ANC MP Makhosi Khoza has warned that party members who vote against President Jacob Zuma on Tuesday face severe consequences — but says it will be worth it.

In a statement issued on Monday morning‚ Khoza said: “As a loyal ANC member‚ there is nothing simple about supporting tomorrow’s vote of no confidence. Retribution will be swift and costly. Good ANC MPs who choose to do the right thing are likely to find themselves immediately recalled and cast out of the party. These are people with homes and children‚ with families to feed and school fees to pay. Their single act of defiance will have costly ramifications beyond just themselves and it is important South Africans recognise the magnitude of what we are asking these ANC MPs to do.”

Khoza‚ an outspoken critic of Zuma‚ said it was nevertheless important to support the motion of no confidence against the president.

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“Supporting the vote of no confidence is not a vote against the ANC. It is a vote against the kleptocracy President Jacob Zuma has actively developed during his tenure as the leader of the ANC and President of the country. It is a vote against corruption. It is a vote to protect the social security net that is critical to so many of our citizens and it is a vote in defense of our democracy‚” she said.

Khoza said she had supported Zuma in previous no-confidence votes‚ but would not be doing the same this time.

“For seven votes of no confidence I was complicit in propping up a leader who has consistently put his own interests above those of the people whom he supposedly serves. As a ANC member I rationalised my votes believing a united ANC would eventually stand against the leader who has failed us. But that has not happened‚” she said.

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And while she indicated she would be putting her hand up against Zuma on Tuesday — secret vote or not — Khoza said she believed this was not the final step in fixing the ANC‚ but a necessary one.

“Tomorrow’s vote of no confidence is not a ‘silver bullet’ that will rescue our ailing country but it is the critical step that South Africa needs to start taking back our democracy. Our democracy has been usurped by a suffocating web of greed‚ corruption and patronage that has become the hallmark of the current ANC leadership.

“I call on all MPs to vote with their conscience. The road will not be easy but we will walk it together. We must do the right thing and the right thing is to support tomorrow’s vote of no confidence against President Jacob Zuma‚” she said.