Johannesburg - African National Congress (ANC) deputy leader Kgalema Motlanthe was due to be sworn in as South Africa's third president since democracy in 
1994 on Thursday, five days after Thabo Mbeki was forced out of the job by his party.

Mbeki's nine years as president, which followed Nelson Mandela's single five-year term, formally came to an end at midnight on Wednesday. He chaired his last cabinet meeting on Wednesday.

He resigned on Sunday at the demand of the ANC over a court finding of political interference in ANC leader Jacob Zuma's prosecution for corruption.

Motlanthe, a former union leader and ANC secretary general under Mbeki, is the ANC's choice to replace Mbeki until general elections scheduled for April or May.

The National Assembly elects the president, but the ANC's more than two-thirds majority in parliament means Motlanthe's ratification in a special sitting of the house is almost certain.

Motlanthe, an ANC moderate and minister in the presidency, has acted as a bridge between the Mbeki-led government and the pro-Zuma ANC leadership.

Analysts say the self-effacing politician, about whom little is known, including his exact birth date, is a good choice to try to ease jitters in South Africa over the political upheaval.

One of his first tasks will be to constitute a cabinet, after a third of Mbeki's cabinet - 11 ministers and three deputy ministers - resigned on Tuesday.

Around half resigned in protest over the ousting of the 66-year- old leader, while the other half resigned because they wanted to be formally appointed ministers by Motlanthe.

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, one of the world's longest-serving and most popular finance ministers, was among those who quit but later confirmed he would be returning to serve Motlanthe. (dpa)