Editing Thabo Mbeki (section)

=== Resignation ===
However, shortly after Nicholson delivered his judgement and months before the appeal was heard, the Zuma-aligned ANC National Executive Committee, as elected at the Polokwane conference, "recalled" Mbeki, asking him to resign as national president.<ref name="ioltimeline22">{{cite web|date=15 February 2018|title=A timeline of Jacob Zuma's presidency|url=https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/a-timeline-of-jacob-zumas-presidency-13192711|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180213193627/https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/a-timeline-of-jacob-zumas-presidency-13192711|archive-date=13 February 2018|work=[[Independent Online (South Africa)|Independent Online]]}}</ref> The National Executive Committee is a party political body and therefore lacked the constitutional authority to remove Mbeki directly, but the ANC-controlled Parliament could have effected his removal had he not acquiesced voluntarily. On 20 September 2008, a spokesman announced that Mbeki would resign.<ref name="bbc2008-09-20">{{cite news|date=20 September 2008|title=SA's Mbeki says he will step down|work=BBC News|location=London|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/2/hi/africa/7626646.stm|access-date=21 September 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Beresford|first=David|date=2008-09-20|title=Mbeki is forced out after split in ANC|url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/sep/21/mbeki.resignation|access-date=2022-02-03|website=The Guardian|language=en}}</ref> In court papers filed later that week, Mbeki said that it was Nicholson's findings which had "led to my being recalled by my political party, the ANC – a request I have acceded to as a committed and loyal member of the ANC for the past 52 years."<ref name="AFP-2008" />

In the aftermath of his announcement, at least 11 cabinet ministers and three deputy ministers – including Deputy President Mlambo-Ngcuka and Minister of Finance [[Trevor Manuel]] – announced that they would also resign.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Percival|first=Jenny|date=2008-09-23|title=Thabo Mbeki ousting sparks wave of political resignations|language=en|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/sep/23/southafrica.mbeki1|access-date=2022-02-03}}</ref> Mbeki's resignation took effect on 25 September, and he was replaced as national president by [[Kgalema Motlanthe]], who had been elected ANC deputy president at the Polokwane conference.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2008-09-25|title=Motlanthe: South Africa's safe hands|language=en-GB|work=BBC|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7629239.stm|access-date=2021-12-09}}</ref>