South Africa’s ANC votes to remove President Jacob Zuma
By
Eddie Haywood
14 February 2018
The African National Congress (ANC), the ruling party in South Africa founded by Nelson Mandela, and currently led by multi-millionaire former union boss Cyril Ramaphosa, have targeted President Jacob Zuma for removal, amid dimming prospects for the ANC ahead of elections to be held in April 2019. The party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) convened for a 13-hour meeting on Monday that lasted into the early morning hours on Tuesday and reached a unanimous decision to seek Zuma’s immediate removal.
Just before midnight on Monday Ramaphosa and ANC General Secretary Ace Magashule traveled to Zuma’s home to request the president’s resignation within 48 hours. Zuma refused, reportedly telling the two that he could not do so under such short notice. However, the president agreed to step down, and told the two he would do so in three to six months.
The Democratic Alliance (DA) party have attempted to seize political advantage of the reversing fortunes of the Zuma government and the ANC as the ruling party has suffered a sharp fall in popularity. The ANC-dominated Parliament had scheduled a ‘no confidence’ vote on February 22 regarding President Zuma, but various members have indicated that they wish to move the vote forward to this week.
Magashule dismissed notions that the party was influenced by growing corruption charges and inquiries against Zuma, and instead attempted to portray the measures undertaken to remove him as without malice or any political consideration.
Taking power in 2009, the Zuma government has been characterized by corruption and nepotism while presiding over a sharp decline in the nation’s economy, conditions which have made international capitalists…