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Cape Town - ANC NEC member Derek Hanekom says only the party's national executive committee (NEC) can replace him as chairperson of the party's national disciplinary committee.
ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe on Tuesday said the national working committee had proposed that the outspoken Hanekom be removed from the position, as his "Twitter commentary" would make it difficult for him to chair disciplinary inquiries against MPs who supported a motion by opposition parties for President Jacob Zuma to be removed from office.
"It is up to the NEC to decide who it wants to serve on, or convene any subcommittee," Hanekom told News24 on Friday.
"The NEC can replace the whole disciplinary committee if it wants, but only the NEC can do that."
On Tuesday, another NEC member Mathole Motshekga, condemned the party's decision to discipline at least three MPs. He has called for a special NEC meeting to take a decision on the matter.
Motshekga, who is also a member of the ANC's subcommittee on the Constitution, accused the party of "victimising victims of a corrupt state".
The ANC Youth League in KwaZulu-Natal named Hanekom, Makhosi Khoza, Pravin Gordhan, Mondli Gungubele as "culprits" who supported the motion, and wanted them probed and expelled from the party.
Also read: ANC must expel Gordhan, Hanekom, Khoza and Gungubele - KZN ANCYL
They also called for Hanekom to be removed as chair of the ANC's disciplinary committee and another person be brought in to lead the disciplinary process.
Hanekom did not want to be drawn in on the provincial youth league's call as, unlike MPs, only the party's NEC has the authority to appoint subcommittees.
'Vote with their conscience'
On Thursday Khoza was fired as the chairperson of the portfolio committee on public service and administration after ANC colleagues boycotted the committee meeting this week, citing her leadership as the problem.
ANC chief whip Jackson Mthembu on Friday said Khoza had insulted some of her colleagues in a Whatsapp group message to the point that they no longer wanted to work with her.
"These utterances and other Facebook posts led to her alienating ANC members to the point where they could no longer work with her as their leader," Mthembu's spokesperson Nonceba Mhlauli told News24.
Also read: Khoza alienated her ANC colleagues - Mthembu
Mantashe on Tuesday said the party would not embark on a "witch hunt" to investigate which ANC MPs voted in support of the motion, but those who have publicly said they supported the Democratic Alliance motion will be disciplined.
All four MPs mentioned had said they would "vote with their conscience" in the run-up to the motion.
Gordhan and Khoza said the country would be better off if Zuma stepped aside. Hanekom has led calls for Zuma to step down during two NEC meetings.
