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CAPE TOWN. — The South African National Assembly yesterday voted against removing President Jacob Zuma from office.
After a rowdy debate, with MPs heckling and shouting at each other, a vote was called and 233 members voted against the motion, 143 voted in favour and there were no abstentions.
MPs yesterday debated the removal of Zuma, after a motion filed by DA leader Mmusi Maimane.
This comes after the Constitutional Court last week ruled that President Zuma failed to uphold the Constitution when he did not comply with Public Protector Thuli Madonsela’s remedial action regarding the non-security upgrades to his Nkandla homestead.
Pleas by opposition MPs for ANC MPs to vote to remove President Zuma fell on deaf areas. For the motion to pass, over 260 MPs needed to vote in favour of it, meaning over 100 ANC MPs had to vote against the party line.
The New York Times was dragged into yesterday’s debate in parliament.
“We must never for a single day allow for international interference in matters of our country,” said outraged ANC MP Mmamoloki Kubayi. This followed the NYT’s publication of a scathing editorial following the Constitutional Court ruling against President Zuma.
“For the NYT to have the nerve to write about the leadership of our country — it is uncalled for,” said Kubayi.
“Any loving South African . . . must stand and protect the democracy of our country,” she said.
On April 1, the NYT carried an opinion piece that said it was time for President Zuma to step down. “Cronyism, corruption and scandal have swirled around Jacob Zuma since before he became president of South Africa in May 2009, and the muck has only deepened since.”
It referred to claims that some members of the wealthy Gupta family had offered MPs senior positions in govern- ment. Kubayi rejected the DA’s proposal, saying it showed how low they were prepared to go. She added that impeachment — which is what the motion had been dubbed — was not even possible in South Africa.
“That is imperialistic.”
Maimane led the charge when he opened the debate, claiming corruption had infected the ruling ANC like a cancer. “Today is historic because it will show the people of South Africa the true character of the people they voted for,” he said.
“You see, corruption in the ANC is not limited to one part of the organisation, or to one person. Corruption has infected the entire party like a cancer.”
The DA introduced the proposal that President Zuma be removed in terms of Section 89 of the constitution, a move that has been likened to the American process of impeachment. Maimane said: “In rallying behind President Zuma, ANC MPs will confirm what we already know: (President) Jacob Zuma is not the cause of the disease, he is merely its biggest symptom.
“And even once this tumour is removed, another one will pop up. And the disease will spread until every last cell is corrupted.”
Deputy Justice Minister John Jeffery was the first to defend President Zuma on behalf of the ANC. He maintained that the Constitutional Court had not found that the president had violated his oath of office. “It is the (DA), not the Constitutional Court that is saying that the president committed a serious violation of our constitution,’’ said the ANC MP to howls of disbelief from opposition benches.
“There is a difference, whether the DA likes it or not, between and inconsistency and a violation.”
EFF leader Julius Malema did not hold back and warned ANC MPs not make the same mistake by second guessing the Constitutional Court’s judgment.
“You can’t say a person has not breached his oath of office when the court said this person did not uphold and defend constitution,” Malema said.
He said the court was clear when it found that President Zuma and the National Assembly had engaged in unlawful activity.
“No single individual has been held accountable since the court judgment.”
Malema called on Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, his deputy Mcebisi Jonas and the SA Communist Party’s Blade Nzimande and Jeremy Cronin to do the right thing and vote for President Zuma to be removed.
“We want to see . . . if you are going to vote for this corruption.”
Congress of the People leader Mosiuoa Lekota, United Democratic Movement leader Bantu Holomisa, Inkatha Freedom Party MP Narend Singh and Freedom Front Plus leader Pieter Mulder joined the DA and EFF in calling on ANC MPs to vote for President Zuma to be removed.
Mulder read from the statement Zuma read when he announced former president Thabo Mbeki’s recall.
“Speaker, what is the difference between this statement from Mr Zuma on Mbeki and the situation today?” asked Mulder.
“The difference is that (former President Thabo) Mbeki’s mistakes were 10 times less serious than the mistakes made by President Zuma.”
Meanwhile, former finance minister Trevor Manuel has reportedly called on President Zuma to step down.
“The violation of the key oath of office of the head of state, which I think is a deep crisis. I think it’s in all of our interests that the president actually steps aside,” he said in an interview with Soweto TV.
A short clip of Manuel calling for President Zuma to step down was posted on Soweto TV’s Twitter page. — AFP/News24
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