Parliament will elect Cyril Ramaphosa as new president at 2pm on Thursday and have him take the oath of office, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) chief whip said.

"The office of the chief justice has made itself available today to officiate in the business of electing a new president," the ANC chief whip, Jackson Mthembu, told a parliamentary committee meeting.

At the same meeting, the speaker of parliament said a letter of resignation from President Jacob Zuma, who stepped down late on Wednesday rather than face a no-confidence vote from his own party, was "still on its way".