Johannesburg: South African President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday defied an ultimatum from the ruling African National Congress to resign within 48 hours, pitching the nation into an unprecedented political crisis. The decision to ask Zuma to stand down or face being stripped of his office was taken at a specially convened emergency session of the ANC's national executive committee (NEC) on late Monday night. The meeting was called after it became clear that nearly five days of talks between Zuma, who has been the President since 2009, and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who took over the ANC's leadership in December, had failed.
After nearly 10 hours of heated debate, Ramaphosa and a key ally of Zuma left the meeting to drive to the President's official residence to deliver an ultimatum: stand down or face "recall", a technical term for the process of forcing an ANC official to leave their post.
If Zuma is ousted by a no-confidence vote, the speaker of parliament will serve as an interim President until elected representatives chose a new head of state. However a "defiant" Zuma demanded a three month "notice period" before resigning, an ANC official said.
His nine years as President have been marred by economic decline and multiple charges of corruption that undermined the image and legitimacy of ANC. However, the 75-year-old retains significant support inside the party and at a local level in many parts of South Africa. Ralph Mathekga, a political analyst and author, said: "Zuma is not just a person. He is a system. There are a whole lot of people whose political fortunes are tied to his. "We are watching a battle for the soul of the ANC. It's a referendum on the true balance of power within the party."
