Weakened Zuma making 'offer' to leave office, say senior ANC members
'He must just go. We don't need his 'offers'. He must just go before destroying our country'
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 his ruling party that would see Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan leave office now, two senior party sources said. Zuma is due to be replaced as leader of the African National Congress (ANC) 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 spokesman 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. The rand extended gains and was 1.32 percent stronger at 12.88 to the U.S. dollar by 1124 GMT. There is precedent for an ANC leader to leave the presidency early. Thabo Mbeki was removed by the ANC as So...
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