{"id":387245,"date":"2017-12-29T12:30:54","date_gmt":"2017-12-29T12:30:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/citifmonline.com\/?p=387245"},"modified":"2017-12-29T12:31:45","modified_gmt":"2017-12-29T12:31:45","slug":"south-african-court-delivers-zuma-impeachment-blow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citifmonline.com\/2017\/12\/south-african-court-delivers-zuma-impeachment-blow\/","title":{"rendered":"South African court delivers Zuma impeachment blow"},"content":{"rendered":"
South Africa’s top court has found that parliament failed to comply with its duties in holding President Jacob Zuma accountable over a public funding case.<\/p>\n
The ruling said parliament must now set out rules for impeachment proceedings, but it remains unclear whether this will lead to any impeachment.<\/p>\n
The court was hearing a case brought by opposition groups who wanted parliament to be compelled to begin impeachment.<\/p>\n
It relates to Mr Zuma’s use of state funds to upgrade his private home.<\/p>\n
Handing down the Constitutional Court ruling, Judge Chris Jafta said: “We conclude that the assembly did not hold the president to account.<\/p>\n
“The assembly must put in place a mechanism that could be used for the removal of the president from office.”<\/p>\n
But the court said it could not intervene on how parliament determined the mechanism and that it had no power to order an impeachment<\/p>\n
The court awarded costs against Mr Zuma and parliament.<\/p>\n