New Absa chief executive Maria Ramos attended the African National Congress NEC meeting to brief president Kgalema Motlanthe about her decision to step down from Transnet, Transnet said on Monday.

Spokesman John Dludlu said some members of the media had speculated about Ramos, outgoing group chief executive officer of Transnet, being seen at the meeting of the national executive committee of the ANC.

Ramos and the banking group's chairwoman Gill Marcus attended the ANC's national executive committee meeting merely to keep relations "warm" between the party and the private institution, the ANC said on Monday.

Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille on Monday requested Absa to explain why the ANC and Absa had a "warm" relationship.

"There is no good reason why the ruling party should enjoy a 'warm' relationship with a private institution which bids for government tenders and contracts," Zille said.

"The ANC has already eroded the boundary between party and state. It now seems determined to blur the distinction between party, state and business."

On Monday ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said: "Disciplined cadres from the ANC do give information to the ANC when they are moving."

This referred to Ramos informing the ANC that she had resigned from Transnet.

"What we do with it (the information) is not a big deal...," he said.

Absa was a private institution that did not belong to the ANC, he said.

"But Maria Ramos and Gill Marcus historically have been members of the ANC, therefore it is important to us to keep the relations warm, even if we have no control over them," said Mantashe.