Johannesburg - The national executive of
South Africa's ruling ANC will
discuss at a meeting this week whether President Jacob Zuma
should step down as head of state, two senior ANC sources told
Reuters.
There has been widespread speculation that the new leader of
the ANC, Cyril Ramaphosa, and his allies are lobbying ANC
members to oust Zuma as president in the coming weeks.
Zuma's presidency, tainted by corruption accusations which
he denies, has tarnished the image of Africa's oldest liberation
movement and seen the economy slow to a near-standstill.
Any sign that Zuma could step down early has tended to lift
South African assets, including the rand currency.
Ramaphosa, who won a closely fought election to succeed Zuma
as ANC leader last month, said in an interview broadcast on
Sunday that the issue of Zuma's future would be dealt with "as
time goes on".
READ MORE: Behind-the-scenes scramble to decide on Zuma's fate
Zuma's second presidential term ends in 2019 but he could be
removed early through a motion of no confidence in parliament or
following a meeting of the ANC's national executive committee
(NEC).
The ANC's NEC has a meeting that starts on Thursday.
"Reference will be made to it," one of two sources said,
when asked whether the NEC would discuss Zuma's removal at its
meeting. The second NEC source confirmed Ramaphosa supporters
intended for the meeting to address Zuma's possible exit.
It was not clear whether the NEC meeting would result in the
ANC formally calling for Zuma to step down.
Zuma's future as president was not discussed at an NEC
meeting last week, according to ANC Secretary General Ace
Magashule.
Zuma, who orchestrated the removal of former president Thabo
Mbeki in 2008 after succeeding Mbeki as ANC leader, has survived
several no confidence motions in parliament and is still
supported by a faction within the ANC.