African National Congress veteran Fatima Meer is not leaving the ruling party, spokesperson Carl Niehaus said on Friday.

"Meer is an old stalwart of the ANC and the information we received is that she is not leaving the ANC."

Niehaus said one should be "very careful" before using the names of elderly people such as Meer.

"What we heard was that [Terror] Lekota visited her and then a statement was made [that Meer was supporting Lekota's breakaway faction]. It's unacceptable to use her name when she did not say so."

The newly formed party, Congress of the People, announced on Thursday that Meer was supporting them instead of the African National Congress.

According to the SABC, Meer made the announcement at her Durban home, where she was visited by Cope leader Lekota.

Meer told Cope officials that she no longer had faith in the ANC, the broadcaster reported.

Beeld newspaper quoted Meer as saying that she had not joined the new party, but supported what it stood for.

"What happened is that Mr Lekota came to see me at my house today (Thursday) and I told him I thought many of the things he is doing are brave. I support many of the things that he stands for. He is an old friend of mine," Meer told the newspaper.

She would not be drawn on whether she would join the party formally at a later stage, or vote for it.

"But I will support the party," she said.

Meer (80), participated in the passive resistance campaign of the 1940s and was an organiser of the 1956 pass protest by women at the Union Buildings.

At the launch of the ANC's election manifesto campaign on Friday, policy committee chairperson Jeff Radebe said the party was not threatened by Cope or members leaving to join the new party.

"When people joined the ANC there was no announcement. Now that some people are leaving for different reasons, people just call their journalist friends to announce that they were leaving," Radebe said.

He said as the members leave, they were being replaced by new members joining the ruling party, and that the ANC hoped to have more than 1 million members by 2012.

Sapa