South African Parliament will today debate an impeachment motion against President Jacob Zuma after a top court ruled that he had violated the constitution.
The country’s constitutional court on Thursday ruled that President Zuma had failed to uphold the constitution by ignoring orders from the public protector that he pays back some of the $16 million in state funds spent on renovations of his private home in Nkandla.
The ruling has elicited strong calls from the opposition for the president to step down.
The ruling party ANC leadership however expressed their support for the president amid the scandal, after holding a meeting to deliberate on the party’s way forward following the court ruling.
The scandal is arguably Zuma’s biggest yet since taking office, having fended off accusations of being influenced in ministerial appointments, corruption and even rape.
On Friday, the 73-year-old president gave a televised address to the nation in which he apologised and said he would pay back some of the money, as ordered. He said that he never knowingly or deliberately set out to violate the constitution.
