The Congress of the People (Cope) has called for a mass resignation by Cabinet in protest against President Jacob Zuma's reshuffle, which saw Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan and his deputy Mcebisi Jonas among those removed.

"In our view this was not a genuine and honest Cabinet reshuffle based on performance evaluation," spokesperson Dennis Bloem said on Friday.

"If it was, then ministers such as Bathabile Dlamini, Des van Rooyen, Faith Muthambi, and Mosebenzi Zwane could have been kicked out because it is common cause that their performance is mediocre and dismal."

He questioned how Zuma could justify sacking a competent individual like Tourism Minister Derek Hanekom and keep an incompetent one like Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini.

Dlamini had until Friday to file an affidavit to the Constitutional Court explaining why she should not be held personally liable for the legal costs of the South Africa Social Security Agency (Sassa) case.

Zuma had already made it clear that the African National Congress (ANC) was more important than the country.

"We also call on those MPs who still have a conscience not to continue to incubate a scoundrel in Parliament," Bloem said.

A group of disgruntled ANC members unhappy about the axing of then-president Thabo Mbeki formed Cope in December 2008.

The Freedom Front Plus said the only upside to the reshuffle was that the ANC could lose the 2019 elections.

The party believed the appointment of "joker" Fikile Mbalula as police minister showed there was no serious intention to tackle crime.

The party's MP, Pieter Groenewald, said this was the time for those ministers who had threatened to resign, to do so.