S. African MPs begin debating rules for impeaching president

CAPE TOWN, Jan. 10 (Xinhua) -- A South African Parliament subcommittee met on Wednesday to deliberate rules to regulate the removal of a sitting president, amid rumors that President Jacob Zuma might resign.

This relates to Section 89 of the Constitution, which deals with the removal of the president on the grounds of a serious violation of the Constitution or the law, serious misconduct, or inability to perform the functions of office, said Richard Mdakane, Chairperson of the rules review subcommittee.

The deliberation was conducted in line with the December ruling by the Constitutional Court, which ordered the National Assembly to make impeachment rules without delay to initiate impeachment against Zuma.

The court said the National Assembly had failed to set proper rules for holding Zuma accountable for his alleged involvement in the Nkandla scandal, in which Zuma was accused of abusing public funding worth 246 million rand (about 20 million U.S. dollars) in security upgrades at his private home in Nkandla.

Mdakane said although the Constitution provides for the removal of a sitting president, it does not set out the procedures of how that should be done.

Mdakane disclosed that the common thread in the Wednesday meeting was for the term "serious offence" in the Constitution to be defined.

The subcommittee resolved for a proposal to be drafted on the possible way forward on the mechanism for impeachment, he said.

The options include a panel of judges to deliberate on the removal, a body comprising of legal experts and MPs, and a Committee of Parliament constituted in a similar fashion like the rules review subcommittee, according to Mdakane.

The subcommittee expects to have a draft rules ready in two weeks and aims to conclude with the final document by the middle of next month, Mdakane said.

The latest development adds to growing pressure on Zuma to resign.

Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, who was elected President of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), reportedly was negotiating Zuma's resignation as head of state.

Newly elected ANC Secretary General Ace Magashule confirmed that the Ramaphosa-Zuma talks were underway.

The two men "are actually meeting and engaging," Magashule told reporters, without disclosing the details.

The meeting was believed to be part of the process of persuading Zuma to resign "gracefully." Enditem