Thabo Mbeki, South Africa’s beleaguered president, agreed to stand down on Saturday after a midnight putsch by the leaders of the ruling African National Congress.

The ousting of Nelson Mandela’s successor – the first time a sitting president has been removed in South Africa’s 14-year democratic history since the demise of apartheid in 1994 – offers no guarantee of an end to the political turmoil that has plagued the country for months