South Africa’s ruling party (ACN) confirmed Monday that discussions were underway on President Jacob Zuma’s departure from office, possibly signalling the coming end to his scandal-tainted nine-year reign.
Zuma has been under growing pressure to resign since he was replaced as head of the African National Congress (ANC) in December by his deputy Cyril Ramaphosa.
The party executive “discussed this matter… there will be interaction between officials, President Zuma and (party) president Ramaphosa,” ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule told reporters.
“There are no timelines… we don’t do things that way, we engage, we discuss,” he added, saying no final decision had been made on a departure by Zuma.
Zuma’s presidency has been mired in corruption scandals and tarnished by a weakening economy, with the party losing public support ahead of next year’s gener
al election.
Ramaphosa’s backers are keen for him to take over as president immediately and try to revive the economy before the election, when the ANC could lose its dominance for the first time since the end of apartheid.
Source: ( AFP )
