Parliament has begun debating a motion of no-confidence brought against President Jacob Zuma by Mmusi Maimane‚ leader of the opposition Democratic Alliance. "This is not an easy time in our country. It is the most difficult period we have had to endure in the 22 years of our democracy. So many of our people are jobless‚ hopeless."Our people are on the ropes and they are reeling from one blow to another‚" he said.Maimane said: "What the ANC doesn't get‚ is that every time it plays the race case‚ it diminishes itself.""They don't see that slowly but surely the people of South Africa are beginning to realise who the real sell-outs are.""The biggest sell-out in our country is none other than President Zuma‚" he said."You cannot hide from justice just because you are the president."Maimane was cautioned by the chair of the session‚ Lechesa Tsenoli‚ against "commenting in an offensive manner".Julius Malema's EFF boycotted the debate. The party said: "The EFF leadership has taken a decision not to participate in the motion of no confidence in Mr Jacob Zuma brought to Parliament."The statement said it refused to "legitimise a morally and politically compromised President of the ANC" by participating in the debate."It is our view that such a debate on vote of no confidence in Mr Zuma requires substance and judgement of the highest court in land‚ the Constitutional Court‚ and it is then that we will reveal to all South Africans that‚ to the ANC the Constitution does not matter. It is in view of the position above that the EFF will not participate in today’s debate but will be present to attend to other matters of the House‚ to fulfil the promise made during the elections to bring issues affecting our people to Parliament."Earlier‚ Maimane promised that Tuesday’s “motion of no confidence is not like any other that proceeded it”.The DA leader tied the action in the legislature to his party’s election tagline: “This motion is about the 8.2-million South Africans who will never find a job as long as President Jacob Zuma has one.”Maimane said that “all 249 African national Congress (ANC) members of Parliament (MPs) will have to choose between their loyalty to South Africa and its people‚ and their loyalty to Zuma”.“If the ANC really does represent the people of South Africa and have their best interests at heart‚ then a vote of no confidence in President Zuma ought to be unanimously agreed upon by the ANC caucus.”As he wanted the ANC MPs to be “able to vote with their conscience‚ and not with the fear of persecution and internal ramifications”‚ Maimane had requested that voting on the motion “be done via secret ballot”.While the DA had lobbied ANC MPs‚ Maimane stressed that “this is certainly not about party-politics”‚ but “rather this is millions of South Africans urging ANC MPs to put our country first and vote with their conscience”.The motion was brought‚ he said‚ “following Zuma’s unthinkable decision to fire Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene last year”.“South Africans demand that Jacob Zuma be taken to task for his reckless handling of our economy‚ and his sending South Africa into financial crisis – and a motion of no confidence is the best mechanism to ensure that President Zuma is fired‚ once and for all‚” Maimane said.“It has become common cause that under Jacob Zuma’s leadership‚ our country is spiralling downward – and doing so at an alarmingly fast rate.“With President Zuma at the head of our economy‚ the hope of a better life for all South Africans will never become a reality.” ..