S Africa's Zuma defeats impeachment vote
South African President Jacob Zuma has defeated an impeachment motion following a parliament debate over his alleged violation of the country’s constitution.
This came after lawmakers from Zuma's ruling African National Congress (ANC) party, which controls almost two-thirds of the parliament, rallied to his defense, defeating the motion by 233 votes to 143.
Zuma did not attend the Tuesday proceedings.
Mmusi Maimane, the leader of the main opposition party Democratic Alliance (DA), had earlier appealed to the lawmakers at the stormy session to vote against president Zuma.
Maimane also accused the ruling ANC party of indulging in corrupt practices.
"When ANC MPs defend President Zuma and his corrupt acts, they will show that they are complicit in the spread of the disease," Maimane said, noting, "Corruption has infected the entire party like a cancer."
The main opposition party introduced the motion immediately after the Constitutional Court last Thursday ruled that that Zuma had failed to uphold the constitution by ignoring official orders that he repay some of the USD 16 million in state funds spent on renovating his private home home in Nkandla, in southeastern South Africa.
The restoration project which reportedly cost a total of USD 24 million of public money in 2014 included a swimming pool, chicken run, cattle enclosure and an amphitheater.
In a recent televised address, the 73-year-old president had said he "never knowingly and deliberately set out to violate the constitution" and that "any action that has been found not to be in keeping with the constitution happened because of a different approach and different legal advice.”
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