The Democratic Alliance called on the ANC on Wednesday to fire five cabinet ministers, including Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, ahead of this year's national elections.

The chief opposition party said Dlamini-Zuma must go because she carried responsibility for "the backing South Africa has given to dictators and oppressors across the world".

The DA was reacting to a statement by ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe on Tuesday that if the ruling party won the upcoming elections its new policy institute, and not the president, would monitor the performance of ministers and that incompetent ones would be sacked.

DA chief whip Ian Davidson said there was no need to wait until after the elections.

"President Kgalema Motlanthe does not need to wait until after the election before he removes ministers who are not doing their jobs," he said in a statement.

"If he does not do this now, then the ANC cannot expect anyone to take its promise of good government seriously."

The party said the minister in the presidency, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, Land and Agriculture Minister Lulu Xingwana, Trade and Industry Minister Mandisi Mpahlwa and Home Affairs Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula also deserved the boot.

Mpahlwa had "all but ignored" his ministry's role in driving job creation and growth", while Mapisa-Nqakula had left South Africans despairing "over ever getting the documents they need".

The DA said Tshabalala-Msimang deserved to be fired for "her catastrophic reign in the health department", which ended when Motlanthe replaced her with Barbara Hogan in September.

It claimed that Xingwana's management of the Land Bank had damaged South Africa's land reform programme irredeemably.

"South Africans deserve to be governed by ministers who act with integrity, devote themselves fully to their jobs and act in the interests of all South Africans.

"But it is clear that many of the current members of Cabinet do not do this and the DA challenges the ANC to immediately remove them," Davidson said.