ANC gathers to elect new president

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress today opened its conference in Polokwane to elect a new president amid bitter divisions between incumbent Thabo Mbeki and his deputy Jacob Zuma.

Mr Zuma was expected to win the nomination as he had the majority of support going into the conference despite being under a continuing cloud of corruption allegations.

This will put him in position to be president of the country at the next elections in 2009.

The start of the meeting was delayed as Zuma supporters drowned out the conference chairman with an anti-apartheid song Bring Me My Machine Gun which has become Mr Zuma’s anthem.