Voting ends in South African parliament's no-confidence motion on Zuma, counting starts

South African President Jacob Zuma speaks at a memorial lecture after unveiling a statue of struggle veteran Harry Gwala in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, August 6, 2017. REUTERS/Rogan Ward

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South Africa's national assembly concluded voting on a motion of no-confidence in President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday, and the speaker of parliament called for a recess to allow the votes to be counted. Zuma, 75, who has held power since 2009, would have to relinquish office if he loses the vote. It was unclear how long the exercise in the 400-seat parliament would take. "The table staff will now close and seal the ballot boxes and I will suspend proceedings shortly to enable the secretary to count the votes," Speaker Baleka Mbete said. (Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Richard Balmforth)