The Democratic Alliance (DA) is again looking to get rid of President Jacob Zuma with a motion of no confidence in Parliament.

The party announced in a press conference on Thursday that this motion was not about the DA, but about the African National Congress (ANC).

While the DA has tried and failed before to get Zuma removed through this process, Maimane said they could not simply sit by and do nothing, because they risked the motion not being passed.

It hoped to get the motion through by the end of the year.

The motion would be an opportunity for those "frustrated ANC members" to speak out, the DA said.

"We must ask for those spineless people to find their backbone and stand up," Maimane said.

The DA did not take the decision lightly, he said, as they realised that there was scepticism when a minority party tabled a motion that required majority support.

The DA gave examples of ANC leaders who had recently spoken out against the decision to charge Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan as evidence of discontent on the ANC benches.

DA chief whip John Steenhuisen said what had been missing previously in the ANC was courage.

"We need men and women of good courage to stand up and say enough is enough," he said.

'ANC must work with us to remove Zuma'

In March, the DA’s motion of no confidence in Zuma failed when 225 MPs voted against the motion, while 99 voted for, and 22 MPs abstained.

The motion was not about the merits or successes and failures of previous motions similar to this one, Maimane said.

“It’s about the ANC. Because it will present the party with two very clear choices. Either, its Parliamentary Caucus could appreciate the current societal malaise, introspect, and vote with conscience in supporting the motion to remove Jacob Zuma from office.”

Or the ANC could show their full confidence in Zuma "and defend the indefensible at all costs", the DA said.

"This is a golden opportunity for the ANC to stop playing 'hot potato' politics; we all know the root cause of our country’s current turmoil, and the time for passing blame is over. The ANC must work with us in Parliament to remove Jacob Zuma, once and for all, so we can get our country working again."

The party had written to the speaker to have the motion included in this term’s programme.

It would not be looking for a secret ballot, the DA said.