S.Africa's Zuma to meet with ANC 'integrity commission'

Nov 26, 2016

Zuma has deep support within the African National Congress and its lawmakers, but has faced growing criticism from some senior party activists as well as anti-apartheid veterans and trade unions.

South African President Jacob Zuma will meet with the ruling ANC party's "integrity commission" next week, party officials said, after a year of political scandals and poor local election results.

Zuma has deep support within the African National Congress and its lawmakers, but has faced growing criticism from some senior party activists as well as anti-apartheid veterans and trade unions.

"The Integrity Commission will meet with the President... on the 3rd of December to discuss the health & state of ANC," the party said on its Twitter feed.

It stressed that Zuma was not "appearing" in front of the panel.

The commission was formed in 2013 to protect the ANC's image from misconduct allegations.

"That the president is going to be meeting the committee, addressing their concerns is quite significant," political analyst Somadoda Fikeni told AFP.

A corruption report by the country's top watchdog recently raised accusations over Zuma's relationship with the Guptas, a business family accused of wielding undue political influence.

South Africa's highest court this year found the president guilty of violating the constitution after he refused to repay taxpayers' money used to refurbish his private rural house.

He is also fighting a court order that could reinstate almost 800 corruption charges against him over a multi-billion dollar arms deal in the 1990s.

Zuma's term in office ends in 2019, but the ANC is due to elect a new party leader at the end of next year and could then decide to replace him as head of state.

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