A top South African official in Addis Ababa said SA contributed 20% of the AU’s annual budget. In fact, SA, together with Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria and Libya, contributed 75% of the AU’s budget, Siphokazi Magadla, a foreign policy lecturer at Rhodes University, said.

Ms Magadla said a victory would be a decisive signal to SA as an affirmation of its position to play a leading role in African affairs. Since the end of the Mbeki era SA has been accused by other African countries of mere rhetoric on the importance of its African agenda, while sending inexperienced representatives to the AU, Ms Magadla said. Ms Dlamini-Zuma’s candidacy was "in a small way a remedy to such perceptions".

Last year, on a state visit to SA, Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete urged the country, as "Africa’s only economic, political and military power of significance", to play a prominent role on the continent. "Therefore, SA has a leadership responsibility on the African continent. SA has to play that role and you cannot shy away from it. If you don’t perform that duty, we’ll suspect your intentions," he said.

If elected, Ms Dlamini-Zuma said her first task would be to transform the AU into a p an-African institution that would be at the "selfless service" of the continent. "In short, Africa’s success in this century lies in enhanced integration and overcoming dialectically interrelated challenges of development, democracy and peace and security", she said.

Pretoria believes not all the French-speaking countries in Africa will back Mr Ping’s bid. Obed Bapela, a deputy minister in the Presidency, said some countries in West Africa had in confidence assured SA of their votes.

President Jacob Zuma will, on his return from the World Economic Forum in Davos, attend a heads of state meeting of AU members in Addis Ababa on Sunday. He will be supported by his foreign policy adviser, Lindiwe Zulu, and the ministers of trade and industry, international relations, and public administration.

International Relations and Co-operation Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane yesterday participated in a session with her continental counterparts to review reports on the performance of the institution over the past 12 months.

The summit will also discuss infrastructure projects related to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development and the African Peer Review Mechanism.

The past year has seen a big shift in the African political scene with the rise of pro-democracy movements, particularly in North Africa. This will be the first time in many years that former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, killed during the uprising in his country, will be absent from the summit.