Johannesburg - The Ahmed Kathrada Foundation, together with the Nelson Mandela Foundation, has asked for Parliament to convene immediately to debate a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma.
"We call on ministers and leaders of the ANC who care about the future of democracy and the Constitution to speak up and call on the president, in the best interests of the country, to step down," said the foundation.
The plea was made on Friday evening at the Nelson Mandela Foundation in Houghton, Johannesburg, following the removal of five ministers and three deputy ministers from their offices on Friday morning by Zuma.
"They and others, in our view, have been removed for protecting the country from corruption and looting, and speaking truth to power," said the foundation.
Barbara Hogan, who sits on the board of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and is also Kathrada's widow, said that it was time for the voices of South Africans to be heard, not for petty differences to divide people.
Furthermore, she said she hoped that the few good remaining ministers would stay in their positions and fight for the country.
"This is not the time to vacate your positions good ministers, because these other forces are so hell-bent on their agenda that if good ministers resign, they will just pack them with people who will do whatever they are told to do.
President 'not applying his mind'
"Fight the good fight, rather be driven out fighting the good fight than hand over to some dark forces, better still, rather fight the good fight and win," said Hogan.
"They were committed and keen to make those fundamental changes so we are hoping that the good ones will remain," said former speaker of the National Assembly, Max Sisulu, who was also in attendance.
Hogan slammed the secretary general of the ANC, Gwede Mantashe, saying she was shocked to hear him say that the list of ministers did not come from the ANC.
She said reports that ministers were fired because of a dubious intelligence report had made her "incredibly angry".
"This means that the president is not applying his mind in making decisions about one of the most critical issues about this country – who is going to lead the party? This is an indictment," she said.
CEO of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation Neesha Balton said: "We have not canvassed any ANC MPs about voting and how they should vote, but that is part of the work we are saying needs to be done."
"Will we act against the ANC? I think when the ANC does wrong, we will," said Balton.
