ANC Support Sinks Zuma Impeachment Motion

Shouting “traitors” at ANC MPs still sitting in their seats, opposition parties left the house en masse on Tuesday, after losing a motion of impeachment against President Jacob Zuma 143 to 233.

Upon hearing the results, Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane, who had proposed the motion, immediately stood up and said that the DA as opposition could not sit in parliament with a governing party that broke the constitution. Maimane had, in his closing argument, asked whether members stood on the side of the constitution or the side of Zuma and the Guptas.

The debate was fiery, with all but one of the small opposition parties calling for Zuma to step down after the Constitutional Court ruling that he had failed to uphold, respect or defend the constitution over the Nkandla affair. One party leader after another said that Zuma had clearly violated the constitution.

EFF leader Julius Malema has threatened to take the fight to the streets to get Zuma removed.

During the debate, former finance minister Trevor Manuel was reported in the media saying that Zuma should step down. At the same time, news came through that the prime minister of Iceland Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson had quickly resigned after mass protests occurred when information about him was leaked in the Panama Papers of politicians around the world with offshore investments.