The Africa National Congress majority in Parliament will nearly certainly give Zuma political cover against the attempt to impeach him.
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The debate to impeach South Africa’s president, Jacob Zuma, was delayed on Tuesday as opposition MPs demanded the speaker Baleka Mbete excuse herself as presiding officer.
The National Assembly voted down by 233 to 143 a measure that would have forced out the president with three years left in his term. Zuma argued that the pool was a tool to extinguish possible fires.
The ANC considers Zuma’s apology and commitment to pay back a reasonable portion of the costs for five features adequate recourse.
The Speaker is likely to preside over today’s debate.
Last Friday, the battled Zuma in a televised address apologised saying he will pay back some of the money, as ordered. He said he had acted on poor legal advice.
“The Constitutional Court said certain things were inconsistent with the law”.
The impeachment motion was lodged by the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, which drew unflattering comparisons between Zuma and Mandela.
President Zuma said black people were lazy to go out and register to vote, whereas white people went out in large numbers because they knew the power of voting. “And some are just more corrupt than others”.
“Corruption has infected the entire party like a cancer”.
However, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has brought forward a motion for Zuma’s removal. That vote followed a series of controversies surrounding the president. “We believe him (Zuma)”.
“There’s no Constitutional Court that says we violated (the constitution)”. The Guptas are close friends of the president. The rand strengthened to a four-month high that day. “South Africans should be aware of that”, Gordhan told Reuters.
Opposition parties and ANC stalwarts alike have called for Zuma’s resignation. He wrote, “Dear Comrade President, don’t you think your stay as president will only serve to deepen the crisis of confidence in government of the country?”
Fixed income trader at WWC Securities Dale Forssman said the political turmoil had sapped some of the faith in the rand, while weaker oil prices weighed on sentiment towards emerging markets in general.
The Constitutional Court last week issued a damaging ruling against Zuma over spending of public funds on his private residence.
The Youth League shares the sentiments expressed by President Zuma about this judgment marking the end of what has been a very long and drown out matter in the public discourse.
Zuma has led the ANC since 2007, when he wrested control of the party from former president Thabo Mbeki.
Previous disruptions have been sparked by the radical Economic Freedom Fighters party, led by firebrand Julius Malema, who vowed last week that it will no longer allow Zuma to address the assembly.
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Russell Pollitt, director of Jesuits Institute South Africa said: “I am not sure how he can and will ever recover from this judgement”, he said adding that Zuma was now, more than ever, a morally compromised and failed president.
