South Africa's ANC electing leader to replace scandal-ridden Jacob Zuma

South Africa's governingANC is set to elect a successor to President Jacob Zuma in aleadership vote by a party that has ruled since the end ofapartheid but lost its lustre in a welter of scandal andcorruption allegations.

Whoever emerges at the helm of the African NationalCongress, a 105-year-old liberation movement that dominates Africa's most industrialized economy, is likely to become thenext president after elections in 2019.

After long delays on the first day of the ANC conference onSaturday, the leadership contest remained too close to call. Most grassroots delegates backed Deputy President CyrilRamaphosa, 65, or Zuma's preferred candidate, his ex-wife Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, 68.

The election is perhaps the most pivotal moment for the ANCin its 23 years of power. Scandal and graft accusations havetainted Zuma's presidency and the party that launched blackmajority rule under Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nelson Mandela isnow deeply divided, its image tarnished at home and abroad.

Ramaphosa drew the majority of nominations from partybranches scattered across the country. But the complexity of theleadership race means it is far from certain he will win whenthe votes are finally counted.

Owing to the delays, the final result is now expected onlyon Monday.

"We hope to start voting at some point later this afternoon and have those results, as it now stands, possibly bytomorrow morning," said ANCDeputy Secretary General Jessie Duarte. "We don't rush results; we would like them to do a thoroughand proper job."

ANC spokespersonKhusela Sangoni said the party had completedvetting the eligibility of roughly 6,000 delegates to decide whowould take part in the voting.

'It is going to be very close'

The ANC said 4,776 delegates of the more than 6,000attending the conference would be allowed to vote in the tight race. "Credentials are the make and break of the conference,"she said.

As well as electing a new leader, the ANC will choose seniorofficials such as the secretary general and members of the National Executive Committee. It will also set policy prioritiesfor the run-up to the 2019 election.

Formal nominations of Ramaphosa and Dlamini-Zuma andcandidates for other positions was due to start later on Sunday.

Under ANC rules, a majority of nominations is not the sameas the most votes at the conference and delegates are not boundto vote for a particular candidate.

How the delegates do cast their ballots may also be subjectto vote-buying and intimidation widely acknowledged to haveswayed previous leadership contests.

"It is going to be very close," aseniorANCsource said. "Both camps have spreadsheets where they have calculated thenumber of delegates on their side. Both sides have differentassumptions and guesswork."

Dlamini-Zuma pledged during her campaign to tackle theracial inequality that persists in South Africa since the end of white minority rule. Ramaphosa has vowed to fightcorruption and revitalize the economy. That message has gone down well with foreign investors.

In a boost to Ramaphosa, courts ruled that officials fromsome provinces seen as supporting Dlamini-Zuma had been electedillegally and were barred from the conference.

Troubled tenure

In his last speech as ANC leader on Saturday, Zuma announcedplans to raise subsidies to tertiary colleges and universities,a move analysts said was timed to appeal to the more populistmembers of the party.

He also lashed out at members of the ANC who turned to the courts to resolve party issued and called on the party to unite behind whoever is declared the winner, saying: "The movement(ANC) must be the winner and not individuals."

The allegations have included undue influence in makingcabinet appointments and awarding state tenders to his friends,the wealthy Gupta family. Zuma and the Guptas have denied anywrongdoing.

In August, Zuma narrowly survived another attempt inparliament to force him from office after some members of his party voted with the opposition in a no-confidence vote.