Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Dlamini-Zuma Becomes First Female AU Commission Chair by VOA News The African Union executive committee has a female chairperson for the first time. South African Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma took the helm of the AU Commission at a handover ceremony Monday at AU headquarters in Addis Ababa. She replaces Jean Ping, whom she defeated in a July vote that took four rounds to produce a winner. The 63-year-old takes over as the African Union faces challenges posed by Islamist militants in northern Mali and a growing rebellion in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Dlamini-Zuma is also the first commission chair from South Africa, where she has held several ministerial posts since 1994. Her work in desegregating the country's health-care system after the end of apartheid and in turning around the Department of Home Affairs have earned praise. But critics say her positions against anti-retroviral drugs have hurt the fight against AIDS in South Africa, which has one of the highest HIV-infection rates in the world. __________________________________________________________________ [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/new-african-union-chairwoman-takes-ov er-/1526633.html References 1. http://www.voanews.com/content/new-african-union-chairwoman-takes-over-/1526633.html