Opposition parties in South Africa marched to the Constitutional Court on Monday where the top court heard arguments seeking to have a motion of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma taken by secret ballot, as pressure mounts on him to resign after a controversial cabinet reshuffle.
Around 1,000 protesters from different opposition parties converged on the Constitutional Court building in Johannesburg, some waving signs demanding that Zuma should be removed.
The Economic Freedom Fighters leader, Julius Malema, who addressed the large crowd, said the judges must not be intimidated by criminals.
“We are saying to the judges don’t be intimidated by criminals. The masses are on your side because you are on the side of the people and when you are on the side of the people, you’ll never go wrong,” Malema said.
Zuma and the ruling African National Congress (ANC) have suffered a string of judicial setbacks and the political stakes are high in this case as opposition parties believe the motion will have better prospects of toppling the president, who has survived previous such votes, if it is conducted in secret.
Parliament’s Speaker, Baleka Mbete, a top ANC official, has said the rules do not allow for the secret ballot and the ANC Chief Whip’s office has rejected calls for one.
