INSTANT VIEW: South Africa's Zuma wins ANC leadership vote

POLOKWANE, South Africa (Reuters) - South Africa's ruling African National Congress elected Jacob Zuma as its new leader on Tuesday, ousting President Thabo Mbeki, and putting the populist politician on course to lead the country in 2009.

Below is reaction from analysts, politicians and others:

TOKYO SEXWALE, BUSINESSMAN AND FORMER ANC ANTI-APARTHEID ACTIVIST

"This is what the people wanted, it is the will and the wish of the people and must be respected."

"It augurs well, it is always very important for leadership of any part of the world to renew itself and here it has been done without a single tank inside, without a single bomb exploding and shows maturity."

F.W. DE KLERK, FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT

"The decision today is of historic importance to South Africa since it will clearly have a major impact on the leadership of South Africa for the next five to 12 years. This will be a critical period for South Africa."

"The key to success will be our ability to abide by the Constitution and the national accord that it represents ... I accordingly welcome the renewed commitment that Mr. Zuma made last week at Wits University to 'uphold our Constitution and ensure that organs of state do not abuse our rights'. I also welcome Mr. Zuma's assurances that he will maintain the balanced macro-economic policies that have assured 13 years of uninterrupted economic growth."

JEFF GABLE, HEAD OF RESEARCH, ABSA CAPITAL

"For now, the market should have been looking for a Zuma victory so the market reaction should be modest, with the caveat that we are in a very low liquidity season which could exacerbate any market reaction."

"The focus now is going to be on learning about Mr. Zuma's vision for the country and his likely choices for close political and economic advisers."

KEITH GOTTSCHALK, POLITICAL ANALYST, UNIVERSITY OF THE WESTERN CAPE

"Zuma's strongest point if he should be elected as president of the country is that he is a people's person ... His weakest point is that obviously unless he stops his habit of taking all gifts from all businessmen on the make, South African politics can become as venal as U.S. politics and the White House."

HELEN ZILLE, LEADER OF MAIN OPPOSITION DEMOCRATIC ALLIANCE

"This is a dismal day, not only for the ANC, but for South Africa. It is an indictment on the ruling party that they could find no better candidate than Jacob Zuma to lead them."

"The Polokwane conference has also exposed many of Zuma's supporters as unruly and ill-disciplined populists who cannot observe the basic norms of decent, democratic behavior. These are the people to whom Zuma owes his election as ANC President and he will have to return the favor. He will be accountable to them."

EBRAHIM RASOOL, WESTERN CAPE PROVINCE PREMIER AND MBEKI

SUPPORTER

"I'm disappointed but I accept the outcome. I had my preferences and it is my hope that the movement can move on from this."

MBHAZIMA SHILOWA, GAUTENG PROVINCE PREMIER AND MBEKI SUPPORTER

"Because the conference met democratically and people have voted and we have not received anything from our side that suggested that the elections were not free and fair ... We will have to accept it and accept that the movement will have to move forward."

VICTOR VAN VUUREN, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER FOR BUSINESS UNITY SOUTH AFRICA

"We fully support the new president as organized business and like we've had a relationship with the outgoing ANC president (Mbeki), we certainly wish to build and hope to have a similar relationship with Zuma."

ADAM HABIB, POLITICAL ANALYST, HUMAN SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL

"Not surprising. We knew that if it went to the conference floor between Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma, Jacob Zuma would win.

"I do think, though, as a result we can anticipate this conflict extending over the next two years. It's going to be particularly precarious when Jacob Zuma gets charged, if he does get charged around the corruption scandal.

"Do I see macro-economic policy changing? Not fundamentally."

SHAUN MACKAY, RESEARCHER, CENTRE FOR POLICY STUDIES

"Life will go on. So what? The ANC operates largely as a collective and if anyone is going to restore that kind of collective working with party influences and governance it's going to be Jacob Zuma.

NEL MARAIS, EXECUTIVE, RESEARCH ASSOCIATES

"One must simply accept the fact that he is the majority's choice of the ANC and by implication also the South African population's majority choice.

"Of course, there are questions about him. Specifically, the court case. But those issues should not cloud the fact that we are going to have a democratic election with the ruling party".

MARIAN TUPY, POLITICAL ANALYST, CATO INSTITUTE CENTRE FOR GLOBAL LIBERTY AND PROSPERITY

"Jacob Zuma is a deeply flawed candidate. He is accused of corruption and his judgment has been called into question on a number of occasions.

"Still, he may be a better choice for ... South Africa than another five years of Thabo Mbeki, the incumbent, who over the last decade has grown more unaccountable and started to exhibit clear signs of paranoia.

"If South Africa is to avoid the fate of many other African countries that have suffered from one-man rule, the change in the ANC's, and country's, leadership is necessary."

(Reporting by Serena Chaudhry, Thandi Lekeba, Ron Derby and Wendell Roelf)