Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn resigned unexpectedly on Thursday, after years of upheaval in the troubled east African nation.

It was the moment Cyril Ramaphosa wanted in 1999. The former anti-apartheid activist was Nelson Mandela's favorite to succeed him as leader of the African National Congress and South African president, but the party overlooked him in a crushing blow to his political ambitions.

Jacob Zuma has quit as President of South Africa, finally succumbing to a slew of corruption scandals that have drained support from his ruling African National Congress party.

In March 2009, less than two months before Jacob Zuma assumed office as the fourth President of post-apartheid South Africa, the Dalai Lama's visa application to enter the country was denied. The Tibetan spiritual leader had been scheduled to attend a peace conference in Johannesburg, on the invitation of fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureates Nelson Mandela, Desmond Tutu and F.W. de Klerk.