South African President Jacob Zuma removed as head of state

PLAGUED by corruption scandals, Jacob Zuma was facing intense pressure to step down. After 13 hours of discussions, his party decided to do just that.

SOUTH Africa’s ruling African National Congress party ended marathon closed-door talks today, deciding to remove the scandal-tainted Jacob Zuma as head of state, local media reports.

The party’s powerful 107-member national executive committee (NEC) met for 13 hours at a hotel outside Pretoria, and decided it would “recall” Zuma from his job as national president, two local independent media said.

“Recalling” Mr Zuma from the presidency does not constitutionally unseat him from parliament, it only works to remove him as head of state. Mr Zuma has been in power since 2009. Mr Zuma is under no constitutional obligation to obey however he can be ousted with a parliamentary vote of no-confidence in the coming days.

The party voted to remove Mr Zuma after he reportedly refused to resign. Other media claim the party will write to Mr Zuma ordering him to stand down as president after he requested a few more months in office.

There was no official announcement and ANC officials were not reachable to confirm the reports to the AFP.

The ANC party was due to hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday that was rumoured to be to remove Mr Zuma from public office.

The 75-year-old president was also due to deliver the annual state of the nation address on Thursday, but that speech will no longer be delivered by the embattled leader.

The ANC confirmed that its national executive committee would discuss preparations for the address and “management of the transition” of power between Mr Zuma and his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa.

Mr Zuma has been defiant about his time as the president of South Africa coming to an end despite being pushed by members of his own party to resign.

South African President Jacob Zuma is being removed as the nation’s leader.

CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS

Mr Zuma’s presidency has been dominated by corruption scandals and he faces several court cases, including over 783 payments he allegedly received linked to an arms deal before coming to power in 2009.

Many graft allegations against Mr Zuma have centred on the wealthy Gupta family, who are accused of unfairly obtaining lucrative government contracts and even being able to choose ministerial appointments.

The ANC, which has ruled since 1994 when Nelson Mandela won the first multiracial election, recorded its worst-ever results in 2016 local polls.

With falling public support and a 28 per cent unemployment rate, many within the ANC regard Mr Zuma’s leadership as a toxic element that needs to go, the BBC reported.

A general election is set for next year and the ANC is keen for a fresh start with Mr Ramaphosa elected as the new party leader.

Experts claim Mr Zuma will not go quietly or co-operate with ANC’s decision.

Mcebisi Ndletyana, a politics professor at the University of Johannesburg, said Mr Zuma was a “major liability” for the ANC.

“I doubt that he will go quietly because his presidency has been troublesome — he has essentially used it to protect himself and evade accountability,” Prof Ndletyana said.

“When he will no longer have largesse to dish out, he becomes complete vulnerable and that increases his chances of imprisonment.”

— With AFP