The ANC on Wednesday slammed UDM leader Bantu Holomisa for calling the party's deputy secretary-general a "tea girl".

ANC spokesperson Pule Mabe, in a scathing statement, called on men in the UDM to distance themselves from Holomisa's comments.

The comments, said Mabe, were malicious and not in keeping with the values of non-sexism in the country.

Mabe said Jessie Duarte was a seasoned ANC cadre whose experience and track record could not be reduced to that of a tea lady.

The "tea girl" storm erupted after Duarte apparently called Holomisa a dictator on national television.

Holomisa did not take kindly to this as he fired back on Twitter.

"This blatant contempt for, and belittling of, women has no place in a non-sexist and democratic society which frowns upon misogyny and all its manifestations. We must isolate and reject all those who derive pleasure from abusing and undermining women," said Mabe.

"As we are about to mark Women’s Month tomorrow, we call on all progressive men in the UDM to distance themselves from Mr Holomisa’s misogynistic tendencies. He must be condemned by all South Africans who are committed to uprooting the demon of sexism and the oppression of women from our society.

"Comrade Jessie is a solid cadre of our movement who has earned her stripes in the trenches. Her decades of sacrifice and contribution to the struggle for liberation and the reconstruction and development of our country cannot be reduced nor erased by a sexist label. This is a huge insult to Cde Jessie, the women of the congress movement and South African women in general," Mabe went on.

"The struggle against patriarchy and misogyny continues!"