Former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa's resignation from the ANC is the "height of hypocrisy" and a sign that he cannot be trusted, the SA Transport and Allied Workers Union (Satawu) said on Wednesday.

"This is the height of hypocrisy, smacks of opportunism and is indicative of a comrade that should never be trusted," Satawu spokesperson Randall Howard said.

He described Shilowa as an ambitious man who rose to senior ANC positions despite breaking the trust of those who elected him.

Howard said Shilowa's decision was due to his loyalty to former President Thabo Mbeki.

"His decision is fundamentally informed by his loyalty to Thabo Mbeki... he has now proved that he is blindly loyal to him," he said.

Howard called on Satawu members not to follow "this counter revolutionary crusade" as it was intended to undermine the working class bias in the national democratic revolution.

"We know that he was never a genuine member of the ANC and only used it for his own personal ambition and continued solidarity to the person he sold his soul to by agreeing to adopt Gear which did not benefit the millions of poor," Howard said.

Howard said Satawu would now focus on the registration campaign for next year's elections and mobilise its members to vote for the ANC.

Sapa