“Because this is a violation of the Constitution and his oath of office‚ Jacob Zuma is not eligible to be President of South Africa under a Constitutional democracy and Constitutional supremacy.”

Tens of thousands of South Africans took to the streets countrywide on Friday to demand that Zuma step down as president. The protests are taking place after Mr Zuma’s dismissal of the country’s finance minister fuelled concerns over government corruption and a struggling economy. Protesters began marches in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and other big metropolitan areas to push for the resignation of the scandal-tainted Zuma, who for now retains the support of a ruling party facing an internal revolt against the president. The parties — the African Christian Democratic Party‚ African People’s Convention‚ Congress of the People‚ Democratic Alliance‚ Economic Freedom Fighters‚ Inkatha Freedom Party and the United Democratic Movement – will march to the Union Buildings on Wednesday to demand that Zuma step down. The government appealed for calm and said it respects the right of South Africans to protest peacefully, a legacy of the struggle against white minority rule that ended in 1994 with the country’s first all-race vote and the election of Nelson Mandela as president. The crisis, triggered by a cabinet reshuffle last week in which widely-respected finance minister Pravin Gordhan was sacked, has been described by analysts as the most serious to face South Africa since minority white rule ended more than 20 years ago. • BBC Africa Live: More on this and other updates
• Knives are out for President Zuma

The move to drop Mr Gordhan from office angered both Mr Zuma's opponents and allies, causing a rift in the ruling ANC party, which has governed South Africa since 1994. South Africa’s political crisis intensified on Friday as tens of thousands of people joined demonstrations across the country calling for President Jacob Zuma to step down, police fired rubber bullets in scattered clashes and a second ratings agency downgraded the country to “junk” status.
Over 50,000 people participate in the ongoing Democratic Alliance protests in South Africa against President Jacob Zuma.