ANC says South African dissidents pose no threat at polls

South Africa's ruling party boss Jacob Zuma said Sunday the African National Congress would defeat a new splinter group in next year's election, calling for debate with the dissidents.

Speaking to a crowd of 15,000 people in a Soweto stadium, Zuma said that the ANC was prepared to debate the new party.

But he insisted the dissidents were simply angry at losing influence after he took control of the party from former president Thabo Mbeki last December.

"These people made it clear that they were not prepared to work with the new leadership of the ANC shortly after December 2007," Zuma told the cheering crowd.

"We can't wait for them to form their party so that we can engage them in debate, not in anger," said Zuma.

Zuma has been on a nationwide charm offensive to shore up the ANC base, telling supporters that the breakaway faction poses no threat to the party that led the struggle against apartheid.

"The ANC is still the party it was in the old days," he said to deafening applause. "We are going to win the upcoming election with an overwhelming majority, as we have done in previous years."

He spoke one day after more than 7,000 dissidents met in Johannesburg to lay out a platform for their party, which they plan to launch on December 16.

Many of the leading dissidents are supporters of Mbeki, who was forced by the ANC to resign as South Africa's president in September, following a long power struggle with Zuma.

Mbeki's ouster exposed deep divisions within the party, leading to the breakaway movement which says it will challenge the ANC in next year's elections.