While the ANC has said it welcomes news that ANC MP Makhozi Khoza will receive protection after receiving death threats, it is clear that the party remains bitterly unhappy with her. ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa told The Star on Wednesday that Khoza has behaved like a "runaway fire" and warned against pushing the party too far.
Khoza shared a stage with various organisations, mostly critics of President Jacob Zuma at the Rhema Bible Church on Mandela Day this week, where she emphatically called for Zuma to step down. Kodwa said this was "shameless".
"We know that some of the ANC members were being courted to cross to the opposition. They are pushing the ANC to the limit to force the party to act. We are not going to act recklessly. If we act, the party was going to appear to be intolerant to different views. It is shameless to share public platforms with the critics of the ANC," Kodwa said.
He reportedly said Khoza should raise her concerns with the party internally and accused her of acting to weaken the ANC.
"Dr Khoza was a delegate at the party's policy conference where a number of issues were discussed including state capture. A number of people spoke out against corruption at the conference. If you are a loyal member of the ANC, you would raise some of your concerns internally in the organisation. You can't behave like a runaway fire.
"The actions of Dr Khoza are to weaken the ANC and to put the image of the ANC into disrepute," he told The Star.
On Wednesday, Kodwa told Huffpost SA that the party welcomed the protection of Khoza, but that no action would be taken by the party against members who had sent her threats.
"We do not protect people where we are discussing as a dynamic and democratic organisation. We call one another to order so you do not need the police for that.
"But when a person receives death threats and SMSses then it is a criminal offence.
"We welcome the decision made by Parliament, Intimidation and death threats will not be taken on political activities, it is a criminal act and action must be taken. This is not a political act, this represents criminality. It must go beyond protection and actually catch the perpetrators on the basis of criminality. We want to know the people behind the SMS," Kodwa said.