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Cape Town - Civil rights body the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse has said that President Jacob Zuma should take his cue from the "graceful exit of Thabo Mbeki in 2008" rather than clinging to power.
OUTA was commenting on the fate of the SA president on Tuesday afternoon in the wake of an ANC media briefing where the party's secretary general Ace Magashule had confirmed that Zuma would be recalled.
Mbeki, Zuma's predecessor, stepped down in 2008 after being similarly recalled by the party's national executive committee.
While Magashule said that Zuma would be ordered to resign, he has not been given a deadline to step down.
“We are a country in limbo due to Zuma’s continued selfish behaviour. Personal gain has always been his motive and, once again, his conduct is no exception. He has defied everybody to date, including his party, Parliament and the courts,” said OUTA's CEO Wayne Duvenage.
He said the organisation would "oppose any deal that allows Zuma to escape accountability for his involvement in criminal activities", but did not provide further information on how it would do this.
“The era of Jacob Zuma’s presidency will be known as a period of personal enrichment, excessive political appointments and interference in the economy that was never in the best interests of the country, giving rise to shameless corruption, gross maladministration and incompetence,” he said.
Duvenage said OUTA hoped the ANC would also get rid of a number of Cabinet ministers associated with Zuma, including Mineral Resources Minister Mosebenzi Zwane, Finance Minister Malusi Gigaba and Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown.
Earlier Business Leadership South Africa also welcomed Magashule's comments, and urged the ANC’s new leadership to act swiftly, but constitutionally, in removing their "deployee" from the high office.
Political analyst Daniel Silke, meanwhile, said the "official recall has virtually eliminated all escape options for Jacob Zuma".
"He can fight the recall via the National Assembly process, but the eventual result will be the same. He will do himself less damage by acceding to the NEC's request."
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