Johannesburg - South Africa's ruling African National Congress' (ANC) went into damage control mode Tuesday following the shock resignation of 11 cabinet ministers over President Thabo Mbeki's ousting by the party.

"We think that this is under control. There's no crisis," ANC secretary-general Gwede Mantashe told a hastily-convened news conference in Johannesburg.

Mantashe said only six of the ministers had refused to return to serve under a yet-to-be-named acting president.

The rest had resigned as a matter of procedure, because they had been appointed by Mbeki and were waiting to be reappointed by the acting president, to be named Thursday, he inferred.

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, one of the world's longest-serving and most popular finance ministers who has overseen a decade of steady growth, was among those who quit after Mbeki was forced to resign on Sunday.

Manuel's resignation caused the rand to plummet but it later recovered after he said through his spokeswoman he was was "ready to assist and serve" a new administration.

Other losses include Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota; and Public Enterprises Minister Alec Erwin.

The ANC had appealed Mbeki's cabinet loyalists to remain in office after Mbeki was forced out of office on the weekend on suspicion of interfering in a corruption case against Zuma.

The party appeared to have been caught off guard by the announcement of the resignations, which was made by Mbeki's office.

"At this point we have not discussed any next step," Mantashe said. (dpa)