The ANC Youth League and Eastern Cape branch on Tuesday congratulated the ANC's newly-elected leaders.

The Freedom Front Plus cautioned the new top six that if they did not manage to overcome apparent divisions in the party, the election would mark the beginning of the end for the ANC.

"The brutality of the past couple of month's leadership struggle in the ANC has left huge political wounds and illustrated the huge division within the ANC," party leader Pieter Mulder said in a statement.

Mulder said Motlanthe not being elected president meant the ANC had "in a very cruel manner... sent him into the political wilderness".

The ANC Youth League congratulated the new office bearers and thanked delegates for voting in "a disciplined and committed manner".

The league expressed gratitude to outgoing deputy party president Kgalema Motlanthe and others who made themselves available to serve the African National Congress and the people of South Africa.

The league called for "radical policies" from the national conference underway in Mangaung.

"The young people of South Africa are tired of promises."

The Eastern Cape ANC branch said it was happy the people it had nominated at its provincial conference had been elected to the top six.

"The focus now is to ensure that the Eastern Cape has a strong representation in the NEC, as additional members are being elected today."

On Tuesday, Zuma was awarded a second term as party president at the party's national conference in Mangaung.

Cyril Ramaphosa was voted in as the new deputy president; a position from which Motlanthe withdrew his nomination. Gwede Mantashe was voted in as secretary-general, Jessie Duarte as deputy secretary-general, Baleka Mbete as national chairperson, and Zweli Mkhize as treasurer-general.