(bbc) When Jacob Zuma, the victor in the bruising African National Congress (ANC) battle for the party's presidency, hugged the outgoing incumbent in front of the entire conference of some 5,000, the message was clear and unequivocal - the time for division is over. It is hard to overstate just how deeply divided the party became in this election. They were voting not just for the presidency, but for the six most senior positions within the ANC. Every one of Jacob Zuma's preferred candidates won over their rivals from Thabo Mbeki's camp, and with almost identical margins of victory - roughly 60%-40%. This suggests that while the charismatic Jacob Zuma had plenty of support in the conference, his greatest asset was Thabo Mbeki himself. Political analyst Adam Habib believes the result was more a rebellion against the aloof incumbent than it was a vote of support for his controversial challenger. "Mbeki's leadership has been seen as out of touch with the rank and file," Mr Habib said.

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