Terror Lekota has dismissed reports of a leadership battle within the Congress of the People, saying he has been elected to lead the party in the run-up to the general elections, SABC reported on Friday.

"The Congress' national committee met and in the light of these reports, made a very firm determination that I will lead the Congress of the People through the election campaign. We will deal with other matters beyond that," Lekota told the public broadcaster in Somerset West in the Western Cape on Thursday evening.

"Where these other stories and all these rumours come from, we do not know. We can only surmise that there are elements who think they may undermine the unity of the organisation by peddling stories like that," said Lekota.

Lekota, former defence minister and an ex-chairperson of the ruling African National Congress, started the new party alongside his former deputy, Mluleki George, and former Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa after a public fall-out with the ANC leadership, partly over the decision to axe former president Thabo Mbeki.