Thousands of “Zuma Must Fall” campaigners marched in cities across South Africa on Wednesday, demanding Zuma’s resignation.
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The debacle over finance ministers triggered a market rout and fuelled opposition to Zuma, who has been buffeted by corruption scandals, a dire economy and charges of tarnishing Nelson Mandela’s legacy. Political analyst Dr Somadoda Fikeni on how the ANC should respond to the protest marches under the banner #ZumaMustFall.
The #ZumaMustFall hashtag is a modification of #FeesMustFall which was used to organise protests against a rise in university fees.
“I can confirm that there was no discussion of recalling the president”, he told a news conference on Tuesday.
It’s the first protest she has been on since she saw friends and family killed during the 1976 Soweto uprising. “Jacob Zuma has demonstrated beyond any reasonable doubt that he doesn’t have what it takes to be a leader of a sophisticated democracy and economy”.
To make matters worse, according to financial reports, a major foreign investor in SA, Barclays Bank PLC, wants to sell its 62 per cent controlling interest in the top South African retail bank Absa. Yet privately there is said to be considerable disquiet within the ANC.
They called for Zuma to resign or be “recalled” by his party, the African National Congress, which was returned to power in 2014 with a slightly reduced majority of 62 percent.
“Although there is much evidence that corruption is rife in the government, nothing is being done”.
Zuma was left badly bruised when he fired Nhlanhla Nene last week in favour of little-known backbencher David van Rooyen, who was himself removed after only four days in office.
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Under pressure, Zuma late Sunday announced he was ditching the replacement and instead appointed Pravin Gordhan, a well-regarded former finance minister, back to the position. The views expressed therein are not necessarily those of bvinews.com, its sponsors or advertisers. This media house does not correct any spelling or grammatical error within press releases and commentaries.
