Archbishop Desmond Tutu's stated intention not to vote in next year's elections unless the ANC heals its divisions, has drawn sharp comment from political parties.

Inkatha Freedom Party leader Mangosuthu Buthelezi said on Monday the answer to the ANC's "current crisis of leadership" lay in more, not less, public participation in the political process.

"Archbishop Tutu remains an iconic figure and his political opinions matter to many South Africans.

"His vow that he will not vote in the next election is an unfortunate response to the ongoing crisis of leadership in the ruling party.

"The Archbishop's view is practically an endorsement of voter apathy," Buthelezi said.

The IFP was concerned Tutu made public his choice not to vote just at the start of the national voter registration drive by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and individual political parties.

KwaZulu-Natal, in particular, was set to record the lowest level of voter participation since the advent of democracy, given the slump in the number of registered voters in the province and the slow pace of new registrations by the IEC.

"South Africans have only one way of resolving the current political crisis — by participating in the political process and by voting for the alternative to the political party whose internal squabbles have brought this crisis about in the first place," Buthelezi said.

Azapo-Youth said Tutu's statement was disquieting, because as a public figure, he should not make such "careless statements".

"What kind of a democrat [is it] who decides not to vote when a ruling party is in a muddle? A proper democrat would know that by not voting you [are] actually giving the ruling party more power. Hence it's not a solution to boycott elections.

"As an organisation we are making a clarion call to all South Africans to go all out in their numbers to demonstrate their anger, impatience, frustration and desire for change in the upcoming elections, and not to take [the] Archbishop's statement as a gospel sentiment," Azapo-Youth said.

Sapa