President Jacob Zuma resigns
President Jacob Zuma resigned as leader of South Africa on Wednesday evening.
JACOB Zuma has resigned as president of South Africa. In an address to the nation on Wednesday night from the Union Buildings, Zuma said that he was resigning even though he disagreed with the party’s decision ordering him to do so.
“I’ve served the people of South Africa to the best of my ability. I am forever grateful that they trusted me with their highest office in the land,” he said in a televised press conference.
[BREAKING NEWS] Jacob Zuma has resigned as the President of South Africa – "I have come to the decision to resign with immediate effect." #ZumaResponds #ZumaRecall #ZumaResponds. Courtesy #DStv403 pic.twitter.com/YjlfWtLUZz
— eNCA (@eNCA) February 14, 2018
The announcement follows a special meeting of the ANC MPs on Wednesday, which was addressed by ANC Treasury General Paul Mashatile, to communicate the decision of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to recall President Jacob Zuma.
Reacting to the news, ANC deputy secretary general Jessie Duarte said Zuma had ‘reaffirmed his commitment to the principles, practices and character of the movement to which he has dedicated his life’.
“Whilst this may mark an end of his term of office as President, we hope and believe Comrade Jacob Zuma will continue to work with the ANC on our program of fundamental organizational renewal and uniting all South Africans behind a shared vision of transformation and economic recovery,” she said.
#Duarte Having taken the difficult decision to recall Cde Zuma, the ANC nonetheless salutes the outstanding contribution he has made & express its profound gratitude to him for the role he has played in the African National Congress spanning over sixty years of loyal service.
— African National Congress (@MYANC) February 14, 2018
#Duarte While we acknowledge errors & mistakes were committed, Cde Zuma leaves a legacy of delivery in many critical areas. One of them is conceptualization & delivery of National Development Plan (NDP), a long term plan towards our common prosperity and a first in our country.
— African National Congress (@MYANC) February 14, 2018
Earlier today, National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete said the Joint Programming Committee would also meet again on Thursday morning to discuss the logistics of the swearing in of the new President on Friday morning before delivering the State of the Nation Address in the evening of the same day.
“[Holding SONA on Friday] creates a possibility for us to catch up with the programme. We have lost time in the past week… We would be able to have a debate on Monday and reduce it to one day instead of two days and enable the new President to respond to the debate on Tuesday and keep within our timeline in terms of the Budget Speech still being on the 21st on Wednesday next week,” said Mbete.
