End of era in South Africa as Zuma finally agrees to quit
JACOB ZUMA resigned as president of South Africa last night in an extraordinary turn of events, having earlier insisted he would defy pressure from within his own party for him to step down.
In a live televised address to the nation, Mr Zuma said he had to accept the ANC’S wishes for him to leave office a day before a no-confidence motion was set to bring his nine-year tenure to a premature end amid a cloud of corruption allegations.
“I must accept that if my party and my compatriots wish that I be removed from office, they must exercise that right and do so in the manner prescribed by the constitution,” he said.
Mr Zuma’s announcement came after he had appeared defiant in front of the cameras, telling reporters he did not believe it was “fair” that the ANC had requested he step down.
His resignation came at the end of a 30-minute speech in his second television appearance of the day, in which the 75-year-old said he still disagreed with the way the ANC had guided him towards an early exit after the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as party president in December. Before eventually resigning, he said he did “not fear exiting political office”.
Mr Zuma’s last years as president have been consumed by mounting corruption allegations, including accusations of fraud, money laundering and racketeering. His connections to one of South Africa’s richest families, the Guptas, were also under intense scrutiny amid claims, denied by the family, that he helped them win state contracts during his time in office. Three people were arrested – none of the family among them – during an early morning police raid on the home in Johannesburg yesterday. Mr Zuma has enjoyed immunity over criminal prosecutions as president.
IT BEGAN with an early morning police raid and ended with the resigna- tion of the president, who finally bowed to pressure in front of the cameras.
South Africa woke up to news that an elite police team had arrested three people at the home of the Guptas, a family linked to corruption – which they deny – engulfing Jacob Zuma’s final year in office.
By the afternoon, Mr Zuma had appeared on television in a planned interview in which he seemed to defy an ultimatum from his party to step down before a vote of no confidence.
But in a stunning about-turn, he later returned to face the media and resigned from office late last night, saying that though he did not agree with his party’s decision to recall him, he would abide by their instruction.
“I have served the people of South Africa to the best of my ability. I am forever grateful they trusted me with their highest office of the land,” Mr Zuma said in a televised statement in Pretoria.
Mr Zuma added that he was concerned about violence breaking out between ANC members as the party grew more divided. “No life should be lost in my name, and also the ANC should never be divided in my name,” he said.
“I have therefore come to the decision to resign as president of the Republic with immediate effect.”
At his earlier television appearance he had said he didn’t know why South Africa’s ruling party had ordered him to step down from his job before his term is up next year, and warned that the leaders forcing him out would come to regret their actions.
“It’s the first time I’ve felt an African National Congress decision is not right,” the long-time ANC member and anti-apartheid struggle veteran said. “I don’t think it is fair.” On Tuesday, the ANC announced they had ordered Mr Zuma to leave his office, and that party officials expected the president to respond the next day.
But as yesterday morning passed with no word from the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa’s ruling party issued an ultimatum: Mr Zuma could resign voluntarily by the end of the day, or the party planned to vote him out in a motion of no confidence today.
“We are all in agreement that the president must go,” said Jackson Mthembu, the chief whip, after a meeting of ANC lawmakers in Cape Town. Mr Zuma gave the unexpected interview to SABC, South Africa’s public broadcaster, at a moment many were expecting him to resign.
He didn’t. Sitting with a near-silent interviewer in a clinically lit room, Mr Zuma instead gave a lengthy narrative of his discussions with the party’s top brass leading up to the day of his recall. He appeared relaxed, but complained repeatedly that the party never told him why, exactly, it was asking him to resign before the end of his second term next year.
“My problem is that nobody has provided me what have I done,” Mr Zuma said. “There is nothing I’ve done wrong… What is the problem? I don’t understand.”
Early that morning, the Johannesburg home of the Guptas, a wealthy business family whose relationship to Mr Zuma has been under national scrutiny, was raided by the Hawks, a special police unit.
Three business associates were arrested in the raid and two others handed themselves in to police later.
A lawyer for the Guptas said that the brothers had not been among those arrested.
‘I have served the people of South Africa to the best of my ability’