South Africa's ANC executives to decide on President Jacob Zuma's future

South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) are due to meet to decide on the future of President Jacob Zuma.

The decision comes after nearly five days of talks between Zuma and the deputy president, Cyril Ramaphosa, who took over the leadership of the ANC in December.

Zuma has overseen a tumultuous nine years in power marked by economic decline and numerous allegations of corruption.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) is likely to ask him to step down, says BBC Africa Correspondent Andrew Harding.

ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged on Sunday that the issue was causing "disunity and discord".

The need for an emergency meeting of the national executive committee, which has the power to instruct Zuma to resign, suggests the president has yet to agree to leave office.

According to ANC rules, all members, even elected officials, fulfill their functions according to the will of the party.

Ramaphosa, who only just won a bitterly fought internal election to become president of the ANC, has the support of only just over half the members of its top decision-making body.

Zuma retains significant support in the party’s youth and women’s leagues, as well as at a local level in some provinces.

"As you have all heard, the National Executive Committee of the ANC will be meeting tomorrow... and because our people want this matter to be finalised, the NEC will be doing precisely that," Ramaphosa told the rally in Cape Town.

He acknowledged the ANC was suffering "a period of difficulty, disunity and discord" and said he wanted to replace it with "a new beginning".

He pledged to tackle the corruption that has marred Zuma's time in office.