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Jacob Zuma Just Resigned as South African President - BBC


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Jacob Zuma resigns as South Africa's president
Zuma, 75: ‘I fear no motion of no confidence or impeachment’

Steps down after days of defying ANC orders to leave office


Jacob Zuma, the president of South Africa, has resigned after days of defying orders from the ruling African National Congress to leave office and on the eve of a no-confidence vote in parliament.

In a televised address to the nation late on Wednesday, the 75-year-old said he was a disciplined member of the ANC, to which he had dedicated his life.

“I fear no motion of no confidence or impeachment … I will continue to serve the people of South Africa and the ANC. I will dedicate my life to continuing to work for the execution of the policies of our organisation,” Zuma said.

“No life should be lost in my name. The ANC should never been divided in my name. I have therefore come to the decision to resign as president of the republic with immediate effect.”


The resignation ended an extraordinary day in South African politics, which had begun with a dawn raid on a business family at the centre of the recent corruption allegations levelled at Zuma.

At noon, ANC officials announced they would vote for an opposition party’s no-confidence motion in parliament on Thursday.

Late in the afternoon, Zuma gave an angry and rambling TV interview to justify his refusal to obey his own party’s order to step down.

But his speech was more confident and warm. The president expressed his gratitude to the ANC and South Africans for the privilege of serving them at the “pinnacle” of public life.

Zuma’s resignation leaves the path clear for deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who took over the leadership of the ANC in December, to be elected by parliament to the highest office.

Zuma, a former anti-apartheid activist who has led the ANC since 2007 and been South Africa’s president since 2009, was due to leave power next year.

His tenure has been marred by economic decline and multiple charges of graft that have undermined the image and legitimacy of the party that led South Africans to freedom in 1994.

The chaotic political crisis of recent days has further damaged the ANC, and angered many South Africans who are increasingly impatient with the party’s opaque internal procedures.

Ramaphosa won a bitterly fought internal election in December and is seen as the standard bearer of the party’s reformist wing.


Party strategists wanted Zuma to be sidelined as quickly as possible to allow the ANC to regroup before campaigning starts for elections in 2019.

The party suffered significant setbacks at municipal polls in 2016 and could be forced into a coalition government at the national level, experts say.

As president, Ramaphosa will have to balance the need to reassure foreign investors and local businesses against the intense popular demand for dramatic measures to address South Africa’s deep problems.

The 65-year-old former trade union leader has said South Africa is coming out of a “period of uncertainty, a period of darkness, and getting into a new phase”.

Richard Calland, an expert in South African politics at the University of Cape Town, said the departure of Zuma from office would give Ramaphosa “the chance to rebuild government and the party at the same time”.

In recent days, the rand has strengthened and many analysts have revised upwards their predictions of South Africa’s economic growth.

https://amp.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/14/jacob-zuma-resigns-south-africa-president

imolite should parcel his statue to him first

Baba God please hear our prayers too.

FORMER PRESIDENT JACOB ZUMA is a weakling.

on behalf of the Progressives ,Sai BABA. DEVELOPERS would just be wishing and hoping, PMB 2023

Alaska would become sahara desert first before a sitting President resigns in Nigeria...the most we could pray for is that he doesn't contest for a second term

Goodbye to the legend behind this meme...

I pray the incoming president will not drive us ( we ARROGANT DEVELOPERS FROM THE LAND OF PIGS AND IDIOTS AKA BIAFRA) back to Nigeria

Zuma

wow

The God who did it for South Africa, please make Buhari resign too.

i saw it coming

Nice.

Buhari see your mates

A country that works!
Buhari how far?

this man deserve another statue. statue of resignation

rochas what's you waiting for?

for this singular act i respect u sir. your statue in my state is justified. if bubu could follow ur steps i will erect his statue in my living room

Let's just hope that man from Daura will follow suit

The cat with nine lives

Something Buhari can never do

Sad end,freedom fighter to kleptomaniac !

Who gp dey give us new memes now? ?

No regret bro u Don earn beta status for new owerri so rest well

humble man

This can't happen in Nigeria for now...

it can never happen in Nigeria, our leaders do not mind to kill because of power. we have a long way to go.

Good one. I praise and commend the judiciary, the press, members of Parliament, ordinary South Africans and every one who fought hard to remove the corrupt, stewpid, nonsensical and good for nothing Zuma of an individual.

Good riddance to the worse rubbish ever!

Baba should follow suit

Buhari what are you waiting for

So he resigned because of common normal corruption charges? Is corruption an offense in Africa

It's a normal occurrence here nau To the extent our snakes have joined bad bang
Oya Zuma tell me the truth, wat did you do?

Please can Buhari follow suit? It will surely be the best news that will happen in this century