After a two-hour debate and lengthy voting process, 198 MPs voted against the Democratic Alliance’s bid to remove Zuma, while 177 voted for.
President Jacob Zuma has defeated another motion of no confidence against him on Tuesday.
About 30 ANC MPs voted for Zuma to be removed.
Many people thought Zuma would be voted out when Speaker Baleka Mbete announced that this time Zuma would face a vote of no confidence in a secret ballot.
But ANC MPs in their numbers voted to keep the president in office saying the opposition was using the back door for regime change.
The ANC said today it was confident its MPs would vote against the motion of no confidence against president Zuma.
ANC Spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said today’s motion of no confidence was not about president Zuma but about “using undemocratic means to remove the ANC from power”.