The reign of Jacob Zuma as President of South Africa and leader of the African National Congress (ANC) has gained controversy, as his public reputation has come under fire after recent dramatic changes made in his cabinet.

The Guardian reports that he “has come under huge criticism from opposition parties following the removal of finance minister Pravin Gordhan in a cabinet reshuffle.” He is due to be replaced at least 12 months before his term ends, despite that he was expected to remain the country’s president until elections in 2019.

Malusi Gigaba was appointed as finance minister after President Jacob Zuma removed Pravin Gordhan in an overnight cabinet. Zuma’s move, late on Thursday night, “triggered a political crisis, pitching the ruling African National Congress party into chaos” (The Guardian). Zuma’s decision to fire Gordhan and make 19 other changes to his administration on March 31 drew widespread criticism because it “prompted S&P Global Ratings to downgrade the nation’s credit rating to junk and weakened the sent their currency to its weakest level since January” (Bloomberg).

The removal of Gordhan received negative responses from South African citizens. Tv360Nigeria.com notes that last week, thousands marched in major South African cities demanding Zuma quit his Presidency. The opposing Democratic Alliance party rallied more than 10,000 people in Johannesburg.