President Jacob Zuma is a dishonourable and disgraceful leader and the ANC under him will not be able to fulfil its mission.

This is how defiant ANC MP Makhosi Khoza described Zuma's leadership, adding that he has lost " legitimacy, credibility, integrity and honour".

She said Zuma was promoting tribalism and was yearning to be a king, hence the Nkandla 'royal stead'.

Khoza was speaking yesterday during a conference for the Future of South Africa at Rhema Bible Church in Randburg, Johannesburg, by several civil society organisations, including the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation and Save South Africa.

Several prominent figures were in attendance, including former finance minister Pravin Gordhan, his deputy Mcebisi Jonas and the SACP's newly elected first deputy general secretary Solly Mapaila.

Khoza is a known fierce critic of Zuma and this has led to her receiving death threats.

Yesterday, parliament announced it would soon provide security for her.

Khoza appeared unfazed and took pot shots at Zuma.

"Our president when his citizens peacefully march to plead with him to step down in order to give South Africa a breathing space, he calls them racists and agents of white monopoly capital.

"In case I do not make it on August 8, Mr President, you must know that you are haunting the South African nation," she said.

Khoza has previously said she will not toe the party line when a motion of no confidence in Zuma is tabled in parliament on August 8.

Zuma has said marches calling for him to step down were a clear indication that racists have become emboldened.

Echoing support for those who have called on Zuma to be removed from office, Khoza said: "You may wish to contest the ANC presidency in December 2017 but South Africa no longer needs you, Mr President."

In an apparent reference to Zuma, the South African Federation of Trade Unions general secretary Zwelinzima Vavi said "the tsunami was in full swing".

"All of us were there when it [tsunami] started. Some of us, we called it unstoppable.

"It is even destroying trade unions and everything in between," he said.

Business Leadership South Africa chief executive Bonang Mohale said he was fascinated by how much Zuma has in common with former apartheid president PW Botha.

"Both of them come from rural areas and were uneducated. Both of them went on to embarrass their parties," Mohale said.

Reverend Ray McCauley encouraged South Africans to form strong alliances against state capture.

"The values that Nelson Mandela stood for, and the fact that he could not be bought while in prison, stood as an example to all of us. Today we need to make those values stronger and form alliances.

"I have the sense that we are going to get beyond this. This country is resilient."

The conference resolved to launch a boycott of Gupta businesses, and to start a petition to remove ANN7, the Gupta-owned news channel, from DStv. "These are just recommendations, we are going to check the legality and feasibility," said Ahmed Kathrada Foundation executive director Neeshan Balton .