President has faced mounting criticism from within the ANC after fresh allegations of corruption this month

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s beleaguered president, is facing the most serious challenge of his seven years in power after three ministers called for his resignation.



The News24 agency, citing sources in the ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, said the calls came at a weekend meeting of senior officials amid heated debate over Zuma’s future.

He has faced mounting criticism of his leadership and a corruption probe unearthed fresh allegations of misconduct this month.

But the former ANC security chief retains strong loyalty among many party members and politicians, and easily survived a vote of no confidence in parliament on 10 November.

However, that vote was called by opposition politicians from the Democratic Alliance (DA) party. At the time, commentators said that though a significant number of ANC officials wanted the president to resign, no one wanted the party to be pushed into a decision by outsiders.

Now the challenge appears to have come from within the ANC.

“There is no doubt that Zuma is fighting for his political life,” Ranjeni Munusamy, an analyst and commentator, wrote on the Daily Maverick website.

“He is hanging on while it is clear that large sections of the ANC … no longer want him as president … The countdown for Zuma’s exit has begun.”

Mmusi Maimane, leader of the DA, the biggest opposition party, said the ANC was steadily losing popular support.

“The ANC has lost support, but how much is because of Zuma, how much because of the economy, how much just due to sheer corruption? The current battle is not about the fitness of the president but about the soul of the ANC”, Maimane said.



The release of the report by the country’s public protector, an independent state office charged with uncovering maladministration, this month was a major blow.

It focused on Zuma’s close relationship with billionaire brothers Ajay, Atul and Rajesh Gupta, who run a business empire ranging from media to mining. Zuma has denied giving the Guptas undue influence and they have denied seeking it.

A campaign by Zuma allies to oust Praveen Gordhan, the respected finance minister, has rattled investors.

Though the ANC is still has massive support, the unprecedented loss of major municipalities to a coalition of opposition parties after elections in August has also worried many among the party’s “reformist” faction.

The ANC led the struggle against the racist and repressive apartheid regime and then took power in 1994 in South Africa’s first free elections.

Zuma’s enemies within the ANC are backed by increasing numbers of anti-apartheid veterans, trade unions, civil groups and business leaders.

A rally organised by a group called Save South Africa, described by one local newspaper as “a who’s who of [anti-apartheid] struggle stalwarts‚ religious leaders‚ business people and civic activists”, attracted hundreds in the capital, Pretoria, this month.

Some of the country’s best known political cartoonists have also called for Zuma to step down, even though it would mean losing one of their “richest sources of material”.

However, the 74-year-old veteran politician retains significant popularity among provincial ANC branches and grassroots activists.

“We are not aware of any justified reasons for the president to not conclude his term of office,” said Mdumiseni Ntuli, ANC provincial spokesman in KwaZulu-Natal, a stronghold of support for Zuma.

One senior ANC official, who asked to remain anonymous, said Zuma would probably manage to survive the latest attempt to dislodge him by the growing number of ANC figures unhappy with his leadership.

“Even if there’s secret ballot, he’s still likely to get the numbers,” the official told Reuters.

An ANC spokesman did not respond to calls for comment.

Analysts said the new bid to oust Zuma would be weakened if the president’s allies managed to secure an open vote, one of the main ways he has controlled the party since taking over from Thabo Mbeki.

The ANC’s national executive committee, which is meeting in Pretoria, is the only body in the ruling party that can remove its leader, besides its five-yearly congress.

Zuma himself is one of the committee’s 104 members, most of whom were elected in 2012 and many of whom are loyal to the president.

The president apologised earlier this year after the constitutional court said he flouted the constitution in a scandal over more than £13.7m in state funds used to upgrade his rural home. He eventually paid back 7.8m rand (£474,268), an amount determined by the national treasury.

The next national elections are due in 2019. External experts have warned ANC strategists that the party’s popularity was eroding fast.

But internal polls revealed that dissatisfaction with Zuma was only a minor factor for voters, with the ANC’s failure to deliver high-quality services such as water, schools, power and housing playing a greater role.