Future South Africa on Sunday again urged the ANC to recall President Jacob Zuma before the February 8 State of the Nation address (SONA), saying he embodies "misgovernance".
In a letter to ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa, FutureSA said the party's collective leadership should do what was in the interest of the over 55 million people living in the country.
The SONA was an important occasion for the country, a moment that highlighted government’s central role in the development of the country and uplifting the people.
"It’s an occasion where protocol and symbolism befitting the decorum of the occasion is upheld. It is also an occasion where the integrity, transparency, and accountability of the state should be on display.
FutureSA calls on ANC leadership to recall President #Zuma ahead of the #SONA2018 address. See full letter below. #ANCTop6 pic.twitter.com/TUYdGNeCni
— FutureSA (@Future_SA_) February 4, 2018
"It should be an occasion where government is able show that it is indeed in touch with the struggles of ordinary people. President Jacob Zuma, who is set to deliver the Sona, unfortunately embodies none of this," the letter said.
"He is a president that has for years now been dogged by scandal after scandal related to state capture and corruption.
"He is a president who has been found to have flouted the constitution, and who in the eyes of most South Africans lacks the credibility and integrity to lead this country.
"President Zuma embodies the antithesis of the core principles of what it means to be a good leader. He embodies ‘misgovernance’.
"FutureSA believes that the ANC has been presented with an opportunity to ensure that February 8 can and must be different.
"This year’s Sona can be an address that honours the decorum and dignity of the House, and one that truly takes into consideration the sentiment of the public.
"It can be one that sets the tone and shows that government, and indeed the ruling party, is serious about dealing with corruption and tackling state capture.
"For this to happen though, President Zuma must be prevented from delivering the Sona. The ANC has the power to recall President Zuma from his duties as president of the country before the Sona address and send a clear signal that it is embarking on a new path – a path of true leadership, in tune with the needs of the people, and committed to good governance and the end of state capture.
"The leadership of the ANC has a responsibility to the people of South Africa – we should not be forced to listen to a president who has long given up the country’s interests for those of a few and who has failed in his undertaking to serve the Republic."
Until Zuma was recalled from office, action against state capture would be limited, and talk about eradicating corruption would remain hollow, and somewhat meaningless, FutureSA said.