SOUTH AFRICAN President Jacob Zuma has stepped down as President of South Africa with immediate effect.
Zuma thanked everyone who helped put South Africa where it is today. Jacob Zuma, South Africa’s embattled and controversial president, has announced his resignation in a televised address to the nation.
“I have to come to decision to resign with immediate effect,” he said on Wednesday in Pretoria.
Zuma’s resignation followed weeks of intense public pressure to step down amid longstanding corruption allegations.
The ruling African National Congress (ANC) formally asked Zuma, 75, to resign on Tuesday. He initially refused, saying he did not understand why he was being told to step down.
The party later announced plans to hold a no-confidence vote against him on Thursday in parliament.
Zuma, who served as the country’s president since 2009, joined the ANC in 1958.
He is considered one of the party stalwarts, having served for 10 years on the Robben Island prison alongside freedom fighter Nelson Mandela and living in exile before returning to South Africa in 1990.
Despite being known for being an astute political operator, Zuma’s presidency was characterised by scandal and corruption allegations, making him the most controversial president since the end of apartheid.
To be updated…
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