JOHANNESBURG – South Africa’s Constitutional Court on Monday reserved judgement after hearing the opposition’s arguments for a secret ballot in an upcoming no-confidence vote against President Jacob Zuma.

The opposition has argued that only a secret ballot would allow members of Zuma’s majority-holding African National Congress to vote against him.

That might make it possible to oust the president, who has come under increasing criticism amid a string of corruption scandals.

Previously, speaker of parliament Baleka Mbete, a member of the ANC, had argued she had no powers to order a secret ballot. A small opposition party, the United Democratic Movement, took the case to court.

The Constitutional Court did not indicate when it would deliver its judgement. The date of the no-confidence vote has not yet been set.

Thousands of protesters had been gathered in front of the court on Monday while the proceedings continued until late into the evening.

They displayed posters that read, “Fire Zuma” and chanted slogans against the president.

“Many ANC MPs have spoken out against Zuma at meetings. They have spoken out in the media. They have spoken out on the streets. Now it is time to speak out in the only place it can really count: in parliament,” said Mmusi Maimane, leader of the main opposition Democratic Alliance.

Zuma’s reputation has been tarnished by a string of scandals, including the use of taxpayers’ money to upgrade his country home and his friendship with the Gupta business family, which has been accused of securing lucrative state contracts in corrupt deals.

The DA proposed the no-confidence vote after Zuma sacked popular finance minister Pravin Gordhan in late March, prompting two credit ratings agencies to downgrade South Africa.

DPA