The African National Congress (ANC) will make a final decision on Wednesday whether President Jacob Zuma remains South Africa’s head of state.
The party’s NEC will hold a special meeting in Cape Town to deliberate on the National Working Committee’s recommendations on the matter.
The NWC had mandated the organisation’s top six officials to discuss President Zuma’s future.
The NWC has now referred the matter to the NEC, the party’s highest decision-making body.
ANC Deputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte says, “We haven’t been given an opportunity to deal with this matter in a fairly steady and calm way, which would have been a better option and that option is no longer available to us and therefore. We decided on having an urgent NEC meeting.”
The NEC meeting follows a discussion on the matter on Monday by the 20 member NWC.
The NWC has received feedback from the party’s top six leaders, who met with President Zuma on Sunday, where he reportedly seemed reluctant to stand down.
Addressing the media, Duarte was tight-lipped about the details of the NWC meeting.
She says that while a dominant view emerged from the group, it was by no means unanimous.
Choosing her words carefully, Duarte says it’s now up to the NEC to decide.
“The National Executive Committee of the ANC has the right to discuss the concept of a recall of any of its members. I have not met members who has said I refuse to be given that particular instruction by the organisation. I think that has not happened yet.”
She says the NEC’s decision will be final.
“It’s very important for people to accept and understand that when you are part of a collective you are going to work with that collective and I may have my own view, whatever they may, be but my views are not bigger than the collective’s views.”
The NEC decision will have an impact on what is likely to take place in Parliament as the opposition seeks to table a motion of no confidence in Zuma.
She adds that whatever opposition parties do, it won’t influence the ANC’s direction.
“The ANC is not really looking at what the opposition might think about us. At this point, we are really thinking about what our own constituency – the vast majority of black South Africans unemployed and working class – are saying.”
Watch video below:
