Ebrahim Rasool was fired as Western Cape premier partly because of allegations that he had bribed journalists to report favourably about him, the ANC revealed yesterday.

Defending a charge that the party never took any action when allegations were first made against Rasool, who is now SA ambassador to the US, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said: "Rasool was removed as premier of the Western Cape all because of this case, among other things.

"At that point in time there was no confession. There were all these allegations and they were polluting the environment within the ANC in that province and we removed him as a premier, full stop."

Former Argus journalist Ashley Smith last month publicly confessed that he had received money in return for writing pro-Rasool stories at the height of the power struggle between the former premier and the then ANC Western Cape secretary Mcebisi Skwatsha and stalwart James Ngculu.

Mantashe said yesterday that he found it difficult to accept Smith's confession as he was a "liar for a fee" who had previously denied that he had been paid.

He questioned Smith's motive for changing his story now, and suggested that it may have to do with his unhappiness over Rasool's new appointment as ambassador.

Rasool has consistently denied any wrongdoing on his part and has tried to discredit Smith.

Mantashe said Smith had lost all credibility and that the ruling party was "cynical" about him.

"If he lied for a fee, he can lie for a bigger fee today. I suspect that he is lying for a fee because he is angry that Rasool was deployed and 'what happened to me?'" said Mantashe.