The African National Congress (ANC) was set to make an announcement on President Jacob Zuma's fate early on Tuesday afternoon, amid signs that the party had decided to remove him from office.
It was due to hold a media briefing at 2 pm after a marathon meeting of the party's National Executive Committee which began on Monday afternoon but carried on into the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Several media houses quoted sources saying the rulings party's secretary general Ace Magashule and his deputy Jessie Duarte went to Zuma's official residence in Pretoria on Tuesday morning to deliver a letter of "recall" - the ANC's term for axing an incumbent from office.
In the meanwhile, MPs confirmed that all portfolio committees in Parliament had been asked to delay their work for Wednesday until the afternoon because of an important meeting in the morning.
The request suggests that there would be a special ANC caucus meeting to discuss Zuma's removal from office.
The ANC briefing had been scheduled for noon but was postponed by two hours to give the ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) time to report back to party structures.
Media reports say the NEC, the ANC's highest decision-making body between conferences - resolved to recall Zuma after he refused to resign.
The scandal-ridden president had reportedly offered to resign, but only in July - something the ANC flatly refused to entertain.
Zuma has since told the ANC to "do what it wants to do".
- African News Agency (ANA)
