WORLD> Africa
South African President Mbeki resigns
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-09-22 14:21

He also said the decision was a political way to deal with the implications of Pietermaritzburg High Court Judge Chris Nicholson's ruling that Mbeki may have been involved in a political conspiracy against the ruling party's leader Jacob Zuma.

South Africa's deposed President Thabo Mbeki (R) and the then Deputy-President Jacob Zuma address a press conference in Cape town in this December 18, 2002, file photo. South Africa's ruling party said on September 20, 2008, it had decided to recall President Thabo Mbeki before the end of his term next year. [Agencies]

"The biggest worry of the ANC had been the question of a reversal of the closure of the chapter (that the Nicholson judgment seemed to have promised)."

The National Prosecuting Authority's decision to appeal the judgment had become a worry, said Mantashe. "If pursued it will continue to be a point of division for the ANC."

When asked what the reaction would be if other cabinet ministers were to resign, Mantashe said they were considered on the one hand, deployees who had mutual respect and commitment to the ANC, but on the other hand they were also individuals.

"In the coming days the president of the ANC will meet with ANC deployees in government to assure them that the ANC would wish for them to remain in government... (but) if that individual opts out of the movement, we cannot chain them to the process. we will respect their decisions."

Earlier on Saturday, Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka's spokesman Denzel Taylor said that Mlambo-Ngcuka would hand in her resignation, depending on whether Mbeki hands in his resignation.

Mbeki has come under pressure to quit following the judge's ruling last week that Mbeki was instrumental in Zuma being charged with corruption,news agencies reported.

Mbeki became President in 1999, taking over from Nelson Mandela. He was due to leave office in April, 2009.

He was the head of the ANC from 1997 until he lost a battle for power at the ANC's national conference in Polokwane in December 2007, when Zuma, his former deputy president, became the head of the organization.

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