Zuma’s Party Prepares to Remove Him From Officebr ordered Mr. Zuma to step down as South Africa’s leader, saying his continued presence would "erode the renewed hopebr and confidence among South Africans" since party elections in December, in which Mr. Ramaphosa defeated Mr. Zuma’s preferred candidate for the leadership of the A.N.C.br Mr. Magashule said the corruption accusations against the president had played no role, saying, "We did not take these decisionsbr because Comrade Jacob Zuma has done anything wrong." Mr. Magashule’s remarks suggested the party might be reluctant to deal head-on with the culture of corruption that was endemic under Mr. Zuma.br 14, 2018br JOHANNESBURG — Facing increased pressure to resign as South Africa’s leader, President Jacob Zuma clung to power onbr Wednesday even as his party took steps to formally remove him and replace him with his deputy, Cyril Ramaphosa.br In the latest in a series of extraordinary moments for his party, leaders of the African National Congress, which had long steadfastly stood behind Mr. Zuma, said Wednesdaybr that they would move to remove him as president through a vote of no confidence on Thursday afternoon.br The intended message, they said, was that those closest to Mr. Zuma, or even Mr. Zuma himself, could be next unlessbr he acceded to the party’s order to quit, well before his term as president was scheduled to expire in mid-2019.br The events were also a clear sign of how much has changed in the two months since Mr. Ramaphosa was chosen to succeed Mr. Zuma as thebr leader of the A.N.C., creating what South Africans refer to as the two centers of power — the presidency and the head of the party.