ANC MAKES IT OFFICIAL AND TELLS ZUMA TO GO, BUT HE WON’T BUDGE
▶ President is likely to face corruption charges as soon as he steps down
The party of embattled South African President Jacob Zuma has finally told him to go, after weeks of uncertainty.
After a marathon 13- hour meeting that began on Monday and continued into the early hours of yesterday morning, the National Executive Committee of the African National Congress sent Mr Zuma an official recall notice – essentially asking him to step down with immediate effect.
Ace Magashule, the party’s secretary general, broke the news to a packed news conference at the party’s headquarters in Johannesburg. “The NEC decided as follows – to recall comrade Jacob Zuma in accordance with the ANC constitution,” he said.
The president had resisted efforts in recent weeks to negotiate his exit amid allegations of corruption. But, given public anxiety over the economy, among other issues, Mr Magashule said the NEC felt it was time for Mr Zuma to step aside and allow the party’s recently elected leader, the businessman Cyril Ramaphosa, to take over the presidency.
Mr Magashule said Mr Zuma had yet to agree and that discussions with the president thus far were amicable.
“We are expecting the president to respond tomorrow. There’s no deadline, tomorrow the president will respond.”
He did not specify what the party’s next step would be should Mr Zuma insist on staying put but said a key demand of the president’s – that he be allowed to see out at least the next three months – had been rejected by the NEC.
Should Mr Zuma fail to heed the ANC’s directive, the next step would be for parliament to vote on a motion of no confidence in the president, or even outright impeachment. While the ANC has not put either of these in play, the opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party has already submitted a motion of no confidence for a parliamentary vote.
Mr Zuma has every incentive to hang on as long as possible. Once he resigns, he faces almost certain prosecution on corruption charges, including some that pre-date his presidency. While in office he oversaw the appointment of senior law- and- order officials who kept those charges on ice.
His term has also been linked to a patronage network that has at its centre a family of Indian-born businessmen, the Gupta brothers. Together with Mr Zuma’s son Duduzane, the Guptas extended their influence over corporations such as the electricity authority Eskom.
Media leaks over the past few years reveal a paper trail connecting the Guptas – who have since relocated to Dubai – to lucrative state projects. The apex of these is a plan to buy about US$100 billion (Dh367bn) in nuclear plants from Russia. Mr Zuma and his backers are un- der pressure to ensure the nuclear deal is signed before he leaves office, thus ensuring the financial legacy for himself and his closest supporters.
“Zuma’s tactics are clear, he can’t be in a worse position than he is now – his future is bleak,” said Dirk de Vos, who runs a Cape Town advisorycompany. “So he has to shake the tree. As budget day draws closer, the ANC will be ever more desperate. That is why decisive action is needed now.”
Optimism over Mr Zuma’s departure and the possible economic reforms Mr Ramaphosa may introduce have played well on international markets. The rand has gained about 20 per cent since mid-November, most of that after Mr Ramaphosa in December won the ANC’s nomination to replace Mr Zuma.