South Africa's parliament will debate a motion to impeach President Jacob Zuma, National Assembly Speaker Baleka Mbete says, after a top court ruled the president had violated the constitution.
South Africa's constitutional court ruled on Thursday that Zuma had failed to uphold the constitution by ignoring orders from the public protector that he repay some of the $US16 million ($A20.8 million) in state funds spent to renovate his residence at Nkandla .
Since Thursday's ruling, opposition party leaders, ordinary South Africans and even an anti-apartheid activist jailed alongside Nelson Mandela have called on Zuma to step down.
Mmusi Maimane, leader of the opposition party Democratic Alliance, tabled the motion to have Zuma impeached, and Mbete told reporters "the debate on that motion has been scheduled for Tuesday afternoon".
The Africa National Congress majority in parliament will almost certainly give Zuma political cover against the attempt to impeach him. But the judicial rebuke may embolden anti-Zuma factions within the ruling party to mount a challenge.
The unanimous ruling by the 11-judge constitutional court also criticised parliament for passing a resolution that purported to nullify the findings of Public Protector Thuli Madonsela on Zuma's private residence.
On Friday 73-year-old Zuma apologised and said he would pay back some of the money, as ordered. He said he never knowingly or deliberately set out to violate the constitution .
The scandal is arguably the biggest yet to hit Zuma, who has fended off accusations of corruption, influence peddling and rape since before he took office in 2009.
