Jacob Zuma complains of ‘unfair’ efforts to force him out

Beleaguered South African President Jacob Zuma denounced efforts to oust him as “unfair” on Wednesday, as senior members of his party ramped up their chaotic efforts to end his corruption-tainted tenure.

In his first public remarks since leaders of the African National Congress demanded he step down, Zuma defiantly refused to go and complained the party was trying to rush him out.

The ANC is desperately trying to prevent a protracted crisis and has set a deadline for Zuma to resign on Wednesday. If he doesn’t, it will back an opposition no-confidence motion in parliament on Thursday. It wants party leader Cyril Ramaphosa sworn in on Friday and a State of the Nation address that evening.

Adding to the tumult, Zuma said he would make a further statement later on Wednesday. With few allies left, his resignation is still a possibility.

Key developments

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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‘I’m being victimized’

DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - JULY 05: President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, during at the 2014 Vodacom Durban July races at Greyville Racecourse on July 5, 2014 in Durban, South Africa. (Photo by Neville Hopwood/Getty Images)

Related article After years of scandal, is South Africa finally done with Jacob Zuma

In an interview with state broadcaster SABC, Zuma delivered a rambling monologue in which he denied any wrongdoing. “My problem is that nobody has provided to me, even in the discussions that we are talking about, what have I done. Because I have explained many times that this process, there’s nothing I’ve done wrong,” he said.

“This has been done in a manner that I felt, I’m being victimized here.”

Zuma faces hundreds of allegations of corruption, more than 780 of which relate to a 1990s arms deal alone. Zuma denies all the graft allegations against him. He also denied defying the ANC’s leadership: “I’ve not defied. I’ve disagreed with a decision taken. I disagree with it, I think it is baseless.”

In his comments, the President also criticized the ANC for rejecting his proposal to resign in a few months’ time, arguing they should allow him to lead the country to chair upcoming international events, such as the BRICS summit.

“What is this hurry, what are you rushing for?”

Zuma’s term was due to end next year.

Dawn raid on the Guptas

In what appeared to be a parallel effort to force Zuma’s resignation, police made three arrests after a dawn raid on the Indian-born Gupta brothers’ home in Johannesburg. Police did not say who they had arrested, but added that two others were expected to hand themselves in.

The three Gupta brothers are wealthy allies of Zuma and are accused of using their ties with the President for financial gain. They deny all the allegations against them.

Indian businessmen, Ajay Gupta, right, and younger brother Atul Gupta pictured in March 2011.

Zuma made no mention of the raids or the Guptas in his long remarks.

But the raids were a clear shot across Zuma’s bows – the Guptas have long been implicated in corruption cases linked to the President but until now have largely been untouchable. They were also a sign that Zuma is losing his grip on power to Ramaphosa, who is likely eager to show his willingness to pursue the corruption allegations that have dogged Zuma’s near-nine-year tenure.

Wednesday’s operation was linked to the Vrede Farm scandal, in which the three Guptas and government officials are accused of stealing money allocated to benefit poor black farmers. Zuma is implicated in the case, but he and the Guptas deny involvement.

ANC: ‘The ball is in Zuma’s court’

The raid on the Guptas’ home came a day after the ANC announced a “recall” of Zuma – in effect, a public demand that he step down. The recall does not legally require him quit, but it signaled that he had lost the support of the party’s top brass and means that surviving a no-confidence vote would be near impossible.

Zuma’s ability to survive the scandals in the past earned him the nickname “Teflon President.” He has emerged unscathed in a slew of no-confidence votes over the years despite the extraordinary number of corruption allegations against him, counting on the ANC’s dominance in parliament to shield him.

But with the 2019 general elections looming, the ANC has turned against Zuma and has said that the tumult over the President’s scandals was tarnishing the party’s name and bringing instability to the country. The party, once led by Nelson Mandela, has ruled South Africa since 1994, and led the country out of apartheid.

“We cant wait. It’s not fair to South Africans. It’s not fair to the ANC. It’s not fair to anybody,” ANC Treasury General Paul Mashatile told reporters Wednesday.

“The ball is in his court. We are moving ahead.”

For its part, the ANC has faltered over the years to force Zuma out and has desperately ramped up pressure against the leader in recent days to hammer the nail in his coffin. Some ANC leaders have said they expect Zuma to step down on Wednesday.

CNN’s David McKenzie and Brent Swails reported from Pretoria. James Masters and Angela Dewan wrote from London.