Five of the African National Congress's (ANC's) top officials have pulled out of all mass mobilisation events that were planned for Cape Town on Friday.

News24 has been reliably informed that all officials have been summoned back to Gauteng.

ANC President Cyril Ramaphosa had earlier withdrawn from the programme and was expected to continue his meeting with the country's president Jacob Zuma.

ANC Western Cape secretary Faiez Jacobs also confirmed to News24 that the officials would not be attending the events ahead of the planned Nelson Mandela centenary celebrations.

"The office bearers won't be joining the programme today and tomorrow but will definitely be back in Cape Town and be part of the rally on Sunday," said Jacobs.

It was also announced on Thursday afternoon that the 2018 annual Ubuntu awards had been postponed until further notice.

Zuma had been set to officiate at the awards ceremony at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Saturday.

On Tuesday, Parliament's presiding officers announced that Thursday's State of the Nation Address had been indefinitely postponed amid fears that it might descend into chaos.

The ANC NEC, which is the highest decision-making body in the party, was due to take a final decision on Zuma's future on Wednesday but party president Cyril Ramaphosa dramatically cancelled the NEC meeting this week after what he called a "constructive and fruitful" meeting with Zuma on Tuesday.