South Africa’s Jacob Zuma blamed a western plot and opposition collaborators for the bid by officials in the ruling party to oust him as the nation’s president as he refused to resign, saying he won’t hand himself over to his enemies. The president’s outburst came at a meeting of the African National Congress’s National Executive Committee near Pretoria, where officials including some cabinet ministers said he must step down, said a person who attended a three-day gathering and asked not to be identified because the party hasn’t commented. The meeting ended late Monday. Events at the meeting weren’t supposed to pan out like this. The gathering was to be a regular parley, the last of the year. But as it opened on Saturday Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom made an unexpected proposal: Zuma should step down. He was backed by three cabinet ministers, the person said. Zuma, 74, strongly defended himself, saying he wasn’t responsible for the ANC’s worst electoral performance since the end of...
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