Johannesburg - President Thabo Mbeki had no regrets in hindsight on how he dealt with firing his deputy, Jacob Zuma, he told SABC television on Sunday night.

"I explained in parliament the reason for the way we acted. There is nothing to add or subtract from that explanation."

He said that calls such as "Jacob Zuma for President" at the party's recent national general council were abnormal for the ANC.

"It was important to say (to them) - you are members of an organisation and there are certain disciplines that have to be observed. Certain behaviour is alien."

In the interview, Mbeki also expressed doubts that the alliance with the SA Communist Party, the Congress of SA Trade Unions and the SA National Civics Organisation was shaky.

He put the existence of "natural tensions" down to different tasks and different mandates between the ANC and other alliance parties.

"Certainly the ANC cannot act only on the basis of what its allies say."

The ruling party also had to consult with business, consumers and the international community, he said.

Mbeki fobbed off any possibility of the alliance falling apart.

"In the labour market, all legislation introduced came out of the alliance. I am certain workers would say that the party that has advanced their interests is the ANC.

"With new demands, the people most likely to listen are (still) the ANC."

Mbeki further said that protests about service delivery were the result of local ANC branches not maintaining sufficient contact with their electorates.

He criticised individuals at all levels of government who used positions in the party for their own self-interest.

He also said a huge challenge the party faced was having the funds to give it organisational capacity.

The recent NGC had decided that branch subsidies should remain in branch coffers rather than a portion being sent to head office.

The same should apply where party officials were able to generate resources at regional level.

"We are trying to look at ways to increase organisational capacity," he told the SABC.

With acknowledgements to Sapa and News24.