Nominations for the ANC's "top six" positions would begin later on Monday, steering committee member Jeff Radebe said at the party's  conference in Polokwane.

"We are expecting today, that by today, the nominations and elections of the top six will be held," said Radebe at a media briefing.

Nominations were to have started on Sunday night, with initial expectations that the party's new president be announced on Monday morning.

However, the Youth League proposed a change in vote counting for the party's leadership, from the planned electronic, to manual, citing fears of vote-rigging.

This, and the unexpected booing of chairman Mosiuoa Lekota and other delegates, saw the conference being adjourned early on Sunday night with half the day's programme not completed.

ANC head of the presidency Smuts Ngonyama said on Monday:  "The way I understand the situation yesterday, that there is (a) fixation of positions and people are determined to get particular results and therefore they don't want a spectre of mistrust and confusion.

"There must be no mistake, there must be nothing, they must be satisfied that the outcome must have no doubts around it.

"It's because we have never had contestation at the highest level in all the conferences I have referred to now, we have never had contestations."

Delegates who still had concerns would be allowed to speak to electoral commission chairwoman Bertha Gxowa to allay their fears and for them to "understand these are veterans of the ANC, there has never been any vote rigging into the ANC", Ngonyama said.

The party had also put its national disciplinary committee on standby following Monday's events.

"The national disciplinary committee is on standby in the event of violations of the rules of procedure," said Radebe.

"I must say, the atmosphere yesterday was not what we are used to at an ANC conference. I am sure you people even noticed the way we sang the national anthem," said Radebe.

'You could cut the atmosphere with a knife, the tension was there."

He continued: "Delegates voluntarily brought forward all those placards that are not part of the rules and procedures of conference, which gives us confidence going forward."

He said Monday's opening session had gone off smoothly, but the media had not been allowed to attend this session.

When asked by a German reporter to confirm a rumour that Mbeki might withdraw as a candidate for the presidency Radebe said: "Wir haben es nicht gehört [We haven't heard about that]."