A woman from South Africa's biggest township of Soweto on Sunday became the leader of the governing ANC party's powerful Women's League, public broadcaster SA FM reported.

Angie Motshekga, a senior education official of Gauteng Province which includes Johannesburg and Soweto, won a total 1826 votes, beating her rival, Bathabile Dlamini, who garnered 1531, to clinch the presidency of the Women's League.

Motshekga — a member of the ANC National Executive Committee and National Working Committee who has a Masters Degree in education — is the wife of a former premier of Gauteng Province.

Former ANC Women's League chief Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, on Friday failed to secure a nomination for the league's top job. She did not receive the 25 percent of votes needed from the about 4000 delegates at the League's conference in Bloemfontein.

Winnie, former wife of South Africa's ex-President Nelson Mandela, received 480 votes from the delegates.

The support of the Women's League was key to the election of Jacob Zuma as ANC president last December.

Sapa