Zuma, Jacob Gedleyihlekisa

Zuma, Jacob Gedleyihlekisa,

Zuma served as deputy president of South Africa (1999–2005), but was dismissed by President Thabo MbekiMbeki, Thabo Mvuyelwa
, 1942–, South African political leader. Mbeki was born into a politically active family; his father, Govan Mbeki, an official with the African National Congress (ANC), was imprisoned (1964) at Robben Island along with Nelson Mandela, released (1987),
..... Click the link for more information.  when he was implicated in a corruption case. He subsequently was charged with rape (and acquitted) and graft (the case was dismissed for technical reasons). With the support of left-leaning trade unions and poorer black South Africans, Zuma defeated Mbeki for the chairmanship of the ANC in 2007.

In 2007 prosecutors again indicted him on corruption charges. The charges were set aside in 2008 for procedural reasons, but that decision was overturned on appeal in 2009; later in 2009 the government dropped the charges, saying that the second indictment had been politically motivated. In May, 2009, he was elected president of South Africa, succeeding Kgalema MotlantheMotlanthe, Kgalema Petrus
, 1949–, South African politician, b. Johannesburg. A fierce opponent of apartheid, he was influenced by Steve Biko and organized student protests and joined the militant wing of the African National Congress (ANC).
..... Click the link for more information. . In Nov., 2009, the regional Southern African Development Community named Zuma as mediator between the parties in the unity government in Zimbabwe. Zuma was reelected ANC leader in 2012, defeating a challenge from Motlanthe, and was reelected to the South African presidency in May, 2014.

In Mar., 2014, an anticorruption investigation into opulent government-financed improvements to his private residence resulted in a report that ordered Zuma to repay the government for those improvements that were not part of a security upgrade. When Zuma did not, the constitutional court ruled (2016) that he had violated the constitution and ordered that he make a repayment. That and other scandals as well as increased unemployment led to calls for Zuma to resign, but he survived an impeachment attempt and a challenge to his leadership of the ANC (2016) and a secret-ballot no-confidence vote in parliament (2017). In 2017 the supreme court of appeals upheld a 2016 court ruling that he should be tried on the corruption charges that were dropped in 2009 (the charges were formally reinstated in 2018), and the constitutional court ruled that the 2016 impeachment charges had not been properly investigated. Zuma was succeeded as ANC leader by Cyril RamaphosaRamaphosa, Cyril
(Matamela Cyril Ramaphosa), 1952–, South African political leader, b. Johannesburg. A lawyer, he became involved in the antiapartheid Black Consciousness Movement while a university student and was detained (1974, 1976) for his political activities.
..... Click the link for more information.  in 2017, and subsequently resigned (2018) as South African president under pressure from the ANC; Ramaphosa again succeeded him.