Cracks within the ANC's NEC are beginning to show: Analyst
Political analyst Sanusha Naidoo says while the ANC is trying to portray an image of a united party - the signs of division are more visible.
She's suggested the National Executive Committee's decision to allow Jacob Zuma to stay on as president has left South Africans with more questions the party and its state of affairs.
"This year has been a very tenuous year for them. To a large extent are they really thinking about what's going on. How do we now look towards this party and how do we define this party?" she said.
Naidoo thinks the NEC itself is fragmented.
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"There have been certain members within the NEC that have come out and made certain statements, and everybody thought: 'Okay, this is it.' But then the NEC kind of pulls it back again. So I think to some extent the decision as to what was discussed and what was eh expectation, probably reflects how tenuous the situation is within the NEC itself," she said.
Meanwhile - the ANC insists there was no vote held at its NEC meeting to decide Zuma's fate - saying they debated the matter and reached the consensus that calls for Zuma to step down will not be supported.
Speaking during a media briefing after the party's extended NEC meeting - Deputy Secretary General Jesse Duarte said the need for a ballot was raised but explained that the ANC does not vote - rather all members are free to raise their concerns and debate freely.
"The way in which one would determine a consensus at the end is when you agree that a particular idea did not have sufficient support, and there's no contradiction to that - and nobody raises their hands and says: 'But yes, I don't agree with you,' - then you acknowledge and accept there has been general consensus on the view, and people have been able to persuade each other in the meeting - and that's exactly what happened," she said.