ANC MP Makhosi Khoza says the ANC cannot ignore the people who protested against Jacob Zuma last week, or the 10 million ANC voters who are not party members. Khoza appeared as a guest on Pwer FM's Power Perspective show with JJ Tabane on Monday night.
On Facebook, Khoza lamented the state of the ANC and government, warning against the politics of patronage.
- Read: Who is Makhosi Khoza?
On Power FM, Khoza said that the ANC could not ignore millions of South Africans voicing their concerns about its leadership.
"The ANC, as a leader of society cannot be seen to be resorting to quantitative forms of flexing muscles, because you know you have the numbers, without listening to what the people are saying," she said.
Khoza said that there were at least 10 million voters who had voted for the ANC in the last elections but who were not necessarily branch members of the party, and that they could not be disregarded.
"Amongst the people who march, there may be a lot of voters who voted us into power who are not necessarily members of the ANC who don't have access to our structures [to voice their grievances].
"You can't ignore their [10 million] voices simply because they are not in branches. The ANC is not only voted in by card carrying members."
She said the ANC could not simply say it would defeat the motion of no confidence vote without even engaging with it.
"The ANC ought to carry a moral posture that brings hope to South Africans. ... not just saying we are going to defeat this motion without really engaging on it."
Tabane asked Khoza how she would handle the situation if she was made chief whip of the ANC caucus in Parliament.
"Would you seek the views of the caucus instead of being instructed from Luthuli House?" he asked.
"There is nothing wrong with the ANC necessarily saying which way you should vote," she said.
"But I believe that in life there are defining moments. Since 1994 we've never had a march of this size with new SA flags. These are people, they are holding this new South African flag. As the ANC, you claim you are the leader of society .You claim you want a non-racial South Africa.
"There you have the non-racial SA standing up and saying, 'we want you to listen to us'. I don't think it's a good strategy to flex your muscle by saying, 'we are going to defeat this vote.'."
Tabane said it was the biggest march of such diversity ever seen in the country.
Khoza replied, "When we say we are a leader of society, what do we mean? You can't be that, and when it suits you just want to be a leader of a political party."