South African president Jacob Zuma\u00a0indicated that ruling party lawmakers who backed an opposition attempt to oust him should face disciplinary action and said he may consider firing his higher education minister, who has criticized his leadership.<\/p>\n
More than two dozen members of the ruling African National Congress backed a motion of no confidence in the president on Aug. 8, which the main opposition Democratic Alliance filed after he unilaterally fired his respected finance minister and two ratings companies responded by downgrading the country\u2019s debt to junk.<\/p>\n
While the motion was defeated by 198 votes to 177,\u00a0Zuma said \u201canything could have happened\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe ANC was put into serious disrepute\u201d by its lawmakers who refused to toe the party line, Zuma said at an ANC gathering in Parys in the central Free State province.<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody can say they did not know\u201d what they were supposed to do, he said.<\/p>\n
A former intelligence operative who has ruled Africa\u2019s largest economy since 2009, Zuma has been implicated in a succession of scandals, including a finding by the nation\u2019s top court that he violated his oath of office by refusing to repay money spent on his private home.<\/p>\n
While he has clung to office because he continues to enjoy the backing of most of the ANC\u2019s top leaders, who are reliant on him for their jobs in the government and cabinet, his missteps have cost the ANC support and left the party deeply divided.<\/p>\n
The Aug. 8 vote against Zuma, 75, was conducted by secret ballot, and with only a handful of ANC lawmakers having openly stated they would vote in favor of his ouster, the party will battle to identify all those who broke ranks.<\/p>\n
The matter will be raised at a meeting of the party\u2019s top six leaders at a meeting on Monday, Zuma said.<\/p>\n
Zuma also said he would consider a suggestion raised by one of the delegates who attended the gathering to replace Blade Nzimande, his higher education minister, who is also the general secretary of the South African Communist Party – an ally of the ANC that has called for the president\u2019s removal.<\/p>\n
Zuma is due to step down as head of the ANC in December and as president in 2019.<\/p>\n
He alleged that\u00a0Western countries intent on destabilizing emerging economies were behind the the attempts to bring about his early removal.<\/p>\n
\u201cPart of what is happening in Parliament is not an innocent political thing,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is anchored on a bigger strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n