Cape Town — President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa has publicly defended his decision to fire deputy health minister Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge, citing her "inability to work as part of a collective."

The dismissal of Madlala-Routledge has caused a political furore in South Africa, largely because she is perceived to have a stronger record on fighting HIV/Aids than either Mbeki or his health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.

Reacting to the outcry, Mbeki decided on Saturday to publish the full text of his letter dismissing Madlala-Routledge.

In the letter, he wrote that members of the government were constitutionally obliged to "work collectively to develop and implement national policies." He said she had failed to do this, both in her previous post as deputy defence minister and in her health ministry job.

Mbeki also suggested that Madlala-Routledge's unauthorized trip to a conference in Spain showed she had "no intention to abide by the constitutional prescriptions that bind all of us."