South Africa: Taking Action

SOUTH AFRICA

Taking Action

South Africa’s parliament will review its rules related to removing the president following a Dec. 29 ruling by the constitutional court that lawmakers had failed to hold President Jacob Zuma to account for a scandal relating to state-funded upgrades to his home.

The court gave parliament six months to put in place a mechanism for removing a president. A parliamentary subcommittee will meet this week to draft changes to that effect, which will then be debated in the house, Reuters quoted a statement by the National Assembly as saying.

Zuma, 75, has survived numerous no-confidence votes, mostly related to corruption allegations. He denies any wrongdoing.

The recent ruling relates to a 2016 decision, in which the court ordered Zuma to pay back some of the $15 million in state funds spent on “security upgrades” to his country home, which included a cattle pen, a chicken run and a swimming pool.