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President Jacob Zuma is still holding on to power, despite numerous appeals from citizens and politicians alike for him to step down.
Even delegations from his own party have asked him to resign.
Constitutionally, Zuma is entitled to stay in office until his term formally ends next year.
The legal route of impeaching him has not been set in motion, and he’s digging in his heels.
However, since the ANC’s elective conference in December, a wave of change has been sweeping across the country.
New ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa has inspired confidence locally and internationally by strongly speaking out against corruption and by taking concrete steps towards bringing state-owned enterprises back from the brink.
He is expected to ring the changes when he takes over from Zuma as the president of the country.
Many believe he will be able to bring an end to the corrupt practices and reckless wastage that have defined Zuma’s time at the helm.
Ramaphosa’s trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week was widely reported as marking the beginning of a new era of optimism, economic growth and investment.
Whether he likes it or not, Zuma’s time in government has been synonymous with theft on a grand scale, colloquially known as state capture.
It is no surprise, and it is highly symbolic, that our president over the past decade still faces charges of fraud and corruption.
By refusing to let go of power, Zuma is merely delaying the inevitable and hardening attitudes against himself.
Zuma has successfully united the opposition parties, which are all calling for him to release the country from his clutches.
Until a few years ago, he was a popular figure within the ANC, but now the majority of those in the upper echelons of the party want him to go.
It is now Zuma against the country.
If he does not resign, he will most likely be impeached or have a motion of no confidence passed against him.
He is determined to present the state of the nation address on Thursday, but there will be little interest in whatever he has to say because it is clear that he won’t be around for too much longer.
He must dig into what little is left of his conscience and act accordingly.
