Former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils. Picture: SUNDAY TIMES
Ronnie Kasrils. Picture: SUNDAY TIMES

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THE African National Congress (ANC) Youth League is to file a formal complaint with the ruling party against former intelligence minister Ronnie Kasrils, who will on Tuesday launch a campaign to ask South Africans to protest by spoiling their ballots in the May 7 general election or by "voting tactically".

This forms part of a bid to compel the ANC to stop taking the electorate for granted, according to Mr Kasrils, who has long been an outspoken critic of President Jacob Zuma’s administration.

He was among ministers who resigned following the recall of former president Thabo Mbeki in 2008, after a bitter leadership battle in the ANC.

Mr Kasrils has reportedly said he will not vote for the ANC in the upcoming polls.

The party’s national executive committee (NEC), its top leadership structure, discussed the "negative" remarks by its senior leaders at a meeting last month and decided it would "engage" these individuals.

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After Public Protector Thuli Madonsela r eleased her recent report into R246m of state-funded security upgrades made to Mr Zuma’s private Nkandla residence in KwaZulu-Natal, a number of senior ANC leaders — including Planning Minister Trevor Manuel, NEC member Pallo Jordan, Mr Kasrils and Mr Mbeki — expressed opinions contrary to the party line.

On Monday, the ANC Youth League warned that the party's constitution provided for disciplining members who "behave in a manner that brings the ANC into disrepute".

"We remind Ronnie Kasrils that he became who he is because of the ANC," the league said in a statement. "He should never allow his fictional writings to dominate his mind and determine his behaviour. Ronnie Kasrils, the man we know and worked with, is not the hero he claims in his books, but we gave him that space to write whatever he thought.

"But Uncle Ronnie’s behaviour of recent months is perturbing ... If Uncle Ronnie continues to be troublesome, we shall allow (the) proper characterisation of Ronnie Kasrils to be known and he will age a very bitter and angry man who (will) only have himself to blame."

The league "advised Uncle Ronnie" not to allow his hatred for the current ANC leadership to "cloud his political thinking".

"If comrade Ronnie is still unhappy with the outcomes of the 2007 December ANC conference (where Mr Zuma was elected party leader), we advise him to get psychological counselling so that he may accept the current state of the ANC and South Africa."