South Africa has renewed its mandate in favour of President Jacob Zuma. Yet another no-confidence vote has been defeated, and rightly has it been remarked somewhat cynically that Tuesday’s victory ~ in the face of a welter of corruption charges ~ was the eighth of his nine lives. The successor of Nelson Mandela has proven his ability to survive despite the odds that would have jolted any other regime to its foundations. A striking feature of the latest election must be that dozens of African National Council (ANC) ministers had rebelled against his misrule that has served to erode the credibility of South Africa in the perspective of the comity of nations. But the numbers ranged against him within the ruling party were not enough to unseat him. A tragic comedown for a nation that had once famously fought for the rights of man and the prejudice that was embedded in the colour of the skin. And yet Zuma’s withers remain unwrung. He has overcome criminal investigations and allegations of corruption, even the warning by the country’s ombudsman that the business interests, that he has wooed with irregular contracts, might resort to what they call “state capture”. Instead of attempting to defend his record, Zuma’s loyalists simply attacked his opponents, describing the parliamentary vote ~ tabled by the opposition Democratic Alliance ~ as an “insurrectionist” attempt at regime change and even a “coup d’etat”. Despite the groundswell of opinion against Zuma, a victory for the Opposition seems improbable quite yet. In the event, ANC may yet soldier on till December, when the party is scheduled to choose another leader, or at any rate till 2019 when the incumbent completes his second and final term as President. His removal would have required the party to agree on a new President within 30 days, despite the bitter divisions, or head

He has overcome criminal investigations and allegations of corruption, even the warning by the country’s ombudsman that the business interests, that he has wooed with irregular contracts, might resort to what they call “state capture”. Instead of attempting to defend his record, Zuma’s loyalists simply attacked his opponents, describing the parliamentary vote ~ tabled by the opposition Democratic Alliance ~ as an “insurrectionist” attempt at regime change and even a “coup d’etat”. Despite the groundswell of opinion against Zuma, a victory for the Opposition seems improbable quite yet. In the event, ANC may yet soldier on till December, when the party is scheduled to choose another leader, or at any rate till 2019 when the incumbent completes his second and final term as President. His removal would have required the party to agree on a new President within 30 days, despite the bitter divisions, or head for the polls with the party in disarray. Others hoped to boost their prospects in the succession, or feared that going against him might tarnish their prospects if the ballot did not remain secret. Many have benefited from the patronage networks that Zuma has put in place. But the anger and shame over Zuma’s misrule are said to run deep within the ANC and its support base. The antiapartheid segment has been increasingly vehement in its denunciation of the President. It is politically critical that they have now been joined by trade unionists and church leaders, and have urged MPs to help rescue the party. Whoever takes over will succeed to a depleted inheritance, not least answer for the failures of the outgoing regime. Since his election as President in 2009, Zuma has wrought considerable damage to his country. Close to a quarter century after the eclipse of

Others hoped to boost their prospects in the succession, or feared that going against him might tarnish their prospects if the ballot did not remain secret. Many have benefited from the patronage networks that Zuma has put in place. But the anger and shame over Zuma’s misrule are said to run deep within the ANC and its support base. The antiapartheid segment has been increasingly vehement in its denunciation of the President. It is politically critical that they have now been joined by trade unionists and church leaders, and have urged MPs to help rescue the party. Whoever takes over will succeed to a depleted inheritance, not least answer for the failures of the outgoing regime. Since his election as President in 2009, Zuma has wrought considerable damage to his country. Close to a quarter century after the eclipse of

Whoever takes over will succeed to a depleted inheritance, not least answer for the failures of the outgoing regime. Since his election as President in 2009, Zuma has wrought considerable damage to his country. Close to a quarter century after the eclipse of white rule (1994), South Africa cries out for a competent and clean leadership. Jacob Zuma has failed the country and its people.