JOHANNESBURG – A political analyst says President Jacob Zuma’s cabinet ministers will be affected should he lose his next motion of no confidence.

The President will be facing his ninth motion later this month if he does not step down as President of the country. 

On Tuesday, the State of the Nation Address (SONA) was postponed, and on Wednesday, the ANC NEC is meeting about Zuma’s fate. 

President Zuma leaves Tuynhuis. He waves and then ends a hard day at the office @eNCA #ZumaRecall pic.twitter.com/pzLZkdTatb

— Annika Larsen (@AnnikaLarsen1) February 6, 2018

READ: Zuma resignation: it’s a waiting game

Sources within the ANC have indicated that Zuma is expected to resign no later than Thursday morning, failing which, the governing party will institute its own motion of no confidence in him in Parliament.

There is already a vote of no confidence, spear-headed by the EFF, set to take place in Parliament in February.

According to Lukhona Mnguni, should Zuma face such a vote, especially one brought by his own party, it does not bode well for his cabinet. 

“Partly why some in the ANC even those aligned to the president do not want that motion of no confidence to arrive and they want the president to go quietly (is because) they know a motion of no confidence means all members of Cabinet, including their deputy ministers, must resign,” says Mnguni. 

“Once you have everyone in cabinet resigning you have a new clean slate for this Ramaphosa aligned leadership to appoint a whole new cabinet. That could have many more casualties of those people seen as supporting or have been supporting President Zuma. So self-preservation is already starting to kick in somehow here.”

ANC veteran, Frank Chikane says the SONA postponement gives the ANC a window to consider what’s best for the country.

He says President Jacob Zuma’s exit is exactly what the nation needs. 

READ: ANC NEC to discuss with Zuma what’s best for the country: Mantashe

Communications Minister, Mmamoloko Kubayi-Ngubane says government’s work will continue despite the postponement of the SONA.

Police Minister and NEC member, Fikile Mbalula says Wednesday’s special NEC meeting won’t be swayed by opposition parties.

“I’m not concerned about what the opposition does. It’s doing its job and claiming its victories. It is the ANC that must make decisions based on the challenges it faces and how it views the country, where we want to go. I’m looking forward to the meeting and am happy to be part of the people who will be dealing with this issues we are confronted with that are part of our agenda tomorrow. I’ve got no fear that we will overcome and the movement will emerge victorious in relation to these challenges that we are faced with,” said Mbalula. 

A poll by research firm, Ipsos has found that 70 percent of South Africans of voting age, believe President Jacob Zuma is under-performing.

Ipsos interviewed nearly 3,500 citizens from varying backgrounds.

READ: Zuma’s final attempt to save himself

It found that 53-percent think Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa is doing well.

Only 24 percent felt the same about Zuma.

Ipsos says opposition party sentiment didn’t skew the result, as 60-percent of ANC supporters also feel the country’s president is under-performing.

A former ANC MP says the party will lose next year’s national election, if President Jacob Zuma refuses to step down.
 

Ben Turok of the Institute for African Alternatives says: “I have a sense of what’s going on in the ANC and my sense is that there is a turning away from support for Zuma and a time to clear the decks. Reality is quite clear, if Zuma leads the ANC to 2019 it will lose the national election. Everybody knows that, it’s really so clear now. Having lost three metros how much more evidence do you need in order to decide where to go and what to say?”

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