S. Africa's Zuma says effort to oust him 'very unfair'

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South African President Jacob Zuma said ongoing efforts to unseat him by the ruling ANC party were unfair, adding that he had been given no reason by the party why he should resign.

"It was very unfair to me that this issue is raised," he said in an unannounced TV interview. "Nobody has ever provided the reasons. Nobody is saying what I have done."

"I am not refusing to resign, I said I will resign in June," he added.

South Africa's ruling African National Congress (ANC) will support a motion of no-confidence brought by an opposition party against President Jacob Zuma on Thursday if he does not resign, the ANC's treasurer-general Paul Mashatile said on Wednesday.

The party's chief whip Jackson Mthembu added that the ANC hoped to elect party leader Cyril Ramaphosa as president of the country on Thursday, after the no-confidence vote, or on Friday.

"We have now asked the chief whip to proceed with the motion of no confidence tomorrow in parliament... so that President Zuma is then removed," ANC treasurer-general Paul Mashatile told reporters Wednesday.

He said parliament, where the ANC has a large majority, would then "proceed to elect [Cyril] Ramaphosa as president of the republic."

Zuma was expected to respond later on Wednesday to the ANC's order for him to resign. "For us, as the ANC leadership, we can no longer wait beyond today," Mashatile said. "We don't want to keep South Africa waiting. If President Zuma at some point will respond he will respond, but we can't continue waiting. The decision has been taken and must be implemented."

South African police earlier on Wednesday raided the Johannesburg home of the business family accused of overseeing government corruption under President Jacob Zuma, who has been ordered to resign by his party.

The power struggle over Zuma's departure has put him at loggerheads with deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, his expected successor, who is the new head of the ANC.

Source(s): Reuters