Plan B to get Zuma out – if the ANC NEC won’t, Parliament will: report
There could be a highly divisive ‘plan B’ to get Jacob Zuma out of the presidency, if the anti-Zuma camp within the ANC fails to do so at the party’s National Executive Committee meeting today.
According to Daily Maverick’s associate editor, Ranjeni Munusamy, who has long held the inside track of the ANC’s operations – having served close to president Zuma and the party in the past.
Citing insider information in the ANC, Munusamy said that secret polling and lobbying by senior members of the ANC ahead of the NEC meeting found that out of 80 NEC members 34% would vote against Zuma and 30% would remain loyal to him.
While many NEC members were undecided or not interested in taking part, the ANC members opposed to Zuma and his presidency decided to take the chance, and stuck their necks out to put the target on Zuma’s back.
This revealed itself in reports out of the NEC meeting this weekend that tourism minister Derek Hanekom tabled a motion that Zuma be recalled – reportedly backed by health minister Aaron Motsoaledi, public works Minister Thulas Nxesi and ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu.
There is not much confidence from analysts that the motion will pass, even if it manages to get to a vote – however, Munusamy says there is a back-up plan if things go south for those who stand openly opposed to the president (through a possible cabinet reshuffle).
“If ministers who spoke out against Zuma in the NEC get sacked, there could be a move from members of the ANC in Parliament to table a motion of no confidence in the president,” Munusamy said.
The Daily Maverick pointed out that opposition parties only 52 ANC members out of the 249 in the National Assembly to ensure a motion of no confidence against Zuma will pass.
“With the level of disgruntlement against Zuma growing, and the ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu being amongst those who are speaking against the decline in the party, it would not be difficult to reach this number – even if there is division in the ANC ranks,” Munusamy said.
You can read the full story on the end-game of Zuma’s presidency on the Daily Maverick.
Read: Zuma’s fate hanging by a thread – these are the ministers who want him to go
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