Frank Chikane, who was former president Thabo Mbeki's director-general, said President Jacob Zuma's rise to power was tantamount to a coup, according to a report on Thursday.
“If intelligence officers report outside government, that's the best recipe for coups (d'etat),” Chikane was quoted saying by The Times newspaper.
He was referring to the leaked intelligence spy tapes that led to Zuma's corruption charges being dropped just before the 2009 elections.
Chikane was speaking at the book launch of Eight Days in September: The Removal Of Thabo Mbeki, in Sandton on Wednesday night.
According to the newspaper, Chikane said leaking of the tapes to a “faction” in the ANC was dangerous and should not be repeated.
Chikane's book gave an inside account of what happened when the ANC decided to recall Mbeki in September 2008.
“It is about the conduct, the practice and behaviour,” Chikane was quoted as saying.
“(It was about) experiences (we) should think carefully about that all of us are wounded.”
ANC Youth League president Julius Malema was among some of the people who attended the launch as well as Mbeki's former ministers Essop and Aziz Pahad. - Sapa