Each passing week tends to bring the South African President, Jacob Zuma, closer to his exit from office. Now, South Africa’s parliament has scheduled a motion of no-confidence against Mr. Zuma for the 22nd of this month. We hear that this followed a request from the opposition party, known as Economic Freedom Fighters, EFF.
Mr. Zuma has survived many no-confidence votes during his presidency, but the calls for him to step down have grown louder since he was replaced as leader of the ruling African National Congress, ANC, last December. Top ANC officials including Cyril Ramaphosa, the party’s new leader, have been discussing options for President Zuma’s exit.
The 75-year old leader is currently facing some corruption allegations as his likely successor, Mr. Ramaphosa, has been shouting from the roof tops that his top priority will be the war against graft.
Actually the EFF party would have preferred parliamentary speaker to schedule the No-confidence vote before the President’s State of the nation address to parliament on Thursday. But the EFF leader, Mr. Julius Malema, was told that the vote had been slated for 22nd of February”.
The opposition party said Mr. Zuma was no longer suitable to remain as Head of State, since he was destined to be involved in a judicial enquiry into state corruption. President Zuma agreed to establish the enquiry into so-called “state capture”, a South African term for government corruption, last month.
Another opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, earlier asked the Parliament to postpone the State of the nation address until President Zuma had been removed from office.
