Monday's disciplinary hearing for Terror Lekota and Mluleki George, which fell away after their resignation, would have included charges of creating division in the ANC, the ANC said.

Lekota, a former ANC chairperson and defence minister, resigned on Friday, and George, the former Amathole regional chairperson and deputy defence minister, resigned on Sunday.

Both were suspended on 13 October after appearing on a radio show questioning the ruling party's behaviour as it supported its president Jacob Zuma through his legal travails.

This weekend they were at the forefront of a convention which resolved to form a new political party, initially named the South African Democratic Congress, on 16 December.

Lekota had faced eight charges, among them undermining respect for the structures of the organisation, participating in organised factional activity, bringing the organisation into disrepute, and "engaging in behaviour which manifests a flagrant violation of the moral integrity expected of members".

George faced four charges, including behaving in such a way as to provoke serious divisions within the ANC, undermining respect for the structures of the organisation, prejudicing the operational capacity of the organisation, and acting on behalf of or in collaboration with a group of people seeking to prevent it from fulfilling its mission and objectives.

They resigned after receiving the charge sheets that would have formed the basis of Monday's disciplinary committee proceedings, the statement said. "Now that neither of them is an ANC member, the charges fall away."

Lekota was removed as premier of the Free State after an internal process linked himself and Ace Magashule to divisions in the province's political structures in 1996.

Sapa