Jacob Zuma survives secret ballot vote
A majority of MPs voted to keep the president in charge and the rand took a hit.
Cape Town – Announcing the results of the motion of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma in parliament on Tuesday, Speaker Baleka Mbete said that of 384 total votes there were 177 yes votes, 198 no votes and nine abstentions, meaning Zuma would remain president.
The difference was a mere 11 votes.
“The motion of no confidence in the president is accordingly negative,” Mbete said. “That concludes the business for the day.”
The rand immediately tanked at the news.
The results were closer than many expected and could only have been attained if a number of ANC MPs actually supported the motion.
At least 18 of the ruling party’s members voted with the opposition, who had taken pains to portray their motion as an attempt to dislodge a weak and unpopular president, not an assault on the ruling ANC. The opposition has calculated that there were possibly 40 or more ANC MPs who supported the motion.
There were scenes of wild jubilation from the ANC benches, while the opposition was also cheering the fact that the vote was so close, as Zuma survived his eighth no-confidence motion in eight years after weeks of protest and even Constitutional Court action in an effort to depose him.
Police Minister Fikile Mbalula broke the news to a large crowd of ANC supporters outside Parliament.
The result flew in the face of a promise from EFF leader Julius Malema, who had assured South Africa that Zuma would be removed if the vote was by secret ballot. He claimed he had 60 ANC MPs’ support for the motion.
Speaking afterwards, Malema said he was celebrating the fact that 26 ANC MPs had voted with them while nine abstained, confirming that several ANC MPs had been scared to vote against Zuma before, and the secret ballot allowed it to happen.
He described the process as like “eating an elephant, bit by bit” and he found the process and result very encouraging.
“We have made history today,” he said, and added that it was not just about the election in 2019 but working on reforming the ANC. He vowed to continue the fight.
Zuma thanked MPs for keeping him in charge while speaking to a crowd of ANC supporters.
With 400 seats in the house of which five were vacant, Speaker Baleka Mbete ruled a majority vote of 201 was needed for the motion to carry.
Also speaking after the event, DA leader Mmusi Maimane called the ANC’s victory a Phyrric one, and that there was strong evidence of discord in ANC ranks. He repeated his call for Zuma to resign.
Maimane said it was significant that a number of ANC MPs had been prepared to join forces with the opposition to force Zuma out of office.
“Members of the ANC and the opposition stood together to say Zuma must go. He is, in fact, a dead president walking and he must go,” he said.
ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu said the most important thing had been to defeat the motion but they would now concentrate on unifying the party again.
He told reporters, however, that he was a relieved man: “Right now, I’m going home. I’m tired.”
ANC spokesman Zizi Kodwa insisted after the outcome was announced that the opposition had tried to overthrow government.
“This is democracy in action. We have never doubted … this motion was never about President Jacob Zuma, it was about collapsing government.”
He brushed away questions about the significance of the slim margin by which the motion failed.
“At the end what counts is outcomes.”
The motion was triggered by Zuma’s dismissal of trusted finance minister Pravin Gordhan, who was one of four ANC MPs who signalled in the run-up to the vote that he would vote according to conscience.
United Democratic Movement (UDM) leader Bantu Holomisa, who went to the Constitutional Court in a bid to force a secret ballot, said the opposition would ratchet up pressure on the president despite losing the day.
“It went to the wire because there are only 11 votes that divide us,” Holomisa said.
Academic and political analyst Richard Calland said the ANC’s victory would prove shortlived because the party’s woes were confirmed by a “not insignificant” number of its members casting their ballots with the opposition camp.
– Additional reporting by African News Agency (ANA)
The reactions were immediate:
https://twitter.com/BIGXolo/status/894965031586148353
https://twitter.com/El_Kraey/status/894965028683730945
https://twitter.com/TheRapBusiness/status/894965023105331200
Retweeted Charmeur (@iiamlandry):#ZumaVote
ANC just threw away the upcoming elections.
You played yourself. 👏
— Provocateur (@KingSiviwe) August 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/16thOVO/status/894965014595088389
And still the president of the republic of South Africa, Jacob G Zuma #NoConfidenceVote #SecretBallot #zumavote pic.twitter.com/W6Cmd6DYs0
— Comeback Season (@Mi_Mano_Ktg) August 8, 2017
President Zuma after #MotionOfNoConfidence ekse ne le reng? #zumavote pic.twitter.com/XA4OGwJvx0
— Jazzy Queen 👑 (@Tshepi247) August 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/AbelPhogole2/status/894965000791613440
#ZumaVote looks like 49 #ANC MPs did not tow the caucus line. @MYANC facing massive crisis, President Zuma got less than 50% votes. pic.twitter.com/cTUoYPgKrN
— Dumisani Khumalo Mzilikazi (@kingMzilikazi) August 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/TshepoKealogile/status/894964968969437187
Tholukhuthi'hey #ZumaVote pic.twitter.com/xerh191QmI
— Jimmy Phyngaz 69™️ (@phyngaz69) August 8, 2017
Zuma right now. #voteofnoconfidence is white man's disease I wasn't worried #zumavote pic.twitter.com/qQ7ce6kCyw
— Aubrey (@Aubreychiibi) August 8, 2017
#ZumaVote Zuma looking at South Africa like ninyile angiyi ndawowowo I'm still gonna eat your money😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/dRPdpS3agE
— A_Sunflower🌻 (@Nicki_Mamba) August 8, 2017
https://twitter.com/Phuthiniputin/status/894964954155163648
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