Pretoria - The consultative meeting of the African Union (AU) ad-hoc committee gets underway in the Benin capital, Cotonou, this morning.
The meeting by the eight-member committee, including President Jacob Zuma, will discuss the deadlock on the election of the chairperson of the executive arm of the AU.
The committee of eight heads of state and government was established at the AU Summit earlier this year to work on the upcoming AU election of members of the commission.
In January, African leaders shelved the election of the chairperson of the commission until July after both the incumbent Jean Ping and South African Home Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma failed to secure the two thirds majority needed to lead the organ.
The Presidency said prior to this week's meeting, the ad-hoc committee met in Benin in March, where it was decided that South Africa and Gabon should undertake bilateral consultations to seek a consensual solution and report back to the committee.
"As part of this decision, President Zuma is scheduled to brief the committee on, amongst other things, the bilateral consultations that have taken place between South Africa and Gabon," said the high office.
South Africa is pushing for Dlamini Zuma for the position and has vowed to mobilise continental support to have her elected as the new chairperson.
