The ANC was waiting for word from President Thabo Mbeki on its proposal that party deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe be sworn in as a member of Parliament, ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said on Tuesday.

"The ANC is waiting for word from President Thabo Mbeki on its proposal that its deputy Kgalema Motlanthe can go to Parliament," Mantashe said.

"We want him in Cabinet and want him to have a broader role that doesn't just lock him into a line function.

"We want him to be part of the team that manages transition (until the next elections)".

Motlanthe's function would be to gather an overview of government's functioning and to see which areas needed to be repackaged ahead of the elections.

He said it was important to the party as it had no top leadership in cabinet and Motlanthe was the only one who could be included.

Sapa