BREAKING: Zuma summons ANC top 5 to urgent meeting

President Jacob Zuma has summoned the other five top leaders of the ANC at short notice to a meeting in Pretoria on Thursday evening.

TimesLive has reliably learnt that ANC officials were given a message to meet the president at 6.30PM at his presidential home‚ Mahlambandlovu.

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The President's office were tasked at communicating the message late Thursday afternoon and the officials were made to go to Pretoria at short notice.

The top six is made up of Zuma‚ Cyril Ramaphosa‚ Baleka Mbete‚ Gwede Mantashe‚ Jessie Duarte and Zweli Mkhize.

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This meeting comes three days after Zuma told the ANC top six meeting that he wanted to remove finance minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas.

Only in exceptional circumstances does Zuma summon the ANC top leaders - when an issue cannot wait until their scheduled Monday meetings.

• UPDATE: ANC top 6 meeting wraps, reshuffle unfolding President Jacob Zuma has concluded a meeting with the top leaders of the ANC.

On Monday‚ Zuma cited an intelligence report which seeks to implicate Gordhan in trying to overthrow the state as a reason to remove him.

The president indicated that he would replace Gordhan with newly sworn-in ANC MP Brian Molefe but this was rejected by at least three top leaders.

• WATCH: Zuma laughs off cabinet reshuffle questionAmid confirmation from the South African Communist Party (SACP) of media reports that President Jacob Zuma informed them on Monday of plans to reshuffle Cabinet‚ the president has laughed off questions from a journalist on the steps of Parliament. 

The SACP in a meeting on Monday also rejected Zuma's decision to replace Gordhan. 

Zuma arrived in Pretoria from Cape Town after addressing the House of Traditional Leaders.

- TMG Digital/The Times