ANC NEC to discuss Zuma’s removal from office – report

Members of the of the African National Congress’ (ANC) highest decision-making body between conferences, the national executive committee (NEC), will reportedly discuss the option of removing Jacob Zuma as the country’s president at its upcoming meeting this week.

Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that according to two sources it spoke to, who will be in attendance at the three-day meeting from May 26 to 28, calls for Zuma to step down will form part of the discussions of the meeting.

The NEC is also expected to discuss a motion of no confidence in Zuma tabled by the DA in parliament.

Some NEC members, according to the report, would also raise the possibility of the governing party taking the matter into its own hands by recalling Zuma from office.

But ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa told Bloomberg that while the agenda would only be set at the meeting, the NEC would not discuss Zuma’s removal.

In November last year, Zuma faced the strongest yet revolt from some members of the NEC, who tabled a motion for his removal after the release of the public protector’s State of Capture report, which implicated him and his friends, the Guptas, in improper conduct and widescale corruption. But Zuma emerged unscathed from the marathon meeting after a majority of its members rejected the motion.

Zuma’s controversial midnight Cabinet reshuffle on March 30 and the country’s sovereign credit rating being subsequently downgraded to junk status by S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings renewed calls for him to step down from civil society organisations and opposition parties, as well as the ANC’s own alliance partners, Cosatu and the SACP.

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