Johannesburg - Outspoken African National Congress (ANC) MP Makhosi Khoza on Friday questioned her KwaZulu-Natal party's structure's authority to institute disciplinary action against her while its legitimacy was being challenged in court.
Khoza said the party should instead concentrate on its court battle and ''cleanse itself''.
''The ANC KZN legitimacy is being challenged in court. Does a structure whose legitimacy is questioned and which has to validate its existence has the power to institute disciplinary proceedings? Please comrades, don't use my legitimate and rational call to legitimise yourselves,'' she wrote on her Facebook page.
Khoza, who has received death threats, has in recent times opted to communicate her views directly to the public through her Facebook page. She has openly criticised her party and President Jacob Zuma's leadership.
Delivering a no holds barred speech at a conference on Mandela Day, hosted by the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and Save South Africa, Khoza reiterated her call for Zuma to step down.
She said as a feminist, she found it intolerable being led by a man accused of harassing women.
The ANC in KwaZulu-Natal announced this week that it would institute disciplinary charges against Khoza, adding that ''Cde Makhosi Khoza has now crossed the line and must immediately face the consequences of her actions."
Provincial party spokesperson, Mdumiseni Ntuli said Khoza was an ANC deployee and that her participation in public platforms constituted ''a blatant betrayal of the core values of the ANC".
He said her recent public statement represented the "worst form of arrogance".
But Khoza said she would not subject herself to her KwaZulu-Natal party structure. ''I refuse to subject myself to such a structure. Go to court first and cleanse yourself... I remain loyal to the mission of the ANC and not the Johnny-come-lately who do not care about the people, but their own pockets.
"I'm disciplined and I am trying to fix the [ANC] image and save the ANC mission which is being molested publicly. Are we together? Respectfully, my comrades.''
A high court challenge was launched by a group of party members in KwaZulu-Natal seeking the nullification of the 2015 elective conference that saw the election of Sihle Zikalala as provincial chairman. The disgruntled group believed the conference was rigged, leading to Zikalala beating Senzo Mchunu to take over the party chairmanship in the province.