South African President Under Pressure to Resign

South African President Thabo Mbeki has come under pressure from top officials of his ruling African National Congress (ANC) to resign over accusations that he meddled in a graft case against the party’s top leader, Jacob Zuma. The party’s national executive committee is set to convene over the weekend to decide whether or not to recall Mbeki from office. Last Friday, High Court Judge Chris Nicholson dismissed corruption charges against Zuma, and agreed with the former South African deputy president’s allegation that the case was linked to the rivalry between him and President Mbeki. Zuma is widely expected to succeed Mbeki as South Africa’s president when his final term expires in 2009.Meanwhile, the country’s official Opposition leader, Helen Zille, has announced that her Democratic Alliance party (DA) will privately pursue the corruption charges against Zuma if the country’s national prosecuting authority fails to appeal against last week’s high court dismissal of the case. [PE]