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Cape Town - The Mpumalanga ANC said it "failed to comprehend" what caused chief whip Jackson Mthembu to "veer off path" by calling for the resignation of the party's national executive committee (NEC).
"We cannot comprehend in what capacity he was speaking when he made the utterances to the media, because as the chief whip of the ANC in Parliament he is the head of caucus," spokesperson Sibusiso Themba said in a statement.
"The ANC parliamentary caucus does not speak to the media on behalf of the ANC NEC. This begs the question of who was comrade Mthembu speaking on behalf of? Whose agenda was he aiming to benefit?"
On Sunday, the City Press reported on comments made by Mthembu in which he declared that the ANC's current leadership "reduced the governing party to something that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth".
"Why should we not step down, given that we have messed up? All these things happened under our watch," Mthembu was quoted as saying.
ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa in response said the NEC cannot resign because it was elected by and is accountable to the branches of the ANC.
"If it feels in its own assessment that it has not provided leadership, it must account to the membership first," he told News24 on Sunday.
Themba said they were "perturbed" by Mthembu's call and distanced themselves from the comments.
