Parliament asked to set rules for Zuma's impeachment

Johannesburg  :  South Africa's Constitutional court on Friday ordered Parliament to set rules related to the potential dismissal of the country's President Jacob Zuma after the legislature failed to hold him accountable for using public money to remodel his private residence.

The court ruled that Parliament failed to determine whether Zuma had violated Article 89 of the Constitution and therefore to establish rules to regulate his impeachment, Efe news agency reported.

Article 89 states that a dismissal procedure should begin when a serious violation of the Constitution or the law takes place.

Opposition parties had filed a lawsuit before the court in September, arguing that Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete should have established a Commission to start the dismissal procedure after a public prosecutor accused Zuma of violating the Constitution.

However, the court considered that some actions had been taken against Zuma, as no-confidence motions were carried out in light of the scandal, though he emerged from them victorious.