• EDITORIAL POLICY
  • ABOUT US
PML Daily
  • Home
  • NEWS
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Regional
    • Africa
    • World
  • INVESTIGATIONS
    • National Archives
    • Special Reports
  • OpEd
  • BUSINESS
    • Agriculture
    • Tech
    • Finance
  • FEATURES
    • Health
    • Tours & Travel
    • Entertainment
    • Society
  • COLUMNISTS
    • The Suited Penguin
  • SPORT
  • Jobs
  • Magazines
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • NEWS
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Regional
    • Africa
    • World
  • INVESTIGATIONS
    • National Archives
    • Special Reports
  • OpEd
  • BUSINESS
    • Agriculture
    • Tech
    • Finance
  • FEATURES
    • Health
    • Tours & Travel
    • Entertainment
    • Society
  • COLUMNISTS
    • The Suited Penguin
  • SPORT
  • Jobs
  • Magazines
No Result
View All Result
PML Daily
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Regional

Zuma escapes again in eighth no-confidence vote

Website Manager by Website Manager
August 9, 2017
in Regional, World
0 0
20
VIEWS
FacebookWhatsAppTwitter
Opposition members including the Economic Freedom Fighters, rallied against Zuma in major South African cities. BBC picture.

By Milton Nkosi

BBC News, Johannesburg. South African President Jacob Zuma is celebrating after narrowly surviving his eighth no-confidence vote. He is certainly on his ninth life now.

The president will savour his victory on Tuesday, August 8 after many of his political enemies had written him off.

But his celebrations will be short-lived, because unlike previous motions, a lot more of his own MPs voted with the opposition – due to the fact that it was a secret ballot.

A few years ago, this would have been unthinkable.

The governing African National Congress (ANC) used to stand together as a solid block, particularly when they were under attack from outsiders. But not this time.

ANC party members watched the result from outside parliament in Cape Town

The mere fact that probably more than 30 ANC MPs voted with the opposition, against their own party’s wishes, is enough to make Mr Zuma quake in his boots.

This figure may have not reached the required number to relieve him of his presidential duties, but it is enough to weaken him as leader of the ANC.

As they say, the president won the battle of the day – but he is likely to lose the war.

It is going to be a long road for him between now and December when the ANC goes to its elective conference, in which a new leader will be elected to replace 75-year-old Zuma at the end of his second term.

Although some ANC comrades want to oust the president, they want to do it on their own terms, and not at the behest of the opposition.

There is a fierce battle underway to succeed him. The favourites are deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa and Zuma’s preferred candidate, his former wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Opposition members – including the Economic Freedom Fighters – rallied against the president in major cities

Some in the opposition are already calling for the MPs who voted in favour of the motion to resign from government structures.

They must, just as they did in that parliamentary polling booth, vote with their conscience and resign as MPs, they say.

It would make no sense for them to continue serving under a leader they tried to remove from office.

If they do stay – either political expediency or indeed for their stomachs’ and their families’ sakes – then they would have betrayed their own consciences.

For Zuma, it means sitting at the table with his own comrades knowing full well that some of them are the equivalent of his Judas Iscariots.

As far as he is concerned, they have betrayed the revolution.

Prior to the secret ballot vote, there were only four ANC MPs who had publicly called for him to step down.

MPs cast their vote in one of four booths – for the first time, in secret

The witch-hunt may have already begun. Those hardliners who supported Zuma may want to know who betrayed them.

Jackson Mthembu, the party’s chief whip in parliament, couldn’t have put it more succinctly.

“We must deal with difficulties of rampant corruption,” he said.

“But we did not believe that dealing with these issues would be by removing Zuma.”

Opposition leaders accused those who voted against the motion of defending and protecting corruption.

There are those who believe that the ANC is on a downward spiral and cannot save itself from its self-inflicted wounds.

Pressure on Zuma rose after he sacked his highly-respected finance minister, Pravin Gordhan.

As he thanked the masses who came out to support him here in Cape Town, President Zuma delivered a rendition of his signature Zulu tune Yinde Lendlela – which translates as “It’s a Long Road”.

It’s a long road indeed, but only to December.

But split or no split, Zuma is still the president of Africa’s oldest liberation movement, albeit for a few months.

Some say he will not complete his second term. But we have heard these threats before, and we have written Zuma’s political obituary, only for him to re-emerge like a rising phoenix from the ashes.

 

Comments

Related Posts

Bobi Wine addresses the nation (PHOTO/File).
NEWS

FULL ADDRESS: Bobi Wine asks Uganda’s development partners not to acknowledge Museveni’s victory citing irregularities

January 22, 2021
145
Bobi Wine addresses the nation (PHOTO/File).
NEWS

HAPPENING NOW: Bobi Wine reveals next step after disputed election

January 22, 2021
548
Khaled will host the virtual awards ceremony from his glamourous home in Miami, Florida, alongside African co-emcees for the star-studded Kampala event (PHOTO/Courtesy).
Entertainment

DJ Khaled to host Kampala MTV Africa Music Awards 2021 beginning Feb. 20

January 22, 2021
205
Retired U.S. General Lloyd Austin speaks after U.S. President-elect Joe Biden announced Austin as his nominee to be defense secretary during a news conference at his transition headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, U.S., December 9, 2020. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque ).
ANALYSIS

Will operationalise India’s Major Defence Partner status: Biden’s nominee for Defence Secretary

January 22, 2021
94
Immunization programme is being implemented in India, as in other countries, in a phased manner to cover the healthcare providers, frontline workers and the most vulnerable (PHOTO/Courtesy).
Health

COVID-19: India to supply vaccines to six nations, including Nepal and Bangladesh

January 22, 2021
42
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani in New Delhi recently. PHOTO/Shahbaz Khan | PTI)
OpEd

JYOTI MALHOTRA: If Biden ignores Afghanistan-Pakistan, ISI will get a long rope. India must play bigger role

January 22, 2021
45






 

 

About

The PML Daily, published via www.pmldaily.com is a publication of Post Media Ltd, a professional Digital/New Media company in Uganda.

Follow us

KIU

  • EDITORIAL POLICY
  • ABOUT US

© 2020 PMLDAILY.COM

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • NEWS
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Regional
    • Africa
    • World
  • INVESTIGATIONS
    • National Archives
    • Special Reports
  • OpEd
  • BUSINESS
    • Agriculture
    • Tech
    • Finance
  • FEATURES
    • Health
    • Tours & Travel
    • Entertainment
    • Society
  • COLUMNISTS
    • The Suited Penguin
  • SPORT
  • Jobs
  • Magazines

© 2020 PMLDAILY.COM

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In