In some quarters, she is the most reviled politician after President Jacob Zuma. In others, Baleka Mbete is considered the best candidate to succeed Zuma as president. Although the speaker of the National Assembly refuses to say if she wants to be South Africa's first woman president, events over the past few weeks confirm that her informal campaign is in full swing.Mbete, the ANC's national chairwoman, has spent much of her time recently crisscrossing the Eastern Cape in what her supporters say is an attempt to garner support for a presidential bid.Last month, she met traditional leaders of her Hlubi clan in Mqanduli, in the Transkei, where her presidential ambitions were apparently discussed.Among those present at the meeting was Chief Thanduxolo Magadla, an executive committee member of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, who told the Sunday Times that the Hlubi clan had given Mbete its blessings.story_article_left1"We said to her: 'You see now there's this rumour that Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma may be [ANC] president in 2017; in that case, if women can lead, then we ask you to lead the movement. You are the first female chairperson of the ANC.'"We pushed her. She said in response: 'I hear you maHlubi, but I'm governed by rules and processes of the ANC and if branches come and ask me to stand, I will.'"Magadla said he later told Mbete at a private meeting that the presidency was not "a Zuma inheritance".He said he told her: "When Zuma leaves and we dump the trend of having the deputy become the next president, but out of nowhere comes his ex-wife from the AU, then no, we say to you, you must run. This is not an inheritance."Although the ANC leadership race has not officially started, Dlamini-Zuma, outgoing chairwoman of the AU Commission, and Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa are often mentioned as frontrunners.Mbete's entry into the race is likely to weaken and divide the pro-Zuma camp in the party, which had initially rallied behind Dlamini-Zuma on the basis that it wanted a woman and someone who was close to Zuma to succeed him.story_article_right2Mbete is believed to be one of Zuma's trusted confidantes in the ANC leadership.Her detractors argue that Mbete stands little chance of succeeding Zuma, saying her failure to effectively run parliament has damaged her reputation.One ANC caucus member said rivalry for the presidency was heating up. "About six names are being mentioned, but branches are still busy with the list process. Another thing is that Nkosazana and Baleka are best friends."Mbete could not be reached for comment. But she was quoted by the Daily Dispatch as saying many people had approached her to suggest that she throw her hat into the ring."I will not answer that now. But I will respond when the time for that comes," she told the newspaper...