The ANC launched a scathing attack this week on journalist Max du Preez for calling President Thabo Mbeki a "womaniser" during The Editors programme on SAfm on Sunday.
Presenter Nigel Murphy's guests included Du Preez and journalist Caroline Dempster.
Murphy had referred to a surprise statement by Deputy President Jacob Zuma that he was not seeking to oust Mbeki as ANC president.
Following is the transcript of Du Preez's comments made during the programme:
MURPHY: This extraordinary story of the deputy president saying that he wasn't challenging Mr Mbeki for his position long before the story actually emerged as far as the media or anybody was concerned. What do you make of that?
DU PREEZ: It's one of the most important stories of the year. It really is an important story.
DEMPSTER: (laughing) Well, I'm going to hand it over to Max, because I read it with some incredulity.
MURPHY: We all did.
DEMPSTER: It was a reaction before it happened, and much as we're used to reading statements coming out of the President's Office these days that seem to be quite startling... I mean, Max, take over. If you know more enlighten us.
DU PREEZ: Well, you know, nobody really knows. But the indications I have - and have had for some time - is that there is some tension inside the ANC, and I think Jacob Zuma slightly over-reacted to this.
He was talking about intelligence reports suggesting this and lobbies trying to forward this opinion that he was challenging the president.
So there's a lot going on inside the ANC.
I think there's a perspective out there among white South Africans, almost the media as a whole, that Thabo Mbeki is untouchable - that, in the African mode, he will be president until he decides not to be. Clearly that's not the case.
There is a lively debate inside the ANC...
MURPHY: Brought about as a result of his stance on Aids?
DU PREEZ: Yes - but also because he is seen as a womaniser. It is publicly known - and I think we should start talking about this - that the president has this kind of personal life.
I'm not saying it's scandalous. He's a womaniser. And Winnie Madikizela-Mandela sort of suggested that in her letter that was released - which is part of this whole struggle.
Now, the question is, can Jacob Zuma threaten? We're talking about 2002 here, when the leadership comes up. And this is about the time when people would start jockeying for position. Can Jacob Zuma do it?
Who are the other guys? What about Cyril Ramaphosa? Mathews Phosa was a strong contender. And the Mbeki camp just cut him down. There's a lot of that stuff going on.
I think it's one of the most important developments in our country. On the one hand, (it's) nice to see that an organisation like the former liberation movement is open enough and that they have this kind of thing, that it's not like Zanu-PF or Swapo, a monolith.
On the other hand, I think it could make our very insecure president even more insecure and more thin-skinned when he knows he's being challenged inside his own party. - Sapa