Mr. Ramaphosa, 65, the country’s deputy president, is popular among business groups and voters in urban areas, especially the black middle-class. Ms. Dlamini-Zuma, 68, his main rival, was most recently chairwoman of the African Union Commission. Analysts have said the race is too close to call, but over the weekend, amid horse-trading and private negotiations, there were indications that Mr. Ramaphosa was pulling ahead. The local news media reported that the disqualification of the 400 voters appeared to have favored Mr. Ramaphosa. The party’s national chairwoman, Baleka Mbete, who had also been running for party leader, announced that she would endorse Mr. Ramaphosa.

Source: New York Times December 17, 2017 18:56 UTC