South African President Jacob Zuma survives no-confidence motion

South Africa's President Jacob Zuma has narrowly survived a no-confidence motion against him in the Parliament.

A broad coalition of opposition parties and renegade MPs from the ruling African National Congress (ANC) fell short of the simple majority to pass the no-confidence motion against the president.

The motion was defeated by 198 votes to 177.

Zuma thanked his supporters and those who voted in his favour in the Parliament after surviving the no-confidence motion.

"They believe they could use technicalities in parliament to take over the majority from the ANC. "It is impossible, they cannot. We represent the majority," he said.

Zuma won the presidential election in 2009 and 2014, but has faced a number of no-confidence votes in the past due to accusations of corruption and mismanaging the economy.

President Zuma and his entire cabinet would had to step down if the no-confidence motion would have got passed in the Parliament as per the South Africa's Constitution

According to reports, Parliamentary speaker Baleka Mbete decided to make the secret ballot after an opposition party moved the case to the Constitutional Court to enable more ANC members of parliament to break party ranks.

The ruling ANC party, which has ruled South Africa since the end of apartheid in 1994, is deeply divided and several of its lawmakers have voiced criticism of Zuma.