Johannesburg - The ANC needs to put deep thought into its decision on whether to continue with President Jacob Zuma at the helm of the party and the country, said ANC veteran Siphiwe Nyanda.
He was reacting to the Supreme Court of Appeal's (SCA) ruling dismissing an application by the NPA and Zuma in the spy tapes saga.
"The ANC would really have to sit and really think hard about how they proceed with a president that is facing so many charges," said Nyanda on the sidelines of the ANC veterans' league elective conference in the East Rand.
He advised the party to interrogate how it will "proceed with a president that is so compromised".
Nyanda also urged the NPA to do the right thing.
"It's incumbent upon the NPA to look at this [matter]. We hope the NPA, which is supposed to be an independent entity, will do the right thing," Nyanda told journalists.
'Putting the cart before the horse'
Addressing the conference earlier in the day, ANC secretary general Gwede Mantashe asked the veterans to advise the party moving forward. He said the party needed guidance on how it could self-correct amid corruption charges against its president.
However, leaning towards caution, Mantashe said the party would not be quick to act emotionally and later regret removing Zuma.
He said the party would not do what is considered "fashionable" but would manage the crisis with wisdom.
READ MORE: ANC will stand behind Zuma - Mantashe
Speaking to the media later, Mantashe said the party would only make a decision after the NPA declares whether it will charge Zuma or not.
"You are putting the cart before the horse. The judgment says the NPA must decide. It has not decided yet. Let's allow that process to take its course then the ANC will decide thereafter."
Nyanda was among the 101 veterans and stalwarts that wrote to Zuma asking him to resign. The 101 also called for a consultative conference to help the party self-correct.
Zuma is expected to close the veterans' league conference on Sunday.
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