South African President Thabo Mbeki is in danger of being toppled from the helm of the ruling ANC as party members prepare to vote for their leader at this week’s five-day conference.
Jacob Zuma, sacked by Mr Mbeki as deputy head of state in 2005, is the hot favourite to overthrow the incumbent in a move that would severely dent the president's authority in his last two years as head of state.
But Mr Mbeki is not going down without a fight, with hundreds of his supporters staging a show of strength outside the conference hall on Monday, where chants of "Mbeki, my president" drowned out rival songs by backers of Mr Zuma.
Given the ANC's large majority in parliament, a victorious Mr Zuma would normally be almost guaranteed the job of head of state after Mr Mbeki stands down in 2009.
But Mr Zuma faces being charged with corruption after losing a recent court bid to have a series of search warrants declared illegal.
Known for its discipline during the fight against the whites-only apartheid regime, the conference this week has exposed the bitter divisions within the African National Congress.
The leadership contest this week is the first one with competing candidates in 50 years.
Security guards at one stage had to separate delegates from rival camps as supporters of Mr Mbeki taunted followers of Mr Zuma, and vice versa.
Official nominations for the presidency and other senior party posts had been due to open on Sunday evening, but technical squabbles over the voting format delayed the start, which will commence today instead.
‘Voting will start today for the top six positions, which will be counted manually, and the results are expected tomorrow,’ said Smuts Ngonyama, head of the ANC president's staff.
Just over 4,000 delegates will have the right to vote. They went into a closed session to debate the nominations this morning.
Mr Zuma, 65, won the backing of five of the ANC's nine provincial branches as well as the women's and youth leagues in a round of primaries, making him the clear frontrunner.
Victory would cap a remarkable political comeback following Mr Zuma’s sacking as South Africa's vice president after the conviction of his financial advisor for fraud.
Further ignominy came when he was charged with raping a family friend less than half his age. Though acquitted, he was widely ridiculed for admitting to having showered after sex with his HIV-positive accuser to prevent infection.
