South Africa's Zuma will quit power if conditions are met

The ANC's secretary-general did not confirm whether Zuma had agreed to resign. But according to sources other ANC leaders said a deal was struck that would see Zuma "go in a dignified way"

Earlier on Tuesday the ANC said it has postponed until the weekend of February 17 a meeting of its National Executive Committee initially scheduled for this week to discuss President Jacob Zuma's future.
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Earlier on Tuesday the ANC said it has postponed until the weekend of February 17 a meeting of its National Executive Committee initially scheduled for this week to discuss President Jacob Zuma's future.

South Africa's Times Live online news service cited sources on Tuesday as saying President Jacob Zuma will resign as soon as a list of preconditions has been finalised in a deal struck with deputy president and African National Congress leader Cyril Ramaphosa.

The ANC's secretary-general, Ace Magashule, who attended a meeting between the two, would not confirm whether Zuma had agreed to resign.

But other ANC leaders said a deal was struck that would see Zuma "go in a dignified way", Times Live said.

TRT World's Ben Said reports.

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ANC postpones meeting

Earlier today, the ANC said it has postponed until the weekend of February 17 a meeting of its National Executive Committee initially scheduled for this week to discuss President Jacob Zuma's future.

The ANC had called a special meeting of its decision-making executive committee to be held on Wednesday in Cape Town, heralding what could be a new bid to unseat a president beset by corruption allegations and economic decline.

Zuma has been in a weakened position since he was replaced as leader of the ANC by Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa in December. Zuma no longer holds a top position in the party.

The ANC had called a special meeting of its decision-making executive committee, which has the power to demand that Zuma step down. 

Analysts have said some members of the party allied to Ramaphosa could call for Zuma to resign.

The party has faced uncertainty over how its "two centres of power" will function, after Ramaphosa took the reins of the party, while Zuma remains as head of state. Zuma's tenure officially runs until mid-2019.

"Constructive discussions"

Party secretary-general Ace Magashule said the executive committee meeting had been postponed to enable Zuma and Ramaphosa to keep holding "constructive discussions" over the transition, but he did not elaborate.

Zuma waved to reporters after meeting Ramaphosa at the president's office in Cape Town, where the president also chaired routine meetings, his spokesman said.

In a statement, the presidency denied claims by the South African Communist Party, a key ally of the ruling party, that Zuma was preparing to fire Ramaphosa as deputy president and replace him with ex-wife, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.

The ANC had earlier said its leaders were weighing the future of South Africa's Jacob Zuma will decide a "matter of serious concern" on Wednesday.

No-confidence vote

Facing a no-confidence motion in parliament set for February 22, Zuma has survived several attempts to oust him in the past. 

But this time around a significant part of the ANC wants him to step down well before his second term ends mid next year.

"A vote of no-confidence is not desirable, under any circumstances," ANC Deputy Secretary-General Jessie Duarte told a news conference that senior party officials said.

"Our most important consideration is that we don't believe South Africa should wish for us to embarrass the president of the republic, in any way whatsoever," she said.

The speaker of parliament, Baleka Mbete, postponed Zuma's speech due on Thursday. She said she met Zuma, who had already been writing to parliament to ask for his address to be put off.

"A new date for the state of the nation address will be announced very soon," Mbete said.

The opposition parties had demanded that the speech be postponed until Zuma was removed from the leadership.

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