Jacob Zuma resigns as President of South Africa: Timeline of his political carrier

New Delhi : Jacob Zuma has resigned as the President of South Africa with immediate effects. He gave his resignation via television speech. Here is timeline of his almost two decade long journey.

1997: Mr Zuma was elected as deputy president of the ANC at a national conference held in December.

1999: He became deputy President of South Africa.

2000: Jacob Zuma and Tony Yengeni - the chief whip of the ANC – face investigation under charges of misusing their powers. Tony was found guilty while case against Jacob was dropped after nothing substantial came against him.

2004: He faces corruption charges over a purchase by South Africa of some Valour-class patrol corvettes, a proposed waterfront development in Durban and lavish spending on Zuma’s residence in Nkandla.

2005: His financial advisor Schabir Shaik gets 15 years in jail after being found guilty in the corruption charges. Later in June, Zuma gets relieved from his duties as deputy President of South Africa bur remains Deputy President of the ANC. 

In December, he faced rape charges by a woman who had allegedly slept at his residence for a night.

2006: The rape trial begins against Jacob Zuma. He was acquitted of raping the HIV-positive family friend in May - although the fact he told the court he had showered in order to avoid catching HIV would continue to haunt him throughout his presidency.

2007: Zuma becomes President of ANC after a brutal campaign with his predecessor Thabo Mbeki. Zuma won by a large difference after rumours claiming that Mbeki tried to tarnish Jacob image to regain President post.

2008: Charges of corruption gets levelled against Zuma.

2009: The National Prosecuting Authority withdraws all 16 charges against Zuma in the Durban High Court. Zuma is inaugurated as President of the Republic of South Africa at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.

2010: Zuma files a R5 million suit against a cartoonist who shows Jacob preparing to rape a lady justice.

2012: He was re-elected as ANC leader at the ANC conference in Mangaung, defeating challenger Kgalema Motlanthe and remained president of South Africa after the 2014 general election.

2015:

March 3 - MOTION OF NO CONFIDENCE 1: A motion of no confidence in Zuma was proposed by Agang SA member of Parliament Molapi Plouamma. Plouamma asked the speaker of the National Assembly Baleka Mbete to recuse herself from presiding over the debate, but she refused and so the motion was withdrawn.

March 17 - MOTION OF NO CONFIDENCE 2: A motion of no confidence in President Zuma was brought by the leader of the Democratic Alliance Mmusi Maimane. The motion was defeated by 221-113.

2016:

March 1 - MOTION OF NO CONFIDENCE 3:  Zuma survived a motion of no confidence by another comfortable margin – 225 – 99.

He kept on surviving the Motion of no confidence till 2017.

2017: The Public Protector recommended that Zuma should appoint a judicial inquiry into allegations he profited from his relationship with the wealthy Gupta family - he denies the allegations, as have the Guptas

2018:  Zuma appoints a commission of inquiry into allegations of state capture and names Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo to head the inquiry.

Now, in February he has resigned from his post.