ANC orders Zuma to resign as South African president
Leader refuses to quit for at least three months despite pressure
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has formally asked President Jacob Zuma to resign, following marathon talks by senior party officials.
ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule told reporters that the National Executive Committee decided Zuma’s departure should be "treated with urgency", the BBC reports, but the 75-year-old has agreed only to step down within the next three to six months.
ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa reportedly left a 13-hour executive committee meeting around midnight last night local time and drove to the president’s official residence to deliver an ultimatum to Zuma.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The ANC “has the authority to order Zuma to step down as head of state”, Reuters says, but the party has no constitutional power to remove the president from office if he refuses to abide by the decision.
The move comes after weeks of mounting pressure for Zuma to resign after nine years as president, which have been “marred by economic decline and multiple charges of corruption,” The Guardian says.
Zuma is also facing a no-confidence motion in parliament, scheduled for 22 February.
Opposition leader Mmusi Maimane, who heads the Democratic Alliance party, has announced that opposition parties would back the no-confidence motion, and has called for early elections to bring an end to the turmoil.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - April 28, 2024
Cartoons Sunday's cartoons - airline safety, teleprompter gaffs, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 doom 'n' gloom cartoons about the mess we're in
Cartoons Artists take on long-term pessimism, dystopian fears, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Church of England's legacy of slavery
The Explainer Should the CofE offer financial redress for its involvement in the transatlantic slave trade?
By The Week UK Published
-
Puffed rice and yoga: inside the collapsed tunnel where Indian workers await rescue
Speed Read Workers trapped in collapsed tunnel are suffering from dysentery and anxiety over their rescue
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Gaza hospital blast: What the video evidence shows about who's to blame
Speed Read Nobody wants to take responsibility for the deadly explosion in the courtyard of Gaza's al-Ahli Hospital. Roll the tape.
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Giraffe poo seized after woman wanted to use it to make a necklace
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Helicopter sound arouses crocodiles
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman sues Disney over 'injurious wedgie'
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Emotional support alligator turned away from baseball stadium
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Europe's oldest shoes found in Spanish caves
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Artworks stolen by Nazis returned to heirs of cabaret performer
It wasn't all bad Good news stories from the past seven days
By The Week Staff Published