Opening of South African parliament postponed

South Africa's parliamentary speaker on Tuesday announced that the official opening of parliament by the country's scandal-plagued President Jacob Zuma will be postponed.

Baleka Mbete made the announcement of the unprecedented move less than 48 hours before Zuma was set to address both houses of parliament.

"Developments this year, particularly the calls for disruptions and or postponement of the joint sitting have therefore caused us great concern," she said, speaking to reporters. "We have regrettably come to the conclusion that there is little likelihood of an uneventful joint sitting of parliament this coming Thursday."

It is the first time that the State of the Nation address has been postponed since the establishment of a multiparty democracy that brought an end to white minority rule in 1994.

It was not immediately clear when it would take place or whether Zuma would in fact be the person to deliver the State of the Nation Address.

It is understood that opposition parties had approached Mbete earlier in the day to raise their concerns.

"With this in mind we decided to approach the President of the Republic [Zuma] to propose that we postpone the joint sitting in order to create room for establishing a much more conducive political atmosphere," she said.

Opposition parties welcomed the postponement of the State of the Nation Address.

The announcement follows a decision by African National Congress (ANC) party Monday evening that its highest decision-making body – the National Executive Committee (NEC) – would hold a meeting on Wednesday to determine Zuma's future.

ANC's National Working Committee met on Monday to discuss the future of the 75-year-old leader as head of state after overnight talks with the scandal-plagued Zuma failed to secure his departure. The NWC then called a meeting of the NEC for Wednesday.

Zuma, in power since 2009, has faced growing pressure to resign as president since he was replaced as leader of the ANC in December by Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa's deputy president. Zuma's presidency has been dogged by corruption scandals and economic decline.

Huge crowds comprising both Zuma supporters and opposition groups gathered outside the ANC headquarters in Johannesburg on Monday amid heavy police presence.

TRT World's Philip Owira reports. 

Videos posted on social media showed minor scuffles.

Local broadcaster Eye Witness News reported via Twitter that a supporter of the opposition Black Land First party was beaten and chased.

Zuma has been deserted by prominent allies since Ramaphosa became the leader of the only party to govern South Africa since the end of white minority rule in 1994. 

The NWC does not have the capacity to dismiss Zuma but the NEC does.

Monday night’s statement said: “Following extensive deliberation the National Working Committee resolved to convene a meeting of the National Executive Committee, which is the highest decision-making body of the ANC between [party] conferences.

Amongst issues to be tabled to the special NEC meeting will be preparations for the State of the Nation Address and a report back from the National Working Committee on matters mandated to it, including management of the transition between the fifth and sixth administration of government and pending actions in parliament.”

Ramaphosa, 65, is in a strong position to become the next president and has been lobbying for Zuma's removal.

Opposition parties and some in the ANC want Zuma to go before his state of the nation address to parliament, scheduled for Thursday.

Asked on Monday about the ongoing talks surrounding Zuma, ANC spokeswoman Khusela Diko said: "There is no crisis within the ANC, we are used to robust discussions."

Zuma has not said in public whether he will step down voluntarily. But he faces a new confidence-vote in parliament against his leadership on February 22 filed by the opposition far-left Economic Freedom Fighters party (EFF).

The EFF has asked speaker of parliament Baleka Mbete to allow a secret ballot for the no-confidence vote, a decision which would increase the chances of Zuma losing the vote.

Unlike in August when Zuma survived a no-confidence vote, a significant portion of the ANC now wants him gone. If he loses the vote, his entire cabinet would have to step down.