The ANC's Fikile Mbalula pulled no punches in issuing a stern warning to his comrades about polling against President Jacob Zuma in a vote of no confidence.
His message was clear: if a member of the party votes for the president to be removed, the ANC will "deal" with them.
The police minister was speaking at a media briefing at the party's national policy conference on Sunday.
He said ANC Members of Parliament are accountable to the party structure and are they are deployed to promote the mandate of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC).
"The NEC decided that we will not withdraw our president from Parliament or from the executive so all party members in terms of ANC discipline are supposes to follow that position...The ANC will have to apply disciplinary procedures for those who want to use their so-called conscience to determine the voting in Parliament," Mbalula said.
"It [voting for Zuma's removal] would be against the decisions of the ANC; it is not a question of threatening people, it is a question of articulating the position of the ANC in relation to that matter of the withdrawal of the president."
He said members of Parliament owe their mandate to the party and that opposition parties also subject their members to expulsion if their party's agendas are not carried forward in Parliament.
"There could be people who undermine the ANC and go to Parliament and not vote for us. We are going to deal with them...There is no way that the ANC can vote with the DA in this particular matter," Mbalula said.
He compared those who vote against Zuma to suicide bombers.
Last month, the Constitutional Court ruled that the National Assembly Speaker Balete Mbete was empowered by parliamentary rules to allow for a secret ballot in a vote of no confidence in Zuma.
Political parties have until 14 July to submit their views on whether the vote should happen in secret.
Mbete will make her decision on this matter on August 8.