Addressing the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa's jobs summit in Randburg, Vavi said there was a leadership paralysis in the ANC and warned that the country was in danger of imploding because of the jobs bloodbath.

"We will not get out of this crisis, comrades, as along there is paralysis at the top.

"Polokwane [ANC's 2007 elective conference] was very categoric, very clear. It said all of our economic policies must centre [on a] decent worker agenda and eradication of poverty.

"From the economic policy point of view, there can be no confusion. The confusion happens when the leadership allows a stalemate in the cabinet," Vavi said.

He also lambasted what he called "double-speak" coming from the government when addressing economic policies.

He said there was "basically a grouping that pushes its own agenda on the microeconomic strategy, [while another wants] the current economic policy to remain".

In a frank discussion with Numsa members, Vavi said the unity that led to a change of ANC leadership in Polokwane, which saw Zuma being elected party leader, was fractured and [leaders] did not see eye to eye.

"There can be no denial that we are fighting against ourselves at the moment in a very bad space in the movement. There is nothing common between us now, except that we were all wounded before Polokwane."

He said leaders who fought for change in Polokwane were now looking beyond 2012 and were preoccupying themselves with who was going to be the new leader.

Last night, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela added her voice to the current political atmosphere.

She told guests during her acceptance of a Drum Magazine award that the ANC needed new leadership. "As we celebrate the centenary year of the ANC next year, we hope that we won't recycle leadership and we will have new leadership," she said.

Vavi told Numsa members that the ANC and its alliance partners were in danger come the 2014 national elections.

He said the unemployed and youth were getting tired of empty rhetoric, slogans and promises, and that hunger and unemployment would force them to seek other alternatives.

Vavi said frustration among the poor was growing, especially in townships and informal settlements.

He said some senior government officials were too preoccupied with power games to care about the poor and unemployed.

"We're in trouble politically ... In 2014 we [will not be able to] offer answers when our people ask what have we done [to eradicate unemployment and poverty]."