The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Independent political analyst Ralph Mathekga told AFP that Zuma’s departure had been mishandled by the ANC.
“Unfortunately the reality caught up with them, so now the ANC is trying to take control,” he said.
“The fact that they cancelled Wednesday’s ANC meeting probably means there is an agreement for him to go,” he added.
The power struggle has rocked the ANC, the storied liberation party which led the fight against white-minority rule but has since lost much of its public support.
Despite the attacks on him, Zuma still enjoys some backing within the party, particularly among rural members and within his own Zulu community.
His presidency has been dominated by an economic slowdown, record unemployment and allegations of corruption.
He faces several court cases, including action relating to 783 payments he received allegedly linked to an arms deal before he came to power in 2009.
Many graft allegations against him have centred on the wealthy Gupta family, who are accused of unfairly obtaining lucrative government contracts and even being able to choose ministerial appointments.
The Nelson Mandela Foundation, which promotes the legacy of South Africa’s anti-apartheid icon, has called for Zuma to go as he had “demonstrated that he is not fit to govern”.
In a damning statement, it said there was “overwhelming evidence that systematic looting by patronage networks linked to President Zuma have betrayed the country Nelson Mandela dreamed of.”
Ramaphosa, 65, is a former trade unionist who led talks to end apartheid rule in the early 1990s and then became a multi-millionaire businessman before returning to politics.
