Zuma mulls deal that ousts Gordhan in return for him stepping down early
Jacob Zuma is considering offering to step down next year, at least 12 months before his term as South African president ends, under a deal with opponents in the ANC that would see Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan leave office now, two senior party sources said. Zuma is due to be replaced as party leader at a party conference in December after serving his allocated two terms, but was expected to remain the country’s president until elections in 2019. Zuma’s spokesperson did not respond to several calls for comment. The offer appears intended as a way out of an impasse over the country’s leadership within the divided ANC, but may not be enough to satisfy opponents of Zuma, who want the president out early anyway and urgently want Gordhan to stay. There is precedent for an ANC leader to leave the presidency early. Thabo Mbeki was removed by the ANC as South African president in 2008 after his time as party leader ended at the close of the previous year. A split in the ANC deepened this...
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