In the final hour, as the counting of votes was being finalised on Tuesday, ANC National Executive Committee (NEC) members Lindiwe Zulu, Nomvula Mokonyane and a few others huddled together in the National Assembly.
From the media gallery, we could see that worry engraved their faces as they whispered. Just a few feet away, in the middle of the National Assembly, the votes to decide President Jacob Zuma’s fate were being recounted.
At the end, they led the victory song – as it became clear that Zuma had survived yet another motion of no-confidence.