South Africa's Zuma hits back at 'very unfair' effort to force him from power

South Africa is set to have a new leader as the African National Congress (ANC) prepares to kick out President Jacob Zuma in a no-confidence motion.

The party has ordered him to resign but Mr Zuma - speaking in an unannounced interview on Wednesday - called the efforts to get rid of him "very unfair".
"Nobody has ever provided the reasons. Nobody is saying what I have done," he said.
Unless he quits in the coming hours, parliament is poised to remove the scandal-hit Mr Zuma, 75, on Thursday and replace him with deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa.

Image: Police raided the Gupta residence in Johannesburg

"We can no longer keep South Africa waiting," said senior ANC official Paul Mashatile.
But Mr Zuma showed no sign of going quietly when he appeared on television and said the ANC had not followed the proper procedure to unseat him.
"I need to be furnished on what I've done," Mr Zuma said. "What is this hurry?"
"This is being done in a manner like I'm being victimised," he added.

Image: Jacob Zuma has been discredited by corruption scandals

The President said he would issue another statement later on Wednesday.
The no-confidence plan is supported by opposition parties and so appears almost certain to succeed in kicking out Mr Zuma, who has been leader since 2009.
The defiant TV appearance came after an early morning raid by the elite Hawks police unit at the luxury Johannesburg home of a business family linked to President Zuma.
The Indian-born Guptas are suspected of using their ties with him to influence cabinet positions and land state contracts. They and Mr Zuma deny any wrongdoing.

Image: Cyril Ramaphosa could become South Africa's leader as soon as Thursday

Sky's John Sparks, in Johannesburg, said police appeared to be acting fast to stop any documents and people from potentially leaving the country.
President Zuma has been discredited by a number of corruption scandals and Mr Ramaphosa was chosen in December to replace him as ANC leader.
He was due to take over in 2019, when Mr Zuma was to stand down, but it now appears he will assume power much sooner.
The party - once led by Nelson Mandela - is desperately trying to resolve the leadership crisis and bounce back in popularity ready for the country's next election.

Image: ANC members have called for Mr Zuma to go

As well as the Gupta claims, Mr Zuma is also waiting for South Africa's chief prosecutor to make a decision on whether he will face old charges of corruption tied to an arms deal two decades ago.

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The 783 charges were reinstated last year after being thrown out in 2009.
The country's top court also ruled in 2016 that the President had violated the constitution when he used state funds to pay for multi-million dollar upgrades to his private home. He repaid some of the money.