Mpumalanga Premier David Mabuza says there would be no such thing as voting with their conscience for African National Congress (ANC) MPs should a request for a motion of 'no confidence' against President Jacob Zuma be granted.

Opposition parties in Parliament have requested that Speaker Baleka Mbete allow for an urgent sitting of the National Assembly in order to debate a vote of no confidence against Zuma following his shock national executive shake-up last week.

"You vote there, you vote with the DA [Democratic Alliance], with the EFF [Economic Freedom Fighters] [then] we are going to remove you and deploy another comrade there and reverse that thing because we are the majority there," Mabuza said.

Opposition parties have also requested that Mbete consider allowing a special sitting for a debate on what they termed an urgent matter. The National Assembly is currently on recess.

Mbete, who cut short a trip to Bangladesh, told journalists at a media briefing shortly after arriving on Sunday that she would consider the request.

Mabuza said the ANC's MPs were sent to the House to represent the party and could not vote against the governing party.

"That vote is not yours, we are borrowing it to you. It's the vote of the ANC," the Mpumalanga chair reiterated.

Both EFF leader Julius Malema and DA leader Mmusi Maimane say they have been in discussions with some MPs in the ANC caucus on ways to remove their president.

They have urged members of the governing party to not abstain but instead to vote against the ANC.

However, Mabuza said the party was going to see to it that that did not happen.

"We are going to exercise discipline in the ANC. You don't do that, you just don't do that," said Mabuza.

Setting a precedent and voting with the opposition against the party in the National Assembly will cause major challenges across smaller municipalities with ANC councillors voting with the DA, Mabuza said.

He said only the ANC had the right to decide whether or not Zuma should stay at the helm or not.

"The ANC will decide to vote for another president and that president will be taken to Parliament and will then become president of the country and vice-versa. You don't start by putting your president in Parliament," Mabuza said.

Mabuza said the ANC was heading to a point where it would have to replace President Zuma.

The 105-year-old party will elect new leadership at its 54th national elective conference in December.

"This is the opportunity for us to unite the ANC," he said, adding that the party was against factionalism in the process.