The African National Congress (ANC) is urging members of opposition parties in Parliament to vote according to their conscience and against their leaders' bid to pass a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma.

This as the South African Council of Churches (SACC) on Thursday called on MPs to "rise above party politics" and vote in the "best interests of the constituencies they are called to serve".

The Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) and the United Democratic Movement (UDM) have been at the forefront of trying to get the governing party’s MPs to break rank and not vote in accordance with what the party wants.

Opposition parties are hoping to get the motion against the president passed via secret ballot, having cited that some in the ANC were fearful of intimidation and losing their jobs if they failed to toe the party line.

However, some ANC MPs including the outspoken Makhosi Khoza, former Ekurhuleni mayor Mondli Gungubele, former finance minister Pravin Gordhan and former tourism minister Derek Hannekom have all indicated that they would vote with their conscience instead of toeing the party line when the motion comes up in the national assembly on August 8.

“We call on members of Parliament from opposition parties to follow the good example set by councillors of both the EFF and DA,” said ANC national spokesperson Zizi Kodwa on Thursday.

He made reference to the EFF councillors who are now facing disciplinary processes after ignoring a directive not to pitch for the Mogale City Municipality’s budget vote last month. The ANC in the small municipality managed through the help of the DA to clinch power back from the opposition party and to pass the budget, with the support of the EFF and the Inkatha Freedom Party.

Kodwa said DA members of Parliament in Cape Town must vote against the motion of no confidence in Zuma and follow a good example of councillors of a sub council in Kraaifontein who voted against the party line in the Western Cape.

“That is a good example for members of Parliament of the opposition to follow,” added the national spokesperson.

DA councillors suspended

In November DA councillors in the Kraaifontein sub-region were accused of failing to adhere to a party decision, resulting in their suspension and disciplinary measures being taken by the party. Those implicated have since been cleared by the DC.

DA councillors who allowed for the ANC in Mogale City to seize power had to undergo a lie detector test.

“Already their councillors and members have set the record straight that they will follow their conscience. They won’t vote according to the party line,” said Kodwa.

Meanwhile, the SACC in a statement called on “people of faith” to join civil society marches against the Zuma presidency on Tuesday. They furthermore called on congregates to pray for the activities of Parliament in the lead up to the vote of no confidence.

“The fact that five draft resolutions about motions of no confidence have been tabled before the National Assembly, of which three were unsuccessfully voted on since President Zuma took office, is glaring evidence of the eroded confidence in his immoral leadership,” the association said.

Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) also encouraged members to allow employees to join gatherings outside workplaces between 12:00 and 14:00 on Tuesday.

BSLA members include Anglo-American, Discovery, Sanlam and State-owned Eskom.

“As an organisation, we believe South Africans should have the opportunity to peacefully express their views at this significant juncture in South Africa’s history, without prescribing what these views should be,” the organisation said in a statement.