The ANC's integrity commission (IC) - which was mandated by the governing party's highest decision-making body to review its lists of candidates for the national assembly and provincial legislatures - has confirmed that it has completed its work.

And the report is said to have recommended, among other names, that ANC deputy president David Mabuza and national chairperson Gwede Mantashe be among those that should step aside.

Other ANC heavyweights that insiders say are in the firing line include Bathabile Dlamini, Nomvula Mokonyane, ANC head of elections Fikile Mbalula, Zizi Kodwa as well as Thabang Makwetla.

IC chairman George Mashamba said he was not at liberty to discuss the contents of the report, saying only the ANC leadership could.

This is while ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule, who was asked by journalists about this on Monday, said the party's officials would meet the IC to discuss the report.

Said Magashule: "The integrity commission is still going to meet the leadership of the ANC. They do have the right to take decisions but you know some of the things we do not know."

It remains to be seen how the report will be interpreted in line with ANC list guidelines that were agreed on by the party, including that the top 50 in the governing party's parliamentary list shall not be tampered with. Those said to be in the firing line are included among these.

Magashule was not willing to explain this.

"Let us have that discussion once we [the ANC leadership] have had the discussion with the integrity commission. As I said, I do not know what you have picked up. We do not know where you get some of the facts ... we do not know what you know," said Magashule. "We have not yet met the integrity commission."

Mashamba said the IC had submitted its report with recommendations to the ANC "some time last week".

Said Mashamba: "They [ANC NEC] said we must review the list and we have done that. The contents of it [the report] I cannot share with you because ultimately the ANC NEC will speak publicly as the leadership of the organisation.

"We are a commission of the NEC and we make recommendations which are considered by the NEC, considering what we make and other factors that we may not know. They are the ones who make the decisions, we do not, we make recommendations."