of Mpumalanga, a coal-producing northeastern province has struggled to shrug off longstanding allegations of corruption there. A report by the ANC’s Integrity Commission suggested he had brought shame to the party.

He is however believed to have played a key role in ensuring that Ramaphosa was elected in a tight contest to take over from scandal-plagued predecessor, Jacob Zuma at the ANC’s election conference in December 2017.

The ANC won the country’s May 8 general election but its share of the vote fell, reflecting public anger at corruption scandals and racial inequalities which remain entrenched a generation after the party took power.

Ramaphosa, who is also the leader of the ANC will be inaugurated as the country’s president on Saturday.