ANC chiefs to meet to ‘finalise’ Zuma exit

“We have arrived at a moment in the history of our country where we can relive that moment when Nelson Mandela was released… we have a new mood right across the country, we can capture that mood and move forward,” said Ramaphosa.

He was speaking to mark the 28th anniversary of the speech Mandela gave in the same location after being released from prison.

It is understood that a key sticking point in the negotiations is the potentially ruinous legal fees Zuma is facing from prolonged court battles against multiple criminal cases.

He is also reportedly seeking legal protection for his family and other associates who have been involved in controversial deals.

“Even if the ANC meeting on Monday decides Zuma needs to step down, he can still refuse because they have no legal authority,” Mcebisi Ndletyana, politics professor at the University of Johannesburg, told AFP.

“He is not willing to step down voluntarily. They need to close this thing early this week.”

Opposition parties are calling for a parliamentary vote of no-confidence within days.

– Decision time? –

The ANC has insisted there will be no delay to the budget, which is due on February 21.

Zuma has not spoken publicly since being asked to resign by senior ANC officials on February 4.

In 2008, the party pushed out then-president Thabo Mbeki over allegations of abuse of power.

Under Zuma, the ANC won less than 54 percent of the vote in local elections in 2016.

That was its worst electoral performance since coming to power with Mandela at the helm in 1994.