And their decision to force him to vacate office he had asked them for reasons for his transgressions but in the end the pressure it appears has proven too great he avoids of course a motion of no confidence plan for parliament on thursday at which it is likely he would have been voted out of office hes avoided that by resigning tonight and we can talk to our correspondent for media miller whos in our bureau in johannesburg listening to all of that for me the it seems for an awfully long time didnt it that he wasnt going to to resign that he was going to submit himself to the rule of the constitution as the supreme law of the land but in the end those extraordinary words i have decided to resign with immediate effect. John i think given the tone of jacob zuma as address it for his ninety percent of the time anyone could be forgiven to think that the president or what is it now the former president was going to stay on we know is a fight and thats really the stance he has taken ultimately this was a reluctant resignation and mostly because he is facing that of vote of no confidence in parliament he said he doesnt feel that nor did he feel an impeachment but he really didnt have any choice the a. N. C. Had once his party had decided to no longer protect him and would no vote in parliament against him would not no longer have confidence in him as president would go to along the lines of what the opposition parties have been saying for for a few years now he really stood no chance he would be lost that sort of lost protection or that sort of last barrier between him and leaving office jacob zuma has been surrounded by so many scandals hes been criticized for the the difficulties a round of jacob zuma as president he started before he was even president of south africa a dream the time when he was Deputy President but now lets have a look at a jacob zuma time in office that is now in the evening. Hes path to the presidency began in one thousand nine hundred nine as deputy under the leadership of top one day q but personal differences and power struggles put a strain on their relationship in june two thousand and five president mbeki fired jacob zuma and south africas Deputy President over allegations of fraud related to a multibillion dollar arms deal four months later zoomers Financial Advisor should be a shaikh is convicted for corruption and fraud by December Zuma is charged with raping an h. I. V. Positive family friend but he was acquitted by april two thousand and six despite the scandals zuma remains popular and by december two thousand and seven he is elected president of the Ruling African National congress ten days later zuma is charged with fraud corruption Money Laundering and racketeering in two thousand and nine zuma is elected president just a month after grow up the charges are dropped in twenty thousand he announces a Major Overhaul to south africas hiv aids policy rolling out lifesaving antiretroviral drugs but his Government Faces criticism for poor Economic Performance growing unemployment Poor Service Delivery and corruption in the second term zuma faced one of his biggest scandals the twenty three Million Dollar refurbishment of his private residence with taxpayers money. And as Public Officials and opposition parties demanded that he pay back the money zuma refused when it is not being their money as directed by the Public Protector all i said to him about is that South Africans will remember all the bad cops more as my god we are not for the Bruce Campbell so i flew. Off various. Who did not know what to do with him if. By the end of twenty fifteen seumas accused of acting in the interest of his political and Business Associates is close an allegedly corrupt relationship with the captors a prominent and influential family is a source of discontent within his party and the public several questionable cabinet reshuffles and allegations of influence by the govt has further weakens Public Confidence in zuma still zuma resists calls from within and outside of his party to resign is the president willing to take accountability for the decision and resigned in front of the people of south africa. Twenty seventeen zuma returned to court to fight the reinstatement of decade old corruption charges throughout this time zuma faced several motions of no confidence in parliament by december of that year Deputy President of the a. N. C. Cyril ramaphosa replaced him as party leader no longer president of the ruling partys you must position of strength was weakened making way for a dramatic end for a leader who many say routinely courted controversy rather than inspiring confidence. From other lets talk about the constitution since jacob zuma did so much in that press conference before he announced his resignation what happens now in terms of the line of succession presumably run opposer becomes the president but how. Well thats exactly it jonah and this is actually the easiest route that they could have been a change in the presidency impeachment was far more complicated now that jacob zuma has resigned they will no longer be that vote of no confidence in parliament instead its viewed as a very can see and his deputy still run of course the who is the president of the African National congress will now step in we expect him to take an oath of office tomorrow it wont be as much of an elaborate affair as you know as potentially when elections are won and hes sworn in then but we African National congress the ruling party a government is very much now wanted to create an impression of business as usual theyve since their Main Objective is to get surreal from a post in once that happens they can continue with the Parliament Parliamentary calendar as it was supposed to happen this favorite once even office on friday the little remark was i will address all the africans as a new president in the state of the nation address you remember that was perspiring last week because of this to and fro around jacob zuma there was a lot of resistance to him addressing the nation in this annual state of the nation that outlines government policy for the coming year because he and his administration wouldnt be around to implement any of the policy that might have been outlined following that make spec to have the budget speech delivered and this as i said would be the most smooth route to take we do expect to run a pause or to make changes to the cabinet we do know a letter jacob zuma had deployed various people to ministerial positions many of them friends allies a sum called cronies so we do expect to see some changes we know that so roma pause there is a different potentially different type of leader and you have his own ideas about how to govern. Farmer miller many thanks for that approaching midnight it is now i think on wednesday night in johannesburg bringing us the latest on momentous developments in south africa thank you and for more on this story im joined via skype by Barnaby Fletcher is a south africa analyst at the Security Consultancy firm control risks thanks for for joining us by one of the days and days and days this has been going on now south africa absolutely on tenterhooks wondering what on earth would happen next do you imagine a lot of the country is breathing a big sigh of relief tonight absolutely im based in london currently but i mean youre in a lot from our Johannesburg Office and many of my friends and contacts there expressing exactly as you said relieved this had the potential to drag on probably not too much longer but of no confidence would have gotten against zuma and that was scheduled for tomorrow but there was always the potential for zuma to cause problems he still has supporters you have still seen small groups groups on the less engaged in protests against his removal so the fact that he has stepped down and that he has done so while calling call for peace and calm will be early for him and now is an opportunity to round poser to come in and address some of the problems that have a click did south africa well let out of the let lets look at that from the perspective of your sort of specialist area i guess as a secure and Security Consultancy firm youll be advising investors they presumably too will be breathing something of a sigh of relief and perhaps looking for opportunities on the near horizon in south africa. Absolutely. Has a lot of challenges that have developed under zuma you have a culture of corruption within the a. N. C. That is the big good even the lower levels of government you have a lack of policy certainty and you you. Have state owned companies that have racked up massive debt but it shouldnt be forgotten that south africa is still the most crista gated large market in Subsaharan Africa it still has an independent judiciary its all its huge potential across a range of economic sectors and while these structural problems will take a lot of time to introduce investors will be looking to around birds or to at least provide a measure policy clarity that has been lacking and zuma presidency that strength be being distracted by Corruption Scandals it isnt that its all about corruption and corruption has become by all accounts endemic in south africa not just in government but in many of the institutions. Upon which the country is run is ram opposed to do you think even with the best intentions able to get to the bottom of corruption where it lies given how deeply embedded and rooted it is. Well south africa has some advantages in this as i mentioned its judiciary remains independent and back one of the most independent in being world. Of course an independent judiciary is or a little used if no cases are brought before it and it was much of the problem under under zuma he undermined a lot of the prosecuting authorities that would have to see these cases and brought them before the judges the judges could do their job now you have already seen just today with some of the raids on the commercial interest and some of the really rich is alleged to be linked to some of the Corruption Scandal bills also involving zuma and the whole state capture investigation. Some of these authorities are now feeling a bit more emboldened. They have had a independence undermined by a number of appointments that zuma has made but this can be reversed. And you will also see a symbolic moves at the top a number of ministers who are connected or implicated in some of these candles being replaced and that will send a strong message out that the kind of culture of impunity that existed under zuma will no longer hold so of course it takes time to pull the addressed this issue but there are some pretty big steps that can be taken quite quickly ok bob a photo were going to leave of there salivary the analyst at Security Council has a firm control wrist risks having a party many thanks for your insights. And well take you now to another major story coming out of Southern Africa zimbabwes movement for Democratic Change party says the Opposition LeaderMorgan Tsvangirai has died he had been suffering from colon cancer he was sixty five years old harriman tasa looks back now at his life. To his supporters more good richard was a man who challenge zimbabwes long time leader Robert Mugabe at a time when few people day to do so but it was a long and sometimes painful journey in one thousand nine hundred nineteen guide in a trade union leader form the Opposition Party the movement for Democratic Change in the years that followed he organized protests to try and force mugabe out of office he was beaten while in Police Custody charged with treason jailed several times and labeled a traitor by mugabe supporters. In the two thousand and eight president ial election he won the most votes but not enough to win outright. Before a second round took place his supporters were targeted in a campaign of violence the Opposition Leader put out of the president ial race in protest regional leaders and the International Community intervened after months of negotiations saying that i was sworn in as Prime Minister in two thousand and nine it was a temporary power sharing government but mugabe was still the president. Will be remembered fundamentally in this sense that he. Is into god this. Intro doesnt it when we got before the first term in the history of this did last. The first. In almost the majority overall of godly diligence in that is weve been done since then to. Dogs. Four years later another election took place this time m. D. C. Party lost by a huge margin his critics say that he had ignored the plight of the poor and got caught up in the trappings of wealth and power allegations of Party Infighting and corruption also tarnished his image some of his closest allies left accusing him of being a dictator. But in twenty seventeen the m. D. C. Alliance was formed those who had left hungary returned for me a coalition to challenge and grab at the polls. They were occasional antigovernment protests zimbabwes economy was on its knees there was a shortage of foreign currency and the government couldnt pay salaries on time the military intervened in a van by twenty seventeen and put mugabe and house arrest and zimbabweans from all Political Parties marched together in solidarity saying mugabe must stick down eventually macgyver resigned and emerson when i was sworn in as president. Despite having cancer tank i supporters insisted he was a president ial candidate for the twenty eight thousand elections they were confident he could defeat when i got here at the polls but he never got that chance opposition supporters say that i will be remembered as a brave man a charismatic public speaker and a symbol of resistance. Is in the zimbabwean capital harare for us. What has been the reaction so far to news of mr chang. Well some people have been calling in to the local Radio Station saying that they sad they stopped about the news and they really wanted more information on from his family in particular on his last final moments basically if they did now to pay tribute to a man that they call was great he was a towering figure here and so people are slowly reacting it is close to midnight so when more people wake up in a few hours to see more of the reaction people are also going to want to know when the body will be will come back to zimbabwe he died in south africa some are talking about being at the airport to welcome the body some are saying theyre organizing thousands of people to attend his funeral he was a towering figure loved by his supporters and a lot of them say they are very very sad to hear the sadness that hes passed away and how to take us forward a little bit if you will with the brave pillar of resistance as you described him mr junger and what happens to his Opposition Party its now deeply split divided and has to face an election possibly the first credibly democratic election in the countrys recent history and that in just a few months time. Some people are very concerned about that in the last few weeks the ticket the last few days we thought things playing out on social media different leaders in the ruling party almost fighting each other or the succession of the three Vice President s nelson chamisa. And theyve all theme to make it clear that they feel they deserve to lead the Opposition Party there is there was meant to be a big meeting on thursday at the Party Headquarters as opposed to clarify some issues were not sure thats going to go ahead but thirty would be some kind of statement from the leadership the concern now is this was the main Opposition Party i was a huge figure he commanded thousands when every had his rallies the concern now is if this party keeps fighting amongst each other for leadership roles who takes over for him it could cause another split in the opposition which could weaken the Opposition Party and which could give be an advantage for the rulings on a party when those elections are held ok many thanks for keeping us up to date on a busy night for you in harare or tassel there and we can speak now to my guy who was an advisor to Morgan Tsvangirai while he was Prime Minister he joins me now via skype from canterbury here in the u. K. Thanks for joining us he was Prime Minister was in the National Union unity government with Robert Mugabe and an easy alliance between the two men for four years or so was it first of all a regret to mr chang or rather that he came so close to top office but had to settle for second best. Well you know today is said. And mentioned i can see it on a day its something that i was very critical in two thousand and eight in one direction he knew that he had won the election it was the most popular politician in