The ANC has distanced itself from comments made by former North West premier Supra Mahumapelo, once again urging members to subject themselves to organisational discipline.
"The African National Congress (ANC) has noted media coverage of comments made by ANC Member of Parliament Comrade Supra Mahumapelo," national spokesperson Pule Mabe said in a statement on Sunday.
"Comrade Mahumapelo spoke in his personal capacity, and his views do not represent the organisation," Mabe added.
The organisation was responding to Mahumapelo's remarks around the motion tabled by the Democratic Alliance (DA) to initiate proceedings for the removal of Public Protector Busisiwe Mkhwebane.
Mahumapelo claimed the ANC would never vote with the DA to remove the Public Protector, News24 reported.
He made the remarks outside the Cape Town Magistrate's Court, where fellow MP and former state security minister Bongani Bongo was appearing in his corruption case.
News24 previously reported that DA chief whip Natasha Mazzone had put in a request to National Assembly speaker Thandi Modise, three days after Parliament adopted formal rules for the removal of a head of a Chapter 9 institution in December last year.
The motion has since been approved by Modise.
Mkhwebane has called the process which seeks to remove her from office "unconstitutional" and "unlawful".
Mabe further clarified that the ANC has not yet discussed its position on the motion.
"The ANC Caucus in Parliament, guided by the national office, is the sole authority mandated to pronounce on positions of the ANC on matters before it – not individual members, unless so delegated," Mabe explained.
While commenting on Mkhwebane, Mahumapelo also alleged there was currently "mobilisation" under way within the ANC to get certain politicians arrested and he believed that this is what is happening to Bongo.
The political party reiterated its call and further reminded members of the "principles that inform organisational discipline as, articulated in Through the Eye of the Needle", that: Individual leaders are elected into collectives which should work as a unit…No single person is a leader unto himself or herself, but a member of a collective which should give, considered, canvassed guidance to membership and society as a whole.
The governing party further reaffirmed its confidence in the public institutions established to promote democracy, including the Office of the Public Protector.
"We therefore encourage leaders and members of the ANC to exercise their freedom of speech within the confines of the structures and discipline of the ANC," Mabe said.
Recently, the ruling party called Finance Minister Tito Mboweni to order after he posted messages to Twitter insisting the party’s resolution on the nationalisation of the South African Reserve Bank was "wrong".