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Tshwane - The recall of president Jacob Zuma is not on the national executive committee's agenda says African National Congress Secretary General Gwede Mantashe.
He briefed the media ahead of the NEC's second day of the three day gathering.
There has been speculation that the gathering - which took place without Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa due to the death of his nephew - would discuss whether or not Zuma needed to step down as head of state.
Mantashe said that discussion was not on the table.
"We are reading it in newspapers that there is going to be bloodshed. We haven't seen that blood on the floor yet," said Mantashe.
Mantashe said they only dealt with soft issues on Friday, where many of the party's executive were still on their way to the meeting from parliamentary commitments in Cape Town.
"Today we are in the hard business of the NEC," he said.
Mantashe said they received the political overview from Zuma.
He added that several current issues would form part of their debates.
Mantashe said there was a proposal for the next phase of the succession debate to kick in.
This amid calls from some, including the ANC in Kwazulu Natal and ANC in Gauteng to open up the debate.
The party will have to choose new leadership in December when President Zuma is expected to step down as the 105 year old liberation movement's president.
A fierce battle between Ramaphosa and former African Union Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, who are punted as the two main contenders has dominated the party's succession debate.
"We are not opening contestation but going to phase two, not nomination but allowing structures of the ANC to discuss names and to link the names to principles," said the party's Secretary General.
