Roundup: ANC gives full support to Zuma as parliament debates impeachment motion

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) has given full support to President Jacob Zuma who is battling to keep his post amid growing calls for him to resign over the Nkdanla saga.

This emerged from the ANC's National Working Committee meeting, which ended in Cape Town Monday.

The meeting accepted Zuma's apology over the Nkandla saga, saying that while Zuma is liable to pay back some of the money spent on his homestead, he has not broken his oath of office.

The meeting, attended by almost all the members of the ANC's National Executive Committee, approved a report compiled by the ANC's national officials (which include Zuma) after its own meeting last Friday, one day after the Constitutional Court ruled against Zuma in the Nkandla scandal.

"The report of the national officials was endorsed. At this point, what we need to do (next) is explain ourselves to the people," ANC Secretary-General Gwede Mantashe said after the meeting.

In its ruling on Thursday, the Constitutional Court found that Zuma flouted Constitution by ignoring Public Protector Thuli Madonsela's "remedial recommendations" that he repay part of the money laverished on security upgrades at his private home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal Province.

In a report released in March 2014, Madonsela claims that Zuma's family unduly benefited from the Nkandla project, in which public funds worth 246 million rand (about 16.4 million US dollars) were abused in upgrading security at Zuma's private home.

Madonsela requests that Zuma repay a portion of the money for unnecessary items unrelated with security, a demand rejected by Zuma then.

But after the court ruling, Zuma on Friday pledged to repay the reasonable amount of money and apologized for the "frustration and confusion" caused by the Nkandla saga.

The ANC's Monday meeting came one day before Parliament debates a motion of impeachment against Zuma.

The opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) filed the motion soon after the Constitution Court handed out the ruling on the Nkandla saga.

As pressure is mounting on Zuma to step down, analysts say he is likely to continue as president because he enjoys much support within the ANC.

Analysts say it is only Parliament that has the power to remove Zuma. However, they say the ANC will use their majority in Parliament to protect Zuma and make sure he remains in office.

For the impeachment motion to succeed, it requires a two-thirds majority. This will be out of the reach of the opposition. Enditem