Factionalism was a bad tendency within the ruling party, its secretary general, Gwede Mantashe, said, according to a report on Monday.
He was speaking in Klerksdorp in North West province, where two mayors have been recalled and the regional secretary of the Dr Kenneth Kaunda ANC region has been suspended.
"Factionalism is a problem... we talked about it here a great deal," Mantashe said, according to an SABC radio news report.
"Factionalism manifests in a number of ways where people become loyal to a grouping instead of the organisation. We are repeating our message over and over, that factionalism is bad for the organisation.
"It is intolerant, it is narrow, it never discusses the organisation, it discusses names of people. It is a bad tendency," said Mantashe.
The Sowetan newspaper reported last week that police had to use teargas and rubber bullets to disperse a group of African National Congress members who invaded a meeting of the provincial executive committee in Rustenburg.
This meeting was discussing the turmoil in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda region.
Dr Kenneth Kaunda mayor Boitumelo Moloi, his counterpart Maphetle Maphetle of the Tlokwe local municipality, and ANC regional secretary Aubuti Chika were fired by the regional executive committee in January amidst claims of corruption and maladministration.
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