At Last, Embattled South African President, Zuma Resigns...

South Africa’s embattled President, Jacob Zuma, has resigned his office with immediate effect, BBC reported.

He made the announcement in a televised address to the nation yesterday evening.

Earlier, Zuma’s governing African National Congress (ANC) party told him to resign or face a vote of no confidence in parliament on Thursday.

The 75-year-old has been under increasing pressure to give way to Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, the ANC’s new leader.

Zuma, who has been in power since 2009, faces numerous allegations of corruption.

His resignation came at the end of a long speech in which he said he disagreed with the way the ANC had acted towards him.

He said he did not fear a motion of no confidence, adding: “I have served the people of South Africa to the best of my ability.”

The 75-year-old has come under increasing pressure to resign amid numerous allegations of corruption. Zuma had maintained that he has done nothing wrong and sees no reason to stand down, BBC reported.

But he said the ANC had failed to explain why he had been recalled.

In a lengthy, unannounced, interview with national broadcaster SABC, Zuma made no reference to the early morning police raids and arrests at the home of his close associates, the wealthy, Indian-born Gupta family. The Guptas have been accused of using their close friendship with the president to wield enormous political influence. Both parties deny all allegations of wrongdoing.

Zuma stressed that he was not defying the ANC but he disagreed with its decision to ask him to resign. “It was very unfair to me that this issue is raised,” he said. “Nobody has ever provided the reasons. Nobody is saying what I have done.”

Zuma’s decision to cling on to power has put him at odds with South Africa’s deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, the ANC’s new leader and his expected successor.