Special Edition - Zuma's post-vote aftermath

[Daily Maverick] AFTERNOON THING with JOHN STUPART Wednesday, 9 August 2017 “The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority.” Stanley Milgram PICTURE OF THE DAY BY Chronicle/Leila Dougan Following the results of the secret ballot in Parliament on Tuesday EFF members insist that the opposition is putting pressure on the ANC. STORY OF THE DAY [TRAINSPOTTER: Secret ballot outcome — does Zuma dream of electoral sheep?]( By RICHARD POPLAK This was the eighth no confidence motion tabled against President Jacob Zuma, and the only one by secret ballot. There was talk of something called a “conscience”. And the man in the High Castle stood by, waiting, getting weaker with every vote cast. Enjoy this complimentary Phillip K. Dick pic from the other side of political reality. [Motion of No Confidence: Teflon Zuma survives but vote closer than expected]( The constitutional motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday was defeated with 198 votes against, 177 for and nine abstentions. Despite the opposition parties’ confidence they had the support of enough ANC MPs to meet the threshold of 201 yes’es, it was not to be even if the margins narrowed from a similar vote in November 2016. On Tuesday the ANC pulled a rabbit out of the hat draped in the rhetoric of regime change and coups d’etat, arguing opposition MPs were targeting not the president, but the ANC and its 11-million voters. By MARIANNE MERTEN [Motion of No Confidence: The ANC wins the battle but what about the electoral war of 2019?]( The ANC on Tuesday evening celebrated the defeat of the constitutional motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma despite the narrowing margin of 198 against, 177 for, and nine abstentions, in a secret ballot. But in clinching this victory in the political battles, both inside and outside the governing party, has the ANC lost the war as the 2019 election looms? By MARIANNE MERTEN. [Analysis: Even as he wins his 8th no confidence vote, Zuma appears weak]( On Tuesday afternoon President Jacob Zuma survived his 8th vote of no confidence in Parliament. Despite the massed forces of the opposition to his rule, both outside and inside the ANC, he is still the President of the Republic of South Africa. On the face of it, he has reason to swagger. There was a secret ballot, and he survived. But beneath that, the story is much more complicated. The group of ANC MPs, who owe their political allegiance, their salaries and their careers to the African National Congress, rebelled against party discipline. In some ways, Tuesday’s vote looks like just the start of a much more turbulent phase in our politics. By STEPHEN GROOTES. [No Confidence Aftermath: All sides claim victory]( Immediately after the #zumavote in the National Assembly, politicians and analysts had their sound bites at the ready for the inevitable bombardment from journalists on the precinct – even before their own number-crunching analysts had tallied up the implications of the vote. By JANET HEARD. [Motion of No Confidence: A tale of two marches]( Tuesday was a long day for the supporters of political parties who descended on central Cape Town in their thousands to follow Parliament’s motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma. Bar a few minor incidents, the violence many had feared might erupt between opposing parties failed to transpire. In the end, the EFF’s Julius Malema said it best: “Whether you liked or hated the vote’s outcome, peaceful democracy won the day.” By REBECCA DAVIS. [Whenever Zuma goes – a warning from Brazil]( Brazil. Mexico. Argentina. Italy. Each has had a moment of “renewal” or “reform”. An old regime, corrupt or decaying, forced or fallen from power. The reformers turned to serious adults in serious rooms, to pass serious policies. None delivered on the promise of renewal. Their popularity plummeted, and crisis resumed. That is what awaits us, whatever happens this week, or in December, or in 2019. The only way out is to turn away from conventional wisdom, and back to the Freedom Charter and its first demand: The people shall govern. By LUKE JORDAN FEATURED ARTICLES [Motion of No Confidence: EFF brings Pretoria to a standstill, schooling in Soweto disrupted ahead of vote]( [Motion of No Confidence: EFF brings Pretoria to a standstill, schooling in Soweto disrupted ahead of vote]( BY ORATENG LEPODISE & BHEKI C. SIMELANE [A complex historical and geopolitical burden: Welcome to Afghanistan, Donald J]( [A complex historical and geopolitical burden: Welcome to Afghanistan, Donald J]( BY J Brooks Spector [Kenyan Elections: The dark underbelly to a noisy democracy]( [Kenyan Elections: The dark underbelly to a noisy democracy]( BY Carien du Plessis OPINIONISTAS [Whenever Zuma goes – a warning from Brazil]( [Whenever Zuma goes – a warning from Brazil]( A column by Luke Jordan [#MduduziManana: Shocking, yes. Surprising? Not so much]( [#MduduziManana: Shocking, yes. Surprising? Not so much]( A column by Siya Khumalo [Reflections on a patriarchal society and the broad tent of non-accountability]( [Reflections on a patriarchal society and the broad tent of non-accountability]( A column by Andrew Ihsaan Gasnolar [What happens if the vote of no confidence succeeds?]( [What happens if the vote of no confidence succeeds?]( A column by Pierre de Vos [The party funding conundrum]( [The party funding conundrum]( A column by Ivo Vegter [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( Copyright © 2017 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](