South African MPs are voting in secret on Tuesday on a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma.<br /><br />The opposition hopes anonymity will embolden some members of the governing ANC to vote against a leader whom critics accuse of corruption and mismanaging the economy. <br /><br />However governing ANC MPs met on Tuesday and resolved to support Zuma later in the day.<br /><br />Zuma, who also attended the meeting, was described as being calm and jovial by the party’s chief whip Jackson Mthembu. <br /><br />South African MPs to cast secret ballots in Zuma no-confidence vote https://t.co/IZ7FHaixvA #zumavote pic.twitter.com/i9qEeC1Lus— AFP news agency (@AFP) 8 août 2017<br /><br />There is no shortage of protesters however, calling for him to go.<br /><br />Hours before the vote, anti-Zuma demonstrators blocked roads with burning tyres and rocks across Gauteng province, where the commercial hub Johannesburg and capital Pretoria are located.<br /><br />Some posters featured a cartoon of Zuma in a dustbin.<br /><br />Zuma, who has held power since 2009, has survived several previous no confidence votes but they weren’t held in secret.<br /><br />On Monday, however, the speaker of parliament Baleka Mbete took the surprise decision to allow the anonymous ballot.<br /><br />S. Africa’s parliament speaker upholds secret no-confidence vote against Zuma https://t.co/HMDNCQvh2g— africanews (@africanews) 7 août 2017<br /><br />The ANC has a big parliamentary majority and it would take 50 of its MPs to back the opposition to remove Zuma and his cabinet.<br /><br />Zuma’s tenure as South Africa’s president is due to run until 2019, when national elections will be held.<br /><br />The ANC — once all-powerful as heir of South Africa’s anti-apartheid struggle — has lost popularity under Zuma, underscored by its worst electoral showing in over two decades of power in local elections last year. <br /><br />Thousands of people took part in protest marches in April calling for him to step down.<br /><br />with Reuters<br />
