JOHANNESBURG, Feb 13 (Reuters) - African National Congress (ANC) secretary-general Ace Magashule went to see South African President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday to communicate officially the party’s decision to remove him as head of state, a senior party source said.

“He’s gone to communicate our decision,” the source told Reuters. (Reporting by Ed Cropley; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo) </s> South African President Jacob Zuma has announced his resignation with 'immediate effect'.

It came as the country's governing African National Congress (ANC) prepared to table a motion of no-confidence in Mr Zuma tomorrow.

The ruling party had already asked Mr Zuma to resign.

The party was aiming to remove the president from power so deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa could take over.

Addressing the nation this evening, he said: "All my life I have served, and I will continue to serve the ANC in its pursuit of the national democratic revolution."

He added: "I fear no motion of no confidence or impeachment, for they are the lawful mechanisms for the people of this beautiful country to remove their president.

"I've served the people of South Africa to the best of my ability. I am forever grateful that they trusted me with their highest office in the land. But when I accepted the deployment I understood and undertook to subject myself to the supreme law of the land - the constitution."

After a lengthy speech, he confirmed: "I have come to the decision to resign as president of the republic with immediate effect.

"Even though I disagree with the decision of the leadership of my organisation, I have always been a disciplined member of the ANC."

The recent moves against the president by his own party came after police raided the home of a business family linked to President Zuma, describing it as a "crime scene."

The powerful and wealthy Gupta family are suspected of using their ties to the president to influence cabinet positions and land state contracts.

The embattled president has faced a number of corruption scandals and was replaced as ANC leader in December. </s> CAPE TOWN, Aug 8 (Reuters) - The leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance urged South African lawmakers to oust President Jacob Zuma at the start of a parliamentary debate on a motion of no-confidence in the scandal-plagued leader on Tuesday.

Zuma, who has held power since 2009, would have to relinquish office if he loses the vote expected once the debate ends.

"I plead with you let us put the people of South Africa first and vote to remove Jacob Zuma today," Mmusi Maimane said.

Speaking on behalf of the ruling African National Congress party, deputy chief whip Doris Dlakude said the motion against Zuma amounted to a "power grab" by the opposition.

"The ANC rejects this motion with the contempt it deserves," she said. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by James Macharia) </s> Cape Town (AFP) - South African President Jacob Zuma faces a no-confidence vote by secret ballot in parliament Tuesday, with opponents hoping that discontented ANC lawmakers could help oust him from office.

Criticism of Zuma from within the African National Congress (ANC) has grown over corruption scandals and economic woes, and the celebrated party of Nelson Mandela has declined sharply at the polls.

But the ANC -- which holds a large majority in parliament -- welcomed the decision to hold the vote by secret ballot and said it expected the no-confidence motion to fail.

Several opposition parties will lead a protest to the national assembly in Cape Town on Tuesday ahead of the parliamentary session due to begin at 2:00 pm (1200 GMT).

"ANC MPs now have no excuse. They must use their vote... to remove Jacob Zuma," the main opposition Democratic Alliance party said after the speaker of parliament made a surprise decision Monday to hold the ballot in secret.

Zuma has easily survived several previous parliamentary votes held without secret balloting.

A 201-vote majority would be needed to remove him from power, and the ANC holds 249 seats in the 400-seat parliament. His cabinet would also be forced to resign.

"It's a long shot to expect a significant number of ANC MPs to vote against their own party and let the opposition claim this big political scalp," independent analyst Daniel Silke told AFP.

Zuma, 75, is due to step down as head of the ANC in December, and as president before the 2019 general election -- lessening pressure for his party to trigger imminent change.

The secret ballot has been subject to a long legal battle waged by opposition parties, who hope that ANC lawmakers will now be emboldened to vote against him without fear of intimidation.

Last week ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu acknowledged recent criticism of the party, including the impact of a cabinet reshuffle in March when respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan was replaced with a Zuma loyalist.

Gordhan's sacking led to a string of downgrades to South Africa's credit rating as well as causing the rand currency to tumble.

Public support for the ANC, which swept to power under Mandela in the first non-racial elections in 1994, slipped to 55 percent in last year's local polls -- its worst-ever result.

A handful of MPs, including Gordhan, have joined calls from anti-apartheid veterans and trade unions for Zuma to resign, as South Africa endures record unemployment and a recession.

Zuma has been engulfed by corruption allegations since coming to office in 2009.

A court last year found him guilty of violating the constitution after he refused to repay taxpayers' money used to refurbish his private rural house.

He has been accused of being in the sway of the wealthy Gupta business family, allegedly granting them influence over government appointments, contracts and state-owned businesses.

He is also fighting a court order that could reinstate almost 800 corruption charges against him over a multi-billion dollar arms deal in the 1990s.

Zuma is seen as favouring his ex-wife, former African Union chief Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to succeed him ahead of Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa. </s> Jacob Zuma resigned as South Africa President Wednesday night, heeding to orders by the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

This news came as a shocker to many as Zuma had stayed put over the last few days amid pressure and turmoil from ANC.

ALSO READ: South African police raid Gupta home, pressure cranks up on Zuma

His resignation brings to an end his nine year scandal-plagued years in power.

In a televised speech, Zuma said “ I have served South Africa to the best of my ability. I am forever grateful that they trusted me with their highest office in the land. When I accepted the deployment, I understood and undertook to subject myself to the supreme law of the land- The Constitution.”

Yesterday, South African Parliament rescheduled the motion of no confidence against Zuma to Thursday (today) at 2pm as he remained adamant on not resigning.

The 75-year-old who has been in office since 2009, said he disagreed with the way the ANC had shoved him toward an early exit after the election of Cyril Ramaphosa as party president in December. </s> South African President Jacob Zuma has announced he is resigning after nearly nine years in power. His decision, stated during a nationally broadcast address Wednesday, hands power to his deputy and the leader of the country's ruling African National Congress, Cyril Ramaphosa.

"No life should be lost in my name. And also the ANC should never be divided in my name," Zuma said during his speech. "I have therefore come to the decision to resign as president of the republic with immediate effect."

The address had begun with jokes but quickly turned grave as he spoke about his commitment to the country and to the ANC, his political party. The group had recently exerted tremendous pressure on him to resign the presidency he has held since 2009, voting earlier in the week to recall him amid allegations of corruption and signaling its intention to support a no-confidence motion against him.

"I must accept that if my party and my compatriots wish that I be removed from office they must exercise that right and do so in the manner prescribed by the constitution," Zuma said. "I fear no motion of no confidence or impeachment for they are the lawful mechanisms for the people of this beautiful country to remove their president."

The decision marks an abrupt about-face from remarks he offered earlier Wednesday in a long and rambling interview with state broadcaster SABC. During that hourlong conversation, he said he had no intention of stepping down — and repeatedly denied that he was defying his party.

At the time, he also stated that he has not been provided with any clear accusations of wrongdoing: "There's nothing I've done wrong," he said. "What is the problem? I don't understand. ... I don't think it is fair."

During his resignation announcement later in the day, he reiterated his objection to how the party had handled the past few weeks.

"I disagree with the decision of the leadership of my organization," he during the address. But he added: "I have always been a disciplined member of the ANC."

The party had been pushing for Zuma to step down ahead of the end of his term next year. The longtime leader had something of a checkered tenure, marred by corruption scandals and the renewed possibility he could face prosecution. The bid to move on from Zuma has been seen as an attempt to place the ruling party on a firmer footing for the 2019 elections.

On Tuesday, when the party voted to recall him, ANC Secretary-General Ace Magashule emphasized that the vote was not due to any specific allegations, but in the interest of realigning the party behind Ramaphosa.

Still, as NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton told Morning Edition, the pressure was "hugely humiliating for Zuma, who has been an ANC stalwart since he was a very young man."

Zuma had survived several no-confidence motions in the past, but with the ruling party firmly backing such a motion this time around, its passage had been all but assured.

Meanwhile, heavily armed South African police on Wednesday raided the Johannesburg residence of the controversial Gupta family, said to have corrupt links to the 75-year-old Zuma.

Reuters reports: "The raid marks a dramatic escalation in the pressure on Zuma and the political faction around him accused of milking state resources for their own ends. ... The early morning raid ... resulted in three arrests," according to the police's elite Hawks unit.

Peter Granitz, reporting for NPR from Pretoria, says, "The Gupta brothers have been accused by South African authorities of siphoning money from the contracts they've won with the government. The contracts are worth billions of dollars and their empire spans South Africa, from mining to technology services."

"One of Zuma's sons works for the Guptas, as do the children of other high ranking officials. A former cabinet official blew the whistle and said the Guptas offered him a $50 million dollar bribe," Granitz reports.

According to the BBC: </s> President Jacob Zuma has told jubilant crowds that is is "impossible" for the opposition to remove the ANC after successfully fighting off his latest no-confidence vote.

Mr Zuma appeared in Cape Town after the motion was defeated 198 to 177 in parliament on Tuesday.

In a speech to his supporters, he accused opposition parties of using " technicalities" to try to grab power. </s> CAPE TOWN, Aug 8 (Reuters) - South Africa's President Jacob Zuma survived a no-confidence motion against him in parliament on Tuesday by garnering 198 votes to the opposition's 177 votes as African National Congress lawmakers rallied to his support.

There were nine abstentions in the secret ballot.

Zuma, 75, who has held power since 2009 but whose time in office has been dogged by allegations of corruption, has now survived nine no-confidence votes thanks to loyal voting by ANC lawmakers.

The rand fell by 1 percent after the announcement of the vote outcome. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Richard Balmforth) </s> JOHANNESBURG (AP) - South Africa's two main opposition parties took aim at President Jacob Zuma with one appealing to the highest court to order impeachment proceedings and the other announcing it will launch a vote of no confidence in the president.

The Economic Freedom Fighters party applied to the country's highest court to order parliament to begin impeachment proceedings against Zuma for lying to the legislative body.

Also on Thursday the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, said it would launch a vote of no confidence in Zuma in parliament.

At the Constitutional Court, the EFF said it filed its case as "a last resort" after parliament, which is dominated by Zuma's ruling African National Congress (ANC), had failed in its duty to hold the president accountable, party leader Julius Malema said outside the court in Johannesburg.

"We came here to a lodge a complaint with the Constitutional Court, asking the Constitutional Court to direct parliament to institute disciplinary proceedings against the president of the Republic of South Africa who was found to have breached his oath of office by this highest court," Malema said.

He said that in parliament his party "tried everything within the rules. We followed every little detail to try and get parliament to discipline President Zuma for having breached his oath of office." But he said there had been no parliamentary action against Zuma.

Pressure has been growing on Zuma to step down after he recalled South Africa's finance minister, Pravin Gordhan, 67, from a trade trip in London. Zuma's abrupt order for Gordhan to cut short a long-planned trip prompted widespread speculation that the president intended to fire the finance minister.

Zuma's recall of Gordhan spooked investors and caused South Africa's rand to lose nearly 5 percent of its value against the dollar this week.

A senior member of the South African Communist Party, which is in an alliance with the ANC, said that Zuma told its leaders that he planned to fire Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas.

"The president informed us of his intention to effect a Cabinet reshuffle, replacing both minister and deputy of finance," SACP deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila said at a press conference in Johannesburg.

Mapaila said that if Zuma fires Gordhan the South African Communist Party's seven Cabinet members would resign from Zuma's Cabinet of 35 ministers.

On Wednesday former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe, 67, received a standing ovation from senior dozens of ANC members at the funeral of an anti-apartheid hero after repeating a call for Zuma to step down.

Mothlanthe, who served as South Africa's head of state for nine months in 2008 and 2009, read a letter by Ahmed Kathrada, who died this week at 87, pleading with the scandal-prone Zuma to put the country's interests before his own.

Zuma, 74, did not attend Kathrada's funeral in Johannesburg, saying earlier he would respect the family's request for him not to attend.

"In the face of such persistently widespread criticism, condemnation and demand, is it asking too much to express the hope that you will choose the correct way that is gaining momentum, to consider stepping down?" Motlanthe quoted from the letter.
South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) formally requests that President Jacob Zuma step down after he refused to resign.