Mr Abrahams said he believed there were “reasonable prospects of a successful prosecution”.

The charges – which Mr Zuma denies – include counts of fraud, racketeering and money laundering.

Mr Zuma, 75, was forced to resign as president last month by his party, the ruling African National Congress (ANC).

He was facing his ninth no-confidence vote in parliament before he left office.

The charges relate to a 30bn rand ($2.5bn; £1.7bn) government arms deal in the late 1990s, before he became president.

French arms supplier Thales will also face charges, a prosecutor said. Thales declined to comment, reports the AFP news agency.

Mr Zuma is alleged to have sought bribes from Thales to support an extravagant lifestyle. His financial adviser at the time was found guilty of soliciting those bribes in 2005 and Mr Zuma was later sacked as deputy president.

He now faces one charge of racketeering, two charges of corruption, one charge of money laundering and 12 of fraud.

Shaun Abrahams, head of the National Prosecuting Authority, said a trial court was the appropriate place for the matter to be decided.

He dismissed representations made by Mr Zuma asking that the charges be dropped.

The former ANC chief had argued that the charges against him were characterised by misconduct, “irrational behaviour” and media leaks on the part of prosecutors, Mr. Abrahams said.

Mr. Zuma has always denied the allegations against him.

Long court battle awaits

Analysis by Milton Nkosi, BBC News, Johannesburg

As Jacob Zuma is no longer president, he cannot use state resources to support his defence.

But let’s not get too ahead of ourselves – Mr Zuma is known for fighting every single battle right until the end.

Therefore, expect some pushback even after this heavy blow.

He is, by law, allowed to challenge this decision. In other words we might see a delay before any trial actually starts.

And even when the trial begins, it will be long and drawn out.

But for now his political enemies, particularly the opposition, are celebrating that he is closer to facing a judge in court than ever before.
Mr Zuma weathered an array of corruption allegations during his nine years in power.

In 2016, a report by South Africa’s anti-corruption watchdog alleged that the billionaire Gupta family had exploited their ties with him to win state contracts.

Both the Guptas and Mr Zuma deny any wrongdoing.

The same year, South Africa’s highest court ruled that Mr Zuma had violated the constitution when he failed to repay government money spent on his private home.

An anti-corruption body found he had spent $23m (£15m) on refurbishments including a swimming pool and an amphitheatre. He has since repaid some of the money.

The controversial arms deal

In 1999, the South African government announced its largest-ever post-apartheid arms deal, signing contracts totalling 30bn rand ($5bn; £2.5bn) to modernise its national defence force

The deal involved companies from Germany, Italy, Sweden, the UK, France and South Africa

Allegations of bribery over the deal dogged the governments of both President Jacob Zuma and and one of his predecessors, Thabo Mbeki.

Schabir Shaik was found guilty in 2005 of trying to solicit a bribe from Thint, the local subsidiary of French arms firm Thales, on behalf of Mr Zuma. He was released on parole on health grounds after serving just over two years

Another official, Tony Yengeni, who was chairman of parliament’s defence committee at the time of the deal and chief whip of the ANC, was convicted of fraud in 2003. He was also freed on parole after serving five months of a four-year sentence.

–
By: BBC

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His recommended institutions are ones that have the capacity to deal with both the privileged and the under-privileged in order to get rid of all cankers we are struggling with.

Publicly forcing Jacob Zuma to resign as the President of South Africa is definitely not the right way of hunting out corruption effectively. This approach, I believe is rather encouraging others to aspire to be more corrupt since they will always have the option of resigning and going scot-free regardless of the financial losses they may have caused the state.

Elsewhere, people resign from their positions on the dictates of their conscience and subsequently apologize for wrongdoing. Notwithstanding their apologies, they are held before the law if they are found guilty of any of those. From his speech, it is clear that Zuma never resigned because of the heap of allegations against him. Rather, for the sake of peace in South Africa.

It is tempting to assume that kicking Zuma out of the presidency is worth it and South Africans must be okay. Yes, politically it is important for the ANC because getting him out will help clean the slate to enable them win the 2019 elections. For me, the longer-term damage of presidents resigning from office with impunity is in my view very much incalculable.

No good comes of Zuma’s resignation if there are no laws to deal with him as a private citizen now that he is out of office. Since there is no deterrent to prevent other presidents from following Zuma’s catastrophic example, knowing well that at the end he has gotten everything he wanted including the title, “His Excellency, Former President ………”

Cracking down on corruption without any clear intention to hold a resigned Zuma and subsequent presidents who misconduct themselves accountable could suggest that once elected president, one is immune from the law, despite the South African Constitution’s provision that “all are equal before the law”.

It is time African countries made laws that can bite hard at presidents who rape the coffers of their states and misconduct themselves. These laws must be accompanied by institutions that will implement them effectively and yield good results for the interest of the public.

I agree that presidents and their deputies must be accorded some privileges, but those privileges must not be inclusive of corruption. If they are involved in bribery and corruption, the option must not be the public forcing them to resign. Rather, they must be made to pay the monies they may have stolen to the nation with calculated interests.

This will certainly serve as a deterrent to others who aspire to occupy the seat of the presidency.

The euphoria among many on the heels of Zuma’s resignation is totally okay. But it is unfortunate to only rejoice over the present without raising our heads up to look at what is ahead. In countries like Brazil and the Republic of Korea, there are laws and effective institutions that hand down criminal inquiries and even prison sentences to deserving presidents and prime ministers who engage in bribery and corruption, abuse of power, coercion and disclosures of confidential information.

In South Korea for instance, aside the immediate past president who has been made to face the laws after her impeachment, two other former leaders, Chun Doo-hwan and his successor, Roh Tae-woo, were charged in the mid-1990s after they left office and it had been legally established that they improperly collected millions of dollars from businesses during their tenures.

Going forward, the South African public and the entire African populace must not only be loud in calling for presidents to resign but must also be insistent on the enactment of laws and the establishment of strong institutions that will deal with the likes of Zuma who are suspected of misconducts.

As a people, we Africans must learn lessons from countries like Brazil, South Korea and others that have systems in place to deal with top-hierarchies that engage in corrupt practices. Until then, the Zuma exit comes with no important lessons to other corrupt leaders in Africa.

–

By: Ebenezer Azamati/citifmonline.com/Ghana
The Author is a student of International Politics at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.

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Mr. Zuma at a press conference on Thursday night, said his resignation takes immediate effect.

The 75-year-old has recently come under serious criticism by his party, the African National Congress (ANC).

His decision comes as a surprise to many as he had declared a few hours to that press conference in an SABC interview, that he will not yield to pressure to resign if he is not furnished with reasons for the resignation calls.

“I indicated to the top six [of the ANC] that what they have raised is not the first time. They have raised it in the NEC itself twice and nobody has ever been able to tell me what the issue is. The NEC themselves said that I must resign‚ and I find that very strange that I should do so because this is not the first time that they’ve said this‚” Zuma told the SABC’s Mzwandile Mbeje.

“It’s not a new matter. I need to be furnished with what is it that I have done and unfortunately nobody has been able to tell me what is it that I’ve done. There are processes in the ANC that need to be followed if I have been doing something wrong‚” he said.

But addressing the news conference later, Jacob Zuma said although he does not agree with the decision of the party, he will resign as a disciplined member.

“I resign as president of the republic with immediate effect….even though I disagree with the decision of the leadership of my organisation … I have always been a disciplined member of the organisation,” Zuma said.

“I’ve served the people of South Africa to the best of my ability. I am forever grateful that they trusted me with their highest office in the land, but when I accepted the deployment, I understood and undertook to subject myself to the supreme law of the land, the Constitution,” he said.

Jacob Zuma’s 9-year term as president has seen him survive seven votes of no confidence following various allegations of corruption and consequently, suggestions by some leaders of his party that his conducts were negatively affecting the party’s image could spell doom for it in subsequent elections.

But in his address, Zuma stressed that “I fear no motion of no confidence or impeachment. They are the lawful mechanisms for the people of this beautiful country to remove their president.”

Concluding his address, Zuma promised to continue to serve the country and the ANC.

“As I leave, I will continue to serve the people of South Africa as well as the ANC,” he said.

The ANC parliamentary caucus had agreed to support a motion for a vote of no confidence against Zuma on Thursday, after he initially refused to resign – despite being recalled by the ANC’s national executive committee on Tuesday.

–

By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The decision to “recall” him “urgently” followed marathon talks of the ANC’s top leadership body.

Mr Zuma, 75, agreed to step down, but only in the next three to six months, the official added.

Mr Zuma, who has been in power since 2009, has been dogged by corruption allegations.

But he has resisted increasing pressure to quit since December, when Cyril Ramaphosa replaced him as leader of the ANC.

Ace Magashule, the ANC’s secretary-general, told reporters the ANC’s National Executive Committee (NEC) decided the removal should be “treated with urgency”.

“It is obvious we want Comrade Ramaphosa to come in as the president of South Africa,” he added.

Despite Mr Magashule telling reporters “the decision is now final”, he revealed Mr Zuma told him that he “did not believe the NEC has the right” to make such a ruling.

He said the president was expected to respond to the NEC’s decision on Wednesday, although they had given him no deadline.

What has Mr Zuma done wrong?

Mr Zuma’s presidency has been overshadowed by allegations of corruption which he has always vehemently denied.

In 2016, South Africa’s highest court ruled that Mr Zuma had violated the constitution when he failed to repay government money spent on his private home.

Last year the Supreme Court of Appeal ruled that he must face 18 counts of corruption, fraud, racketeering and money-laundering relating to a 1999 arms deal.

More recently, Mr Zuma’s links to the wealthy India-born Gupta family, who are alleged to have influenced the government, have caused his popularity to plummet.

Both Mr Zuma and the Guptas deny the allegations.

How likely is Mr Zuma to quit?

Correspondents say it will be very difficult for him to resist a formal request to resign but he would not be legally obliged to do so and could technically carry on as president despite losing the faith of his party.

However, he would then be expected to face a confidence vote in parliament. This has been scheduled for 22 February, but it could be held earlier.

Mr Zuma has survived other such votes but he is not expected to pull it off again. A confidence vote would be considered a humiliating process for him and the party.

South African media are calling President Zuma’s seemingly inevitable exit “Zexit”.

His predecessor, Thabo Mbeki, resigned in 2008, also after a power struggle with his deputy.

The deputy in question was Jacob Zuma, who took over the presidency the following year.

Why is this happening now?

The ANC was badly rattled by its performance at the 2016 local elections when it won its lowest share of the vote since coming to power under the late Nelson Mandela in 1994.

It wants to project a fresh image for next year’s general election. Having served two terms in office (South African presidents are elected by parliament), Mr Zuma cannot legally return to power in any case.

On Monday, opposition parties called for an early election.

“Anyone from the ANC that wants to lead this country, must get their mandate from the people of South Africa,” Democratic Alliance leader Mmusi Maimane told reporters.

–

Source: BBC

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The National Executive Committee (NEC) is likely to ask him to step down, says BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding.

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged on Sunday that the issue was causing “disunity and discord”.

Mr Zuma, 75, faces a number of corruption charges after nine years in power.

There are 112 members of the NEC, and many may want to share their views during the meeting in Pretoria – meaning it they may not finish until late on Monday.

“We know you want closure,” Mr Ramaphosa said on Sunday, addressing supporters who had gathered to mark 100 years since the birth of the country’s first black president, Nelson Mandela.

He told the crowd in Cape Town that “our people want this matter to be finalised” and that the African National Congress (ANC) would comply.

He acknowledged the ANC was going through “a period of difficulty, disunity and discord”, and said he was seeking “a new beginning”.

He pledged to tackle the corruption that has marred Mr Zuma’s time in office.

Mr Ramaphosa urged South Africans to restore the values that Mr Mandela – also known as Madiba – stood for, and said those who had stolen state assets would be brought to justice.

“We must work together as Madiba taught us to push back the frontiers of poverty, unemployment and inequality,” he said.

An NEC meeting was called off last week following direct talks between Mr Zuma and Mr Ramaphosa, who is the deputy president as well as the new leader of the party.

Mr Zuma has resisted increasing pressure to quit since December when Mr Ramaphosa replaced him as leader of the ANC.

Mr Zuma’s presidency has been overshadowed by allegations of corruption.

Media captionThe Zuma presidency: Scandals and successes

In recent years his links to the wealthy India-born Gupta family, who are alleged to have influenced the government, have caused his popularity to plummet.

Both Mr Zuma and the Guptas deny the allegations.

It is worth noting that Mr Zuma has not actually been found guilty of any of the accusations against him.

The allegations that there is a corrupt relationship between Mr Zuma and the Gupta family are just that, allegations. And 18 corruption charges, stemming from a 1990s arms deal, were dropped before he became president and have not been reinstated.

On top of this, Mr Zuma is still very popular, particularly in rural areas and his home region of KwaZulu-Natal.

Mr Ramaphosa may want to make sure Mr Zuma’s supporters do not feel he has been treated badly – especially as an election is coming up next year.

Correspondents say that if the NEC agreed to recall Mr Zuma, it would be very difficult for him to resist.

But he is not legally obliged to step down if they ask him to.

If he so wishes, Mr Zuma could carry on as president of South Africa even if the NEC asked him to step down.

However, he would then be expected to face a confidence vote in parliament. The date for this has already been set – 22 February.

Mr Zuma has survived other such votes, but he would not be expected to pull it off again. A confidence vote would be considered a humiliating process for him and the party.

South African media is calling President Zuma’s seemingly inevitable exit “Zexit”.

South Africa’s previous president, Thabo Mbeki, resigned in 2008. He also had a power struggle with his deputy.

The deputy in question was Jacob Zuma, who took over the presidency the following year.

–

Source: BBC

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In a statement, the ANC said that the meeting was called to discuss the “management of the transition” between the Zuma and Ramaphosa administrations.

On Monday, senior politicians held an emergency meeting in Johannesburg to discuss Mr Zuma’s future.

The president has resisted calls to quit over corruption allegations.

Mr Zuma, 75, was replaced as party leader in December, and his deputy and successor, Cyril Ramaphosa, 65, would step into the presidency if he were recalled by the ANC.

An ANC spokeswoman told Reuters news agency that the removal of President Zuma was not on the agenda at Monday’s meeting.

The president, in power since 2009, is due to make a state of the nation address on Thursday, and some in the party want Mr Zuma to leave office ahead of that speech.

On Wednesday the ANC’s National Executive Committee will meet.

If the committee agrees to recall Mr Zuma, the BBC’s Andrew Harding says, it would be very hard for him to resist.

He might even face a no-confidence motion in parliament the next day, our correspondent adds.

Mr Zuma, who spent time in prison for his part in the fight against apartheid, met the ANC’s top six on Sunday. They are said to have failed to convince him to stand aside.

Julius Malema, an opposition leader and former ANC member, said on Twitter that Mr Zuma had refused to go early.

Other unconfirmed reports from Sunday’s meeting say that Mr Zuma asked for protection from prosecution for himself and his family.

–

Source: BBC

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The main candidates are the current deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, and former cabinet minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, President Zuma’s ex-wife.

Whoever wins is likely to succeed Mr Zuma as South African president.

But their bitter leadership battle has raised fears that the ANC could split before national elections in 2019.

President Zuma can remain head of state until those elections. He has been in office since 2009 and South Africa limits the presidency to two five-year terms.

As delegates gathered for the four-day conference in Johannesburg, Mr Zuma, who faces multiple corruption allegations, has urged the party to unite behind the eventual winner.

The leadership contest is expected to be a close one, with legal challenges a possibility.

President Zuma is backing his 68-year-old former wife, Ms Dlamini-Zuma, a veteran politician in her own right who has been critical of the enduring power of white-owned businesses.

Mr Ramaphosa, 65, has spoken out strongly against state corruption and has the backing of the business community.

Recent news that he had a modest lead in the polls was quickly reflected by a rise in the financial markets.

President Zuma, 75, has been the focus of much controversy and he has survived several votes of no confidence in parliament.

He faces numerous corruption allegations but denies any wrongdoing.

More than 5,000 delegates are taking part in the four-day ANC elective conference at the Expo Centre in Johannesburg.

The first major engagement for the new leader will be the ANC anniversary celebrations on 8 January.

The ANC has governed South Africa since the first democratic election more than 20 years ago.

–

Source: BBC

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177 MPs voted to oust President Zuma, with 198 voting to keep him in power. Nine MPs absented themselves from the vote.

This news was greeted with cheers and singing by ANC MPs. The opposition had hoped ANC MPs might vote against their leader if the ballot was secret.

In order for the no-confidence motion to pass, at least 50 out of the ANC’s 249 MPs would have had to vote against the president.

However, the result does mean at least 26 ANC MPs rebelled, while another nine MPs abstained from voting.

Reports indicate that 40 ANC MPs turned against President Zuma in the vote.

Earlier, opposition MP Andries Tlouamma, deputy president of the Agang party, warned that if Mr Zuma survived then South Africa was “on a highway to hell”.

South Africa’s police minister Fikile Mbalula denounced members of the governing ANC who voted for President Zuma’s removal as “suicide bombers”. “Why do you want to compromise the revolution?” he said.

Mr Mbalula was addressing ANC supporters at a rally outside parliament after the vote.

–

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana with files from the BBC

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The African National Congress (ANC) said the allegations questioned the credibility of the government and such matters could not be allowed to fester.

Mr Zuma recently survived calls for his resignation by some senior ANC members.

The allegations have been dismissed as a fabrication by Mr Zuma’s lawyers.

The Gupta family of businessmen has said the leaks were “politically inspired”.

Mr Zuma has become increasing unpopular in recent years amid accusations of corruption and not doing enough to tackle poverty.

There have been mass protests calling for him to step down.

One of the revelations in the emails, known as GuptaLeaks, is that President Zuma was hoping to take up residency in the United Arab Emirates. A claim that was denied.

Others appear to show that the Gupta family exerts undue influence over the government.

Mr Zuma is due to step down as ANC president in December and his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa are vying to replace him.

His term as national president expires in 2019.

–

Source: BBC

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The reports suggest deepening ties between President Zuma and the controversial Gupta business family.

But the president’s spokesman has dismissed them as an utter fabrication.

Pressure on Mr Zuma has been mounting in recent months because of corruption scandals, cabinet sackings and his handling of the economy.

Senior members of Mr Zuma’s governing ANC tabled a motion of no confidence against him on Sunday at a closed-door meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee.

But the chairman of the meeting blocked the move because it was not on the official agenda, state-owned broadcaster SABC said.

It is the second time in six months that party rebels have mounted such a challenge and they are thought likely to try again.

Under pressure

The BBC’s Karen Allen in Johannesburg says the ANC now looks like it’s in permanent fire fighting mode.

Emails between President Zuma’s son Duduzane and figures from a company owned by the controversial Gupta family – who reportedly wield considerable influence over Mr Zuma – include a letter to the Abu Dhabi royal family, our correspondent says.

“I am happy to inform you that my family has decided to make the UAE a second home,” the president is quoted as saying. “It will be a great honour for me and my family to gain your patronage during our proposed residency in the UAE.”

This opens up questions as to whether this is part of an exit strategy, with Mr Zuma’s party appearing to be turning against him, our correspondent adds.

Meanwhile Zuma loyalists will continue their efforts to block any no confidence motion on technical grounds.

A motion submitted by opposition parties is being pushed through parliament and is now being examined by the constitutional court.

The president’s successor is expected to be selected at a major conference of the ANC’s top brass in December.

Until then the party looks set to limp from crisis to crisis, our correspondent says.

Mr Zuma’s allies say he will remain in office until his term ends in 2019, but evidence of his unpopularity seems to be growing. He was forced to abandon a May Day rally this year after he was booed by workers demanding his resignation.

His ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa are vying to succeed him.

–

Source: BBC

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