Jacob Zuma survives, rand falls sharply
The motion of no confidence has failed
President Jacob Zuma has survived a motion of no confidence against him as ANC MPs closed ranks around their embattled leader on Tuesday. Though the outcome was somewhat expected, given the ANC’s vocal stance against voting with the opposition, the result underscored the depth of opposition Zuma faces within and outside the ANC as a number of the party’s MPs voted in support of the motion. The rand fell sharply within seconds of the announcement, losing 16c to trade at R13.36 to the dollar. After a long and laborious voting process via secret ballot, 177 MPs voted in favour of the motion, while 198 voted against it. A total of 384 MPs voted with nine MPs abstained. The tally suggests 26 ANC MPs voted in favour of the motion to remove their party’s leader. The ANC enjoys a majority in Parliament with 249 of the 400 National Assembly seats; opposition parties have a combined 151 seats. Despite intense lobbying by opposition parties, who were emboldened by National Assembly speaker Bal...
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