Jacob Zuma defies ANC demand to quit as South Africa’s President

South Africa was plunged into political turmoil on Tuesday when the country’s ruling African National Congress announced it had demanded the resignation of President Jacob Zuma – but that the 75-year-old veteran had refused to go.

The decision by the ANC, the party once led by Nelson Mandela, to announce the “recall” of Zuma was the culmination of a marathon meeting that stretched into the early hours of Tuesday morning.

Top ANC officials, including party leader Cyril Ramaphosa, tried to persuade Zuma to step down in the face of a corruption scandal that has sapped support for the party. But despite hours of talks, Zuma refused to budge.

ANC officials admitted they had no idea whether Zuma would bow to the their recall demand – which has no constitutional effect – or cling on to power and face a vote of no confidence in parliament organized by opposition parties.

It was obvious on Tuesday that Zuma was reluctant to go. ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule told a press conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday that Zuma had agreed to stand down – but only if he could oversee a transition period of three to six months. The ANC top brass rejected his offer.

“South Africa’s going through a period of uncertainty and anxiety as a result of the unresolved matter of transition,” Magashule said, adding that the decision to demand Zuma’s resignation was a difficult one “taken after exhaustive discussions.”

Former South African President Jacob Zuma appears in a courtroom in Durban, South Africa, in April 2018. He has pleaded not guilty to multiple charges of fraud, racketeering and corruption relating to an arms deal in the late 1990s.

In 1991, Zuma casts a vote for the ANC's new national executive. The ANC is the African National Congress, the political party that has led South Africa since the end of apartheid. For many years, the ANC and other opposition parties were banned in South Africa.

Zuma campaigns with ANC leader Nelson Mandela, left, during South Africa's first democratic elections in 1994. Mandela was elected President. Zuma became the ANC's national chairman later that year.

President Mandela is flanked by Zuma and Deputy President Thabo Mbeki, left, at the ANC's National Congress in 1997. At this conference, Mandela announced that he would be stepping down as president of the ANC and leaving it to Mbeki. Zuma would become the party's deputy president. After Mbeki was elected to be the country's President in 1999, Zuma was appointed as his deputy.

In 2005, a South African court found businessman Schabir Shaik guilty of bribing Zuma between 1995 and 2002. Zuma, seen here replying to a question in Parliament, was fired by President Mbaki over his alleged involvement in the bribery scandal.

Zuma leaves the Johannesburg High Court in February 2006. He had been charged with raping a young family friend; he claimed the sex was consensual. Zuma was acquitted a few months later.

Zuma is congratulated by his attorney after his acquittal in May 2006.

Zuma addresses supporters outside the court in Pietermaritzburg in September 2006. A South African judge on Wednesday threw out corruption charges against Zuma, boosting the popular politician's bid to succeed President Thabo Mbeki.

Zuma gives an interview the day after his acquittal. He apologized to the nation and launched a bid for the presidency.

Zuma, right, is congratulated by Mbeki after defeating him to become the new president of the ANC in December 2007.

From left, Zuma, Mandela and Mbeki arrive on stage for Mandela's 90th birthday celebration in August 2008.

Zuma sings and dances after a speech at a rally in February 2009. Zuma was elected as South Africa's President a couple of months later.

Zuma takes an oath during his inauguration in May 2009.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addresses journalists next to Zuma in August 2009. The two met in Durban, South Africa.

Zuma addresses the United Nations General Assembly in September 2009.

Zuma signs a blackboard in October 2009, pledging South Africa's support for a global campaign to ensure education for all the world's children.

Zuma sings and dances with his new wife, Thobeka Mabhija, at their wedding ceremony in January 2010. It was the fifth marriage for the polygamous Zuma.

Zuma inspects the troops at a ceremonial welcome in London in March 2010.

Zuma looks at a chess set with Britain's Queen Elizabeth II during his state visit in 2010. The chess set had been given to the Queen by Nelson Mandela in 1996.

Zuma and FIFA President Sepp Blatter address the crowd before the opening match of the 2010 World Cup. South Africa was the first African country to host the tournament.

Zuma, left, and Sky Sports commentator Chris Kamara play a charity soccer match in Cape Town, South Africa, in July 2010.

Zuma shakes hands with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner at a G20 Summit in Seoul, South Korea, in November 2010.

Zuma addresses dignitaries during the opening ceremony of an International Olympic Committee session in July 2011. The IOC was meeting to decide which city would host the 2018 Winter Games.

Zuma greets American civil-rights activist Jesse Jackson at a ceremony in Bloemfontein, South Africa, in January 2012.

Zuma toasts his 70th birthday in April 2012.

Zuma looks at Cyril Ramaphosa after Ramaphosa was elected deputy president of the ANC in December 2012. Zuma was re-elected as the party's president.

Zuma sings during a send-off ceremony for former President Nelson Mandela, who died in December 2013 at the age of 95.

Zuma unveils a giant statue of Mandela at the Union Buildings in Pretoria, South Africa, in December 2013.

Zuma and his wife Thobeka Mabhija, right, pose with then Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace, as they meet in Pretoria in April 2015.

US President Barack Obama jokes with Zuma during a New York luncheon hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in September 2015.

Zuma poses for a photo following a television interview in October 2015.

Zuma and Obama shake hands before a group photo at the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China, in September 2016. In November of that year, a report was published that contained corruption allegations against Zuma. Zuma denied any wrongdoing. He also avoided a vote of no-confidence in Parliament. It was the third time in less than a year that Zuma had faced such a vote.

Zuma talks on his cell phone during a G20 session in Hamburg, Germany, in July 2017. A month later, he survived an ouster attempt in his country's National Assembly. A motion of no-confidence was defeated by 198 votes to 177.

Zuma attends an African Union summit in January 2018. In 2017, South Africa's Constitutional Court ordered Zuma to repay millions of dollars in public funds spent on refurbishing his private homestead.

Zuma announces his resignation during a nationally televised address in February 2018. "No life should be lost in my name and also the ANC should never be divided in my name," he said. "I have therefore come to the decision to resign as President of the Republic with immediate effect." The ANC had been trying to push Zuma out for months. It dumped him as party president in December 2017, narrowly electing Cyril Ramaphosa over Zuma's preferred successor, his ex-wife and former cabinet minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Zuma sits in the dock at the High Court in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in November 2018. He was charged with 16 counts of corruption, money laundering and racketeering stemming from a billion-dollar government arms deal. He has denied all the allegations against him.

Zuma addresses hundreds of local residents in Shakaskraal, South Africa, in April 2019.

Zuma attends his trial in May 2019. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Zuma arrives to appear before the Commission of Inquiry into State Capture, which was probing wide-ranging allegations of corruption in government and state-owned companies, in July 2019.

Zuma bows toward the casket of the late Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe during a farewell ceremony in Harare, Zimbabwe, in September 2019.

Zuma arrives for his trial in May 2021.

Zuma addresses supporters at his home in Nkandla, South Africa, in July 2021. In June, South Africa's highest court found Zuma guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him to 15 months in prison. The order stemmed from Zuma's refusal to appear at an anti-corruption commission to answer questions about his alleged involvement in corruption during his time as president. Zuma likened his treatment to apartheid-era detention without trial.

Zuma appears virtually from the Estcourt correctional service facility in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in July 2021. He was seeking a further delay in his corruption trial.

In photos: Jacob Zuma's embattled political career

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Magashule said he had not given Zuma a deadline to respond to the recall demand, underlining the ANC’s weakness in the face of the 75-year-old party veteran’s ongoing determination to cling to power.

If he refuses to quit, the ANC will be forced into the ignominious choice of siding with the opposition in a vote of no confidence in parliament, or put forward a motion of its own. The president’s term of office lasts until next year, and only parliament can remove him before then.

A confidence vote is scheduled for February 22 but opposition politicians have launched a court action to force the vote to bring it forward to this week.

One of the opposition groups, the Democratic Alliance (DA), said Zuma could simply ignore the recall notice. “Unless he tenders his resignation, this recall is not worth the paper it is printed on,” the DA said in a statement.

It declared its support for the motion of no-confidence drawn up by another opposition group, the EFF.

Political headache for ANC

The political crisis is a headache for the ANC, which has been trying prise Zuma out for months. It dumped him as party leader in December, narrowly electing Ramaphosa, a millionaire former union leader, over Zuma’s preferred successor, his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

Despite a growing clamor from opposition parties and signs that the ANC is losing electoral support over the protracted drama, divisions within the ANC have forced Ramaphosa to tread cautiously. For years, the ANC has put party unity first, even as it became apparent that Zuma was an electoral liability.

South African President Jacob Zuma in London during a state visit on March 3, 2010.

Zuma has been mired in a slew of corruption scandals and survived opposition parties’ attempts to oust him. His ability to survive them earned him the nickname “Teflon President.”

Zuma faces more than 780 allegations of corruption relating to a 1990s arms deal. Zuma denies all the corruption allegations against him. More recently, he has been accused of using his friendship with three Indian businessman brothers, the Guptas, to cloud his judgment.

CNN’s Lindsay Isaac, Hilary McGann and Hilary Clarke contributed to this report.