Zuma would rather face impeachment than step down in the next week: report
President Jacob Zuma is reportedly adamant that he will deliver the state of the nation address on Thursday (8 February), and will reject any attempts to force him out as the country’s leader before then.
Speaking to the Mail and Guardian an ANC insider close to Zuma reportedly said that the president has made it clear that he would not accept any decision influenced by any ‘counter-revolutionaries’, including opposition parties.
“Zuma said if it meant he should face impeachment and lose all his presidential benefits, he was prepared for that as a matter of principle,” the insider said.
Zuma is also said to have refused guidance from his top advisers to step down, reportedly stating that he still plans to resign before the 2019 elections, but that he needed more time to prepare for a smooth handover.
On Thursday, speaker of the national assembly Baleka Mbete confirmed that she would not allow for the postponement of the state of the nation address, or allow for another motion of no confidence against Zuma before 8 February.
However Mbete said that the motion itself was still on the table.
“At this point, the information that we have is that the head of state is President Jacob Zuma,” she said.
“So as far as we’re concerned that is who is going to deliver the State of the Nation Address, until we hear different information.”
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