PRETORIA: The end of South African President Jacob Zuma's time in office may be near, as the Speaker of the Parliament has announced his surprise decision to allow anonymous voting in a motion of no confidence. Critics of the presidency have long been calling for a secret ballot, hoping it would help give MPs a much-needed courage to support his removal.
Speaker Baleka Mbete's decision was welcomed by markets as South African currency, the rand, bonds, and banking shares surged following the announcement. Zuma has been consistently accused of corruption, upsetting investors throughout last year, particularly when he removed popular finance minister Pravin Gordhan. Opposition Democratic Alliance said, “Jacob Zuma has brought our nation to its knees. We call on all members of the parliament to do the right thing and remove Jacob Zuma.”
Opposition parties have planned a march in the capital of Cape Town, and even members of the ANC are expected to march on the same streets in support for him. Zuma's tenure as President will only end in 2019, when national elections will be held. He has survived eight no-confidence votes during his eight years in power, due to a loyal votebank by party MPs who form a strong parliamentary majority.
While those votes aren't anonymous, the recently announced secret vote could help embolden ANC members who are critical of Zuma who is accused of mismanaging the economy. All accusations have been denied by Zuma. “We have full confidence in our ANC members of the Parliament. This motion, just like others before it, will be defeated,” said a statement from party chief Jackson Mthembu.
