The Econom­ic Freedo­m Fighte­rs and other small opposi­tion partie­s had taken the issue to the Consti­tution­al CourtJOHANNESBURG: South Africa’s Constitutional Court ruled on Friday that parliament had failed to hold President Jacob Zuma to account over a scandal related to state-funded upgrades to his home, and must launch proceedings that could remove him from office. The ruling is the latest judicial setback for the scandal-plagued Zuma, who has faced widespread public demands to step down as president of Africa’s most industrialised economy before a general election in 2019. “Properly interpreted, Section 89 implicitly imposes an obligation on the assembly to make rules specially tailored for the removal of the president from office. The ultra-left Economic Freedom Fighters and other small opposition parties had taken the issue to the Constitutional Court. South Africa’s rand was marginally firmer on the last trading day of the year.

Source: The Express Tribune December 29, 2017 10:18 UTC