Support for the African National Congress (ANC) in the Western Cape is on the decline, the party’s provincial executive committee (PEC) revealed on Sunday.

Provincial secretary Faiez Jacobs in a statement said it had received a preliminary pre-audit on membership and the number of branches in good standing in preparation for its policy conference.

The report showed that membership numbers have declined over the past five years.

These numbers, Jacobs said, do not include renewal of membership during the last six months.

“The PEC agreed to launch a campaign to address the state of membership and call on anyone who wishes to join the ANC to get in touch with the local branch and to report any incident of gate-keeping to the PEC,” he said.

The Cabinet reshuffle and the nationwide protests against President Jacob Zuma were among the issues discussed during the provincial executive’s scheduled meeting on Saturday.

Jacobs said while they reaffirmed President Jacob Zuma’s right to make changes to his national executive, the PEC reiterated the national working committee's stance that such reshuffling should be done in consultation with the leadership.

He said the provincial committee felt the Integrity Commission is the "best internal instrument to investigate the conduct of the President" and to make recommendations.

"The PEC calls for an urgent special meeting of the National Executive Committee the highest organ of the ANC between national conferences, to discuss the report of the NWC and to conclude on this matter," Jacobs said.

He also condemned what the PEC called attacks on two former ministers as well as members of the Cabinet, warning that such behaviour does not bode well for the unity or integrity of the party.

“We also condemn the attacks on Comrade Derek Hanekom, the convenor of NEC-deployees to the Western Cape, and Comrade Barbara Hogan, the widow of the late Comrade [Ahmed] Kathrada, in particular the racist undertones of these attacks on these former political prisoners,” he said.