Pretoria - ANC NEC members on Tuesday morning said President Jacob Zuma's refusal to resign was a devastating blow to the continent's oldest liberation movement.
"The biggest mistake we ever made in the ANC was to make Zuma president. He refused to resign now he is going to be recalled," an NEC source said via Whatsapp on Tuesday morning.
Another source confirmed that the president had defied the NEC.
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On Monday night ANC president and secretary-general Ace Magashule told Zuma that the NEC wanted him to resign within 48 hours or they would recall him.
According to reports Zuma wanted another three months in office but the NEC wanted him to leave immediately.
The ANC is now left with no option but to go through parliament to have a sitting president removed and ultimately this would have to be done through a motion of no confidence.
However, the Economic Freedom Fighters have requested that National Assemble Speaker Baleka Mbete move forward the vote of no confidence scheduled for February. The ANC is expected to hold a press conference at 2pm on Tuesday to provide feedback on Monday's NEC meeting.