Bloomberg.com - As Jacob Zuma’s nine-year tenure as South African president entered its final hours, he remained defiant, calling the ruling party’s push to remove him “unfair.”
The African National Congress intends passing a vote of no confidence in him in parliament on Thursday if he ignores an order from the party’s National Executive Committee by refusing to quit. His probable replacement, new ANC leader Cyril Ramaphosa, could take office late tomorrow or Friday. If the motion succeeds, the entire cabinet must also resign.
“It’s clear for us as the ANC we can no longer wait beyond today,” ANC Treasurer-General Paul Mashatile told reporters in Cape Town on Wednesday after a special meeting of the party’s parliamentary caucus. “My message to the caucus is they must proceed with the parliamentary process. A decision has been taken, it must be implemented.”
The ANC wants a quick transition so Ramaphosa, a 65-year-old lawyer and one of the richest black South Africans, can move to fulfill pledges to revive the struggling economy, clamp down on corruption and rebuild its image ahead of elections scheduled for mid-2019. Any delays in parliament and establishing a new government will harm the party’s chances.
Cyril Ramaphosa, elected South Africa’s new president, confronts woes of Zuma legacy
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