By Anturi Tofa
CAPE TOWN
Parliament was in uproar on Tuesday as a no-confidence motion tabled by the opposition against President Jacob Zuma was tabled, debated and eventually defeated.
"In the six years that President Zuma has presided over our country, the dream of President Nelson Mandela has been all but destroyed, and the integrity of the Office of the President decimated," Mmusi Maimane, the parliamentary leader of the Democratic Alliance (DA), told parliament.
"We cannot in good conscience allow the needs of millions of South Africans to be superseded by the agenda of one man," he said.
The opposition lawmakers accused Zuma of "doing everything possible to evade 783 counts of fraud, corruption, and racketeering."
He accused the president of stealing "the people’s money to build his R 246 million home, while millions of South Africans go to bed hungry every night."
Last year, the country's anti-corruption czar Thuli Madonsela blamed Zuma for using public funds to renovate his country residence.
The upgrade of Zuma's rural home was supposed to have cost the state some $2.5 million. But with lavish upgrades – including a swimming pool, cattle kraal and visitor's center – total costs skyrocketed to $23 million.
Zuma has denied any involvement in the procurement and construction phases of the renovation and has adamantly refused to pay back the money.
Minister in the Presidency Jeff Radebe came to the defence of Zuma, who was not at parliament.
"Let us recognise this motion of no-confidence in the president for what it is, a desperate attempt by a party that has nothing to offer its country and the few areas that it governs," he told MPs.
Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu also criticized the opposition.
"The ratings on Twitter shows that Maimane is a desperate man... you are clutching for relevance," she said. "The DA has an axe to grind with Zuma."
Zuma's ruling African National Congress, which has governed South Africa since the end of apartheid, has 249 out of the 400 seats in parliament.
The DA, the country's main opposition party, has 89 seats.
After an electronic fault was fixed in the voting system, the results showed 221 opposed the no-confidence motion, 113 supported it and 8 abstained.
Last month, the Agang SA party put forward a vote of no-confidence in Zuma, but withdrew it at the last minute.
