President Jacob Zuma is said to have shunned the advice of allies who have pleaded with him to jump before he’s pushed
An apparently jovial Paul Mashatile announced at a media briefing after the ANC’s parliamentary caucus that President Jacob Zuma’s deadline to respond to his recall as state president is today.
The ANC treasurer-general preempted questions from journalists with the announcement.
The ANC caucus has been instructed to put in motion “a parliamentary process”, Mashatile told journalists. This follows after Zuma did not address the nation on his decision to resign after he was recalled by the ANC’s highest decision-making body on Tuesday.
ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu clarified that the ANC would seek to amend the Economic Freedom Fighter’s motion of no confidence. Mthembu says the caucus hopes for the motion of no confidence to be tabled tomorrow. If available, the chief justice will also be summoned to swear in a new president.
Mthembu said that should the new president be sworn in tomorrow, as expected, the State of the Nation address (SONA) would proceed on February 16 at 7pm. The budget speech, scheduled for February 21 will go ahead.
“If there is no need for a motion of no confidence. . . then obviously we would have the minister of finance delivering the budget statement next week on the 21st,” said Mthembu.
Asked how Zuma received the news of his recall, Mthembu was cavalier, saying, “As the ANC we have no qualms with any.. bring it on.
Our country is in a state of limbo… we cannot continue to be in a state of limbo.”
Mashatile said there were no objections from the caucus and that ‘comrades’ had been waiting to hear what the next move would be. “The most pressing issue is that we get Ramaphosa elected as president and everything will flow from there,” said Mashatile.
The rand raced to R11.79/$ as the governing party announced it will vote on a motion of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma on Thursday.
This is a developing story, more details will be added as they emerge.