South Africa's Zuma Survives Impeachment Vote

Opposition MPs wanted President Zuma to be impeached after he took state money and used it to pay for his private home.

President Zuma with Speaker Mbete in February of this year

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has easily survived an impeachment vote over his use of public funds on his private home.

Mr Zuma's ANC party - which has a comfortable majority - defeated the parliamentary motion by 223 votes to 143.

The Nkandla home of President Zuma

The vote followed 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 property.

It was called by South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, which compared him unfavourably with the late President Nelson Mandela.

"When the highest court in the land ruled that the man occupying the highest office violated the constitution, it should have been the end of President Zuma," party's leader Mmusi Maimane told the assembly.

"Corruption has infected the entire party like a cancer."

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

Two investigations ordered by the president in the wake of the report cleared his name - including one which decided the pool was a firefighting measure.

ANC deputy justice minister John Jeffery told parliament that an impeachment was not justified because the court had not found a "serious" contravention of the constitution.

The vote needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

But despite easily winning the vote, analysts say the scandal has damaged the president and he is facing pressure to leave office early.

Mr Zuma has said he will abide by the constitutional court ruling that he should pay some of the money back.

The South African treasury has been asked to calculate the costs of the upgrades unrelated to security within 60 days. He must then repay that amount within 45 days.