African National Congress (ANC) Gauteng provincial executive committee (PEC) members must not campaign for the coming provincial elections, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said on Sunday.

"No sitting member of the PEC or National Executive Committee (NEC) must go to branches to ask them to vote for him or her," he told a provincial general council in Johannesburg.

"Let members decide who to vote for," he said.

The ANC constitution required branch members to lobby for a candidate themselves. Lobbying was officially opened in May.

"The ANC's internal democracy makes it a superior party," Motlanthe said, adding that it was for this reason it was "important for us to follow our guidelines and constitution to keep it that way".

Speaking earlier, ANC Gauteng chairperson Paul Mashatile denied reports that there was a plan to remove Nomvula Mokonyane from her position as Gauteng Premier - a post he held at one time. It was reported that a group of ANC members aligned with Mashatile were behind the plot.

"As far as we are concerned as the PEC, there is no such (plan)," Mashatile said.

"When you are deployed, you are deployed to do your work and do it properly," he said.