S’Africa’s ANC Orders Zuma to Resign as President

South Africa’s ruling ANC party on Tuesday “recalled” scandaltainted President Jacob Zuma from office but set no deadline for him to step down, pitching the country into further uncertainty, AFP reported.

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule told reporters that Zuma had “agreed in principle to resign” and had proposed leaving in three to six months -- a delay that the party rejected.

Magashule said there was no date for Zuma to stand down, and added that there would be “continuing interaction”between ANC officials and Zuma.

“The NEC (National Executive Committee) decided... to recall its deployee Jacob Zuma,”Magashule told reporters, saying the move “was taken only after exhaustive discussion on the impact such a recall would have on the country”.

The ANC party can“recall”the head of state, but the process is a party-level instruction and Zuma is under no constitutional obligation to obey.

Zuma is expected to respond to the recall on Wednesday, and could be ousted in a parliamentary vote of no-confidence if he clings to office.

The power struggle over Zuma’s departure has put him at loggerheads with Cyril Ramaphosa, his expected successor, who is the new head of the African National Congress.

The ANC’s leadership committee met for 13 hours at a hotel outside Pretoria, and decided in the early hours of Tuesday to “recall” Zuma from his post.

A committee member confirmed to AFP that the president had asked for three more months in office, and described the request as “hogwash”.