The DA's attempts to set up an ad hoc committee with a view to impeaching President Jacob Zuma came to nought yesterday as they were outvoted 2 to 1. The party called for a committee to investigate the circumstances under which Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir had been allowed to leave South Africa when he was ordered by the International Criminal Court not to leave; whether the Constitution had been breached; and whether Zuma should be removed from office for failing to effect the ICC arrest warrant on Al-Bashir when he attended the African Union summit in Johannesburg in June.Justice Minister Michael Masutha originally attempted to stop the debate, saying it dealt with matters that were before the court, but presiding officer Cedric Frolick ruled that it should go ahead.DA leader Mmusi Maimane relied heavily on the broken man text of his State of the Nation debate in yesterday's speech as well stating "our broken president broke the law to protect another broken man"."This government officially abandoned Nelson Mandela's commitment to a human rights based foreign policy on 15 June 2015. That was the day that Omar Al-Bashir was smuggled away from South African soil in defiance of an order of the North Gauteng High Court. It was an escape aided and abetted by President Zuma himself," Maimane said.DA MP James Selfe meanwhile argued that Zuma and cabinet "resolved to break the law" when they met to discuss the matter and resolved not to arrest him.But debating for the ANC, Small Business minister Lindiwe Zulu said the motion was aimed at discrediting the leadership of the ANC" and undermined the role of South Africa plays in peace building processes on the African continent.Zulu also said it undermined the political relations between South Africa and other African Union member states.Deputy Justice Minister John Jeffrey said arresting Al-Bashir would have "imperilled South Africa's relationships within the AU and with Sudan".ANC MP Jackson Mthembu meanwhile focused his speech on what he called the "abuse" of President Zuma by the EFF and the DA in Parliament.He cited Maimane's SONA speech in which he called Zuma "dishonorable" and the EFF's disruption of presidential qiestion time as such abuses.The APC and the UDM did not support the motion.UDM MP Nqabayomzi Kwankwa said that if it had been for any other reason other than Al-Bashir, the party would have supported a motion to impeach.However, he argued that arresting a sitting President would have been "fool hardy" and a declaration of war. He said the move would have alienated South Africa from the rest of the continent.The EFF, the FF+, the ACDP and the IFP all showed support for the DA motion however the EFF's Godrich Gardee said that while they agreed that Zuma should "be thrown in the dustbin of history" they disagreed with the DA's reasons for impeachment.He said these should have included Marikana, the over 700 corruption charges, the spending at Nkandla, and the death of Andreas Tatane.The IFP's Mncwango said the party supported the motion, which conveniently was held on Spring day as government was "in need of a Spring clean."The EFF later moved an amendment to the motion, including some of these claims, and requesting that any chair or the ad hoc committee not be an ANC member.That motion was however voted down by 310 votes to 17 with one person abstaining.The DA motion secured 100 votes for and 211 against, with 17 abstensions...