They held the future of the country and the party in their hands, the SA Christian Leaders Initiative (SACLI) wrote in an open letter to ANC MPs on Monday.

“You stand at a crossroads where you can either choose to continue to put the country through its current trauma or you can choose hope, and to focus on the common good, by ensuring this president is removed as soon as possible,” the SACLI said in a statement.

Zuma’s Cabinet reshuffle last month had confirmed the fears of many South Africans that his policies had nothing to do with radical economic transformation, but with intensifying state capture.

“Not only is this a reckless disregard of the economic consequences of his action, but is sure to compromise the poor, raise unemployment and ensure that his narrow and corrupt self-interests are served.

“The president should embody something of the common aspirations of our people, but instead he is tearing society apart by his seeming unbridled greed and pursuit of self-interest.”

The past year had proven that Zuma was unable to fulfill his role as custodian of the Constitution and “our freedom”.

“The gains made before are being reversed before our eyes. Those who have always believed that black or African leadership would be disastrous for the country are feeling that they are being proven right,” Reverend Moss Ntlha said.

“We know that this is not true and that we have excellent leaders within the ANC, but President Zuma is not one of them.”

Words of warning

The SACLI said it was still hopeful as it approached Easter, but had words of warning for the ruling party.

“Many of us have consistently voted for the ANC but if something very, very urgent is not done about this president, you will give us no option but to desire that others serve us in Parliament.

“We do not say this lightly, but we want you to understand the gravity of this moment. You saw what happened in the metros last year, and we want you to think about what it might mean on a national level.”

The SACLI said it would try to meet each ANC MP personally ahead of the motion next Tuesday.

On Tuesday, former president Thabo Mbeki said MPs did not have to vote according to party lines in the motion of no confidence. They had to act as the voice of the people, not of their party, he wrote in a letter published in The Star.

The Senior Leadership Group of the University of Cape Town on Tuesday called for an end to state corruption. The country’s political system and economy were facing the most serious crisis since 1994.

The poor would be most affected by the current political and economic events, it said in a statement.

The ANC North West said on Monday that its members would remain loyal to the party line. The motion was part of a regime change agenda funded and managed by the rich imperialists to create a monster out of Zuma, North West secretary Dakote Legoete said in a statement. DM