An African National Congress (ANC) Veterans League, with voting rights, will be launched at Esselen Park this weekend, party secretary-general Gwede Mantashe said on Thursday.

"The league will have voting rights like the Youth League and Women's League," Mantashe said at a media briefing at Chief Albert Luthuli House in Johannesburg.

Mantashe was unaware of whether former President Thabo Mbeki would participate in the veteran's inaugural conference.

"Registration will be tomorrow... after the registration we will be able to tell you.

"An open invitation to other structures including ex-Presidents has been issued," he said.

The conference will bring together 400 voting delegates representing the nine provinces and 128 non voting delegates from the ANC, its leagues and alliance partners.

Mantashe would not be drawn on rumours that former President Nelson Mandela was set to head the league.

"There will be nothing wrong with Mandela becoming president... but to say it before the conference and elections, its nothing but a rumour," he said.

The three day conference would discuss and adopt a constitution for the Veterans League, its programme of action and elect its national leadership.

In terms of voting at the ANC's elective conferences, the Veterans League would be treated as a province.