Bitter leadership battle at S. Africa party conference

December 17, 2007

South Africa's ruling African National Congress party is holding a turbulent conference to pick either President Thabo Mbeki or his former deputy, Jacob Zuma, to lead the party into elections in 2009. Mbeki, who was sacked as deputy president in 2005, is the favourite to overthrow the incumbent but Mbeki's supporters have staged a show of strength at the conference, being held in the northern city of Polokwane. Delays due to wrangling over the ballot process at the conference meant the run-off between the two was pushed back to Tuesday.