South African opposition heckles president in parliament

JOHANNESBURG – South African President Jacob Zuma has faced insults and heckling in parliament, where a vote of no confidence in him recently failed.

Zuma on Thursday was frequently interrupted by opposition lawmakers during a question-and-answer session. The opposition Economic Freedom Fighters party walked out of the chamber in protest, a relatively common occurrence.

Even some ruling party lawmakers have turned against Zuma because of alleged corruption.

In his responses, Zuma is denying any wrongdoing and says government policies have reduced poverty and yielded other benefits.

South Africa’s economy has suffered from the political upheaval around the president.

Zuma will step down as leader of the African National Congress party in December, possibly opening the way to a successor ahead of 2019 national elections.