This week-end the SA president affectionately known as JZ 783 due to the 783 corruption charges against him was ambushed by members of his own National Executive Committee and Cabinet Ministers.
A motion of no confidence was tabled this week-end by Derek Hanekom, Minister of Tourism
He has a long history with the ruling ANC party.
I'm not to involved in politics but always take note when Derek Hanekom's name comes up since I was there, on his farm, on the day he was arrested for High Treason. We were there to deliver our milk as we did every day... the place was swarming with special forces and my father had to end up purchasing his entire Dairy Herd so that there would be someone to milk the cows that evening... since he and his wife were arrested on the same day.
Here is a bit about it from Wikipedia...
Hanekom was arrested in 1976, regarded the start of his political career.
The then-23-year-old Hanekom was arrested for participating in peaceful candlelight demonstration at John Vorster Square, the Police Headquarters in Johannesburg. Four years later, in 1980, Hanekom and Patricia joined the liberation party the ANC, conducting underground activity while continuing to farm on a smallholding in Magaliesburg. Patricia and Hanekom fed information to the mother body ANC such as the apartheid defence force's attempts to overthrow the Mozambican government through the rebel movement, Renamo.
Both were then arrested - Hanekom's second - in 1983. They were initially charged with High Treason, the worst offence against the State, but the charge was subsequently reduced because of the international sensitivity of the case.
After spending three years in prison, Hanekom went on to work with the trade union movement in Johannesburg. Patricia was released a year later, in 1987 but was subsequently deported to Zimbabwe, where the couple went into exile for three years. During this period, Hanekom served as the co-ordinator of the Popular History Trust in capital city Harare.
The deliberations are ongoing and the country is holding its breath awaiting the outcome...
you can read the background and details of today's actions here....
If this fails its likely that the next step will be a motion of no confidence in parliament... one of many but this one would now likely succeed.