The executive should consider appealing Thursday's high court ruling instructing President Jacob Zuma to hand over documents he used to justify his Cabinet reshuffle, the African National Congress (ANC) said.

While the party respected and supported the judiciary, it was up to Zuma and his executive to decide whether or not to reveal his reasons, spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said.

Arguing against the Democratic Alliance's (DA's) application for access to the documents, Zuma's lawyers had told the High Court in Pretoria that he was exercising his powers in terms of section 91(2) of the Constitution and that he made an executive decision that deserved protection from disclosure.

Kodwa said the ANC respected the independence of the judiciary and the doctrine of the separation of powers. "Hence we think that the executive should consider appealing the ruling”.

DA federal executive chair James Selfe said the ruling was a victory not only for the party, but for all South Africans who deserved to know on what basis Zuma made his “disastrous” decision.

Last week, the DA filed an urgent application to force Zuma to supply his record of decision after he said the party was not entitled to see it.

“Now that the high court has confirmed that President Zuma must supply his record of decision within five days of today’s ruling, our earlier application to review the rationality of his decision can proceed. The record of decision should also contain the now infamous ‘intelligence report’ which South Africa and the court can fully interrogate,” said Selfe.

Zuma ought to have rationally foreseen the consequences of this reshuffle on the country. It would likely swell the ranks of the country's nine million unemployed, given ratings agencies' downgrades of the country's debt to junk status, which his decision precipitated, Selfe added.

President spokesperson Bongani Ngqulunga was not immediately available for comment.