South Africa’s Speaker Suspends Impeachment Debate Against President Jacob Zuma

South Africa's Speaker has suspended an impeachment debate against President Jacob Zuma after she rejected calls to recuse herself because she was a respondent in the case, Sky News has reported. 

Baleka Mbete had initially refused to step aside despite a call from opposition MPs because, she said, she was not required bythe constitution to do so.

The Nkandla home of President ZumaShe subsequently suspended the proceedings while she consulted parliamentary officials.

The parliamentary debate follows last week's judgment by the country's Constitutional Court that Mr Zuma had breached the law by ignoring an order to repay some of the $16m (£11m) he had taken from state funds to pay for doing up his private home.

It was called by South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, which compared him unfavourably with the late President Nelson Mandela."Jacob Zuma is the cancer at the heart of South African politics; he is not capable of honourable conduct, and cannot continue to be president of our country," the party said in response to Mr Zuma's television apology.

The project, which cost a total of $24m (£17m), included a swimming pool, chicken run, cattle enclosure and amphitheatre.

Mr Zuma is like to survive the vote when it eventually takes place because it requires a two-thirds majority to succeed and the president's ruling African National Congress Party holds an overwhelming majority.Any ballot would not be secret.

Despite the likely outcome, analysts say the president has been damaged over the past few months and is being pressured toleave office earlier than the three years leftto him of his final term.

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