Jacob Zuma is not my President... (ALMOST)
Jacob Zuma has been running on borrowed time ever since Cyril Ramaphosa took hold of the leadership of the ANC in December. The past few weeks have kept the new leadership very busy as discussions on the Zuma Exit were being discussed. Support for the ex-president has evaporated as the Rand has been strengthening.
Jacob Zuma has been left with three choices...
Cartoon by Findlay at https://www.enca.com/cartoon/
Resign!
After calls from the opposition, the public and his own party, a dignified way for Jacob Zuma would have been to resign. As the constitution allows, an ex-leader of state gains a lot of benefits including healthcare and security as well as a stipend from the state...
But true to form dignity is not something to be expected from the man who crippled the South-African economy over his reign. He has firmly refused a call for resignation.
Recall
This method is somewhat questionable as it is not specified by the constitution whether this is allowed. There is, however, precedent as this is exactly how Zuma claimed power in the first place.
Last night, 12 February, a letter of recall has officially been served to Zuma. A press briefing today, however, shed light on the non-existent timeframe.
Impeachment
The last option is for parliament to vote on the impeachment of the president. The EFF has already made a call to parliament and a response from the speaker is pending. For the first time ever, ALL of the parties in parliament want the head of state to depart...
No longer my president.
Since the official recall has been issued from the ANC, I refuse to acknowledge Zuma as President of South-Africa.
I would love to hear your comments on this, Thank you for reading...
My question is, if he does go, what happens to him? Does he still remain in government or the ANC? Basically will he still have enough power to screw things up for us?
Upvoted
He will no longer have anything to do with politics and Ramaphosa has denied him immunity. He will face the courts for his 783 corruption charges AND State capture.
My thoughts though? He will find a way to flee the country... A one-stop ticket to Dubai.
Indirectly he still will have a lot to do with politics. To think that it is JUST Zuma messing things up is naive, its a collective effort from people within key positions which will still be there after he goes. Yes Cyril has more sway now but the rift within the ANC wont go away, one side will be bitter and we know how they dont care about the ANC or the country. He will have power and duties until he's put in prison. Our relationship with the UAE will have him sent back SA as him and the Guptas have also defrauded American and European countries whom have already called for the extradition of the Guptas in Dubai. His power will end when hes in jail or when he dies, and only then I think.
As far as rifts and continuing problems within the ANC, I heartily agree! However, I think that once Zuma is out for good, he will be so busy trying to cover his ass that he will not have time to be too involved in politics directly. As far as what his faction can do? That is a completely different story and remains to be seen...