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> 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> Cyril Ramaphosa, born 17 November 1952, is the fifth and current post-apartheid President of South Africa. He has been the Deputy President of South Africa since 2014 and was elected as President of the African National Congress (ANC) South of Johannesburg in December 2017.

He is also the Chairman of the National Planning Commission, which is responsible for strategic planning for the future of South Africa, with the goal of rallying the nation “around a common set of objectives and priorities to drive development over the longer term”.

Ramaphosa has been sworn in as the president of Africa’s most industrialised nation (South Africa) in the national parliament in Cape Town, the country’s Capital on Thursday February 15 2018, a day after Jacob Zuma resigned from office following allegations of corruption

Ramaphosa automatically became the acting president of the country on 14 February 2018, after the embattled former president, Jacob Zuma was pressured to resign on Wednesday and will be sworn in by Mogoeng later in the day and is due to deliver his first state-of the nation address on Friday. He staked his claim to the top post when he replaced Zuma as leader of the African National Congress almost two months ago.

A former lawyer and one of the richest black South Africans, Ramaphosa has promised to revive the struggling economy, create jobs and tackle corruption. His appointment more than a year before national elections could help the ANC win back voters alienated by a succession of scandals, policy missteps and inappropriate appointments during Zuma’s nine-year tenure.

While Ramaphosa succeeded in outmanoeuvring Zuma since his tight election as ANC president, the road ahead is perilous — the party remains deeply divided, the cabinet needs a clean-out and a moribund economy requires a jump-start.

Growth has averaged just 1.6 percent a year since Zuma took office in 2009, undermined partly by policy decisions and inappropriate appointments that rocked investor and business confidence. Disgruntlement with his rule caused support for the ANC to fall to a record low in 2016 municipal elections and cost it control of Johannesburg, the economic hub, and Pretoria, the capital. </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> Cyril Ramaphosa has been elected as president of South Africa, a day after Jacob Zuma resigned from office following allegations of corruption.

Mr. Ramaphosa’s is scheduled to give the state of the union address tomorrow. </s> Cyril Ramaphosa has been elected President of the Republic of South Africa unopposed.

Ramaphosa’s election comes a day after Jacob Zuma tendered his resignation following pressure from his party, the African National Congress.

Ramaphosa’s candidacy was nominated by ANC backbencher Patrick Maesela and seconded by his colleague‚ Joan Fubbs.

None of the opposition parties nominated a presidential candidate.

Ramaphosa was congratulated by Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng who presided over the election and was later on sworn in as the country’s President.

Ramaphosa will the deliver the state of the nation address scheduled to take place on Friday at 7pm.-Sowetan.co.za </s> related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.

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Cyril Ramaphosa was elected as South Africa's president in a parliamentary vote on Thursday after scandal-ridden Jacob Zuma reluctantly resigned on orders from the ruling African National Congress.

CAPE TOWN: Cyril Ramaphosa was elected as South Africa's president in a parliamentary vote on Thursday and pledged to tackle endemic corruption after scandal-ridden Jacob Zuma resigned on orders from the ruling African National Congress.

The road back to prosperity and self-respect under Ramaphosa, 65, who became ANC head in December, will be long and hard in a nation still polarised by race and inequality more than two decades after the end of white-minority rule.

Still, Zuma's departure late on Wednesday provided evidence of the strength of South Africa's democratic institutions, from the courts to the media and the constitution.

Ramaphosa, in brief remarks to parliament ahead of his first state of the nation address expected on Friday, said he would work hard "not to disappoint the people of South Africa".

"The issues that you have raised, issues that have to do with corruption, issues of how we can straighten out our state-owned enterprises and how we deal with state capture (influence-peddling) are issues that are on our radar screen," he said.

Ramaphosa was elected unopposed as Zuma's permanent successor by parliament, and confirmed in the post by South African Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, who had earlier read out the former president's resignation letter.

Ramaphosa was expected to be sworn in later on Thursday, and to make any changes to the cabinet after his address on Friday.

The rand, which has gained ground whenever Zuma ran into political turbulence, soared to a near three-year high against the dollar on word of his resignation.

South Africa's main stock market index jumped nearly 4 percent and headed for its biggest one-day gain in more than two years as investors hailed Zuma's exit after nine years in office rife with allegations of sleaze and mismanagement.

Ratings agency Moody's said it was closely monitoring developments in South Africa, focusing on the policy implications of Zuma's political demise.

The S&P Global agency said South Africa's sovereign credit ratings and outlook will not be immediately affected by the change of the country's leadership.

Ramaphosa, who will be president until elections next year, faces an uphill battle to earn back public and investor support.

But his stated commitment to boosting growth and stamping out graft has gone down well with foreign investors and ANC members who felt Zuma's handling of the economy could seriously damage the party in the 2019 election.

Africa's most developed economy needs faster economic growth if it is to reduce high unemployment - currently at 27 percent - and alleviate persistent, widespread poverty that aggravates inequality and stokes instability.

The economy, Africa's most advanced, remains largely under the control of whites who held power under apartheid.

The 75-year-old Zuma said in a 30-minute farewell address to the nation he disagreed with the way the ANC had thrust him towards an early exit after Ramaphosa replaced him as party president, but would accept its orders.

"Zuma did the right thing to resign. Yes, let's see what Ramaphosa is having for us, thank you," said Hlengiwe Mswazi, an office worker in the capital Pretoria.

Tshepo Kgobane, also in Pretoria, said: "So it is a good thing that he resigned. We must have a party, a big party, we must throw a party because he resigned. We wanted to see that."

Zuma bowed out hours after police raided the luxury home of the Gupta family, the Indian-born billionaire allies of the former president who have been at the centre of corruption accusations against Zuma and his circle for years.

Zuma and the Guptas have always denied wrongdoing.

"GOING, GOING, GONE"

"Defiant in defeat" and "Going, Going, Gone" were among the newspaper headlines that captured Zuma's unwillingness to leave.

"South Africa's long nightmare is over," read the headline from online political news website Daily Maverick.

Julius Malema, leader of the far-left Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), led his party in a mass walkout from parliament on Thursday, saying it would not take part in the election of a new president so as not to legitimise an ANC candidate.

The EFF, which has six percent of the seats in parliament, had sponsored a no-confidence motion in Zuma that would have gone ahead on Thursday had Zuma not jumped.

The foundation set up to guard the legacy of the late anti-apartheid icon and first black South African president Nelson Mandela said Zuma's departure brought to an end "a painful era for the country".

"One chapter in South Africa's political soap opera has finally ended with the resignation last night of President Jacob Zuma," NKC African Economics analysts wrote in a note.

"It would be gratifying to see the dedication and purpose the ANC put into ridding itself of Zuma now be directed into rebuilding the economy, dealing with the corruption still residing in the ANC and improving its shoddy governance record."

South African police said officers had arrested eight people so far in its investigations into high-echelon influence-peddling revolving around the Gupta family.

Chief prosecutor Shaun Abrahams declared Ajay Gupta, one of the three Gupta brothers, a "fugitive from justice" after he failed to hand himself in. Abrahams provided no further details.

State broadcaster SABC said a Gupta family member was among those detained, while a senior judicial source said police were expected to arrest up to seven more people and that Gupta family members would be among them.

Police said the raid on the Gupta estate was in connection with a state-funded dairy farm, which prosecutors last month called a "scheme designed to defraud and steal". </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.
Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa effective immediately, following an ultimatum issued the day prior by African National Congress that ordered Zuma to step down as head of state or face a vote of no confidence by the South African Parliament to remove him from power within 48 hours of the declaration. Cyril Ramaphosa takes over as Acting President.