Athletics SA (ASA) has failed the country and athlete Caster Semenya because its leadership failures were not corrected, the African National Congress said on Friday.

"As the ANC we were under the impression that Athletics South Africa (ASA) would... censure all those in its leadership who played a role in the mishandling of the matter... of Caster Semenya..." spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said in a statement.

ASA president Leonard Chuene was given a unanimous vote of confidence at an ASA special general meeting in Kempton Park on Thursday, despite numerous calls for his resignation.

The party described the decision by ASA as "unfortunate and not helpful at all".

"It is very clear that ASA... failed to rise-up to the expectation above, thereby failing the South African public, Caster Semenya and the sporting fraternity," Mthembu said.

Chuene admitted to lying about having any knowledge of gender tests conducted on Semenya in Pretoria two weeks before she clinched a gold in the women's 800m at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin.

Questions subsequently arose about Semenya's gender.

"It is our view that ASA has missed an opportunity to win back the confidence of all South Africans and they instead have dragged the name of ASA and the South Africa sporting fraternity into further disrepute," said Mthembu.

The party said it was also saddened that the ASA meeting could find "no one to bring to book on these matters and could not even propose a process through which these failures could be corrected".

"We are now left with no alternative but to ask the South African government and the... sporting fraternity to redeem the integrity of our country in the eyes of both the South African public and the international community on this matter," said Mthembu.