ANC veterans call on ruling party to take decisive action against Zuma

The veterans addressed the media a short while ago, following Zuma's the cabinet reshuffle, which has caused ructions within the tripartite alliance.

ANC veteran, Cheryl Carolus says they are shocked that Zuma went ahead with his reshuffle, which included firing the finance minister, despite some reservations from top six members and without consulting alliance partners.

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"This has never, ever happened in the history of the ANC that one person and especially the president of the organisation will take it to defy his comrades and proceed with a plan that they in fact resisted," she said. 

Carolus says Zuma has also defied the Constitutional Court and Parliament.

"It's a very dangerous line and precedent, that [Zuma] is trying to say that the president of this country, who is put there by the ANC, is a law unto himself and in fact is fully entitled to defy the organisation. We took a very dim view of this and we expect the organisation to do so too," Carolus added.

The veterans have also bemoaned the way struggle icon, Ahmed Kathrada's death was handled by the president.

They've taken issue with the fact that Zuma was more eager to push through with cabinet reshuffle than mourning one of the country's struggle icons.

ANC veteran, Reverend Frank Chikane says Kathrada's death demonstrated the level of crisis within the organisation. 

Chikane says the indefinite postponement of the official government memorial service for Kathrada was something he never imagined could happen, adding they were deeply disturbed by it.

"But I think the real crisis within the African National Congress is the fact that a leader of the calibre of Comrade Kathy, who is 'Isitwalandwe' (highest ANC honour) within the ANC, would have a funeral where the president can't be present or where the president is not interacting with the family. That demonstrates the level of crisis the organisation finds itself in. It is unimaginable that that could happen within the movement and that tells you that we've got a huge crisis in the movement," he said. 

Carolus also told the press briefing that President Zuma did not phone Kathrada's widow, Barbara Hogan nor his family to offer his condolences following Kathrada's passing.