Mmusi Maimane blasts 'Judas' Steenhuisen

Steenhuisen was elected interim leader of the organisation until it hosts an elective conference later this year.

While touring the country as part of his "Real state of the nation" tour, Steenhuisen told a group in Durban that Maimane had focused too much on criticising the ANC and not enough effort on presenting solutions, Eyewitness News reported on Saturday morning.

Maimane reacted to the report in a series of tweets.

He started by saying "the previous administration was dismal" before adding, "All opposition parties were critical of the ANC under Zuma".

Maimane ends that first tweet by calling Steenhuisen "Judas Steenhuisen", seemingly in reference to Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus in the Bible.

He goes on to say that the man who served as chief whip under him was "in full agreement" with the party's approach at the time.