South Africa’s Zuma will face renewed ouster push

Significance

After Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa succeeded President Jacob Zuma as party leader, focus within the ANC has turned to what to do with the corruption-tainted Zuma amid renewed internal calls for his resignation as national president. The Constitutional Court recently ruled that parliament failed to hold Zuma to account and must now amend its rules to allow for impeachment proceedings against a sitting president.

Impacts

• Members of the ANC’s top leadership previously aligned to Zuma may turn against him to show their newfound loyalty to Ramaphosa.
• A reinstatement of corruption-tainted executives at state-owned power utility Eskom raises the risks of further rating agency downgrades.
• The judiciary will likely come under growing political pressure from populist ANC leaders as Zuma faces further legal challenges.