The conference, which has been dogged by allegations of fake delegates, failed to start on time this weekend as members disagreed on the conference credentials.

By last night it was not clear whether the event would continue as delegates could not agree on a number of issues.

According to unverified results the anti-Jacob Zuma faction, led by Thandekile Sabisa, is said to have been elected to lead the region.

Sabisa is said to have won the election by one vote from his challenger, William Ngozi.

OR Tambo , the biggest ANC Eastern Cape region, is at a centre of a battle between supporters of Zuma and those calling for his removal at the party's December elective conference in Mangaung.

Early in the day, Sabisa called for ANC members responsible for the manipulation of election lists ahead of the local government elections last year to be expelled from the party.

The manipulation of lists resulted in some branch members taking the party to court because candidates who had been nominated and elected were removed from lists.

The names of other candidates were allegedly relegated to the bottom of the list while other names were allegedly pushed up.

"Though taking the ANC to court cannot be condoned, the manipulation of the [candidates'] list is a serious offence to the party and its internal democracy," said Sabisa.

"Those responsible should be punished, possibly expelled from the ANC because they are not cadres."

The controversial list is currently being investigated by African Union commission chairman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

The provincial executive committee and the list committee was summoned to Luthuli House by Dlamini-Zuma yesterday to be interrogated.

High-ranking politicians in the province have reportedly been implicated.

Sabisa blasted some provincial leaders. He said they were interfering in the region and causing unnecessary tensions.

He said after the re-alignment of the region where two of its sub-regions, Ntabankulu and Mbizana, were moved to the Alfred Nzo region, there were "opportunistic elements" which created parallel structures that undermined the elected leadership.

"It was during this period that some provincial executive committee members - mainly those who live in the region - would, without informing the region, simply conduct branch general meetings.

"Indeed the realignment resulted in serious political challenges to our region."

Eastern Cape ANC chairman Phumulo Masualle condemned members who forged attendance registers during branch meetings.

"It is not acceptable that in an attendance register [at branch meetings] you find people who died a long time ago," Masualle said.