Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa, a leading contender to become head of the ANC next month, has named Science and Technology Minister Naledi Pandor as his running mate, it was reported last night.

The race to replace President Jacob Zuma as ANC president is heating up andhis successor will be the ANC's presidential candidate in 2019.

Ramaphosa has been under pressure to pick a female running mate as gender equality is a key ANC policy goal and his main challenger is Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. Eyewitness News and the Mail & Guardian newspaper reported on their websites that Ramaphosa made the announcement that Pandor would be the ANC deputy presidential candidate on his ticket during a rally in Limpopo.

"It's a smart move. Pandor's smart and she does not appear tainted by any corruption allegation nor is she close to either the Zuma or Ramaphosa camps. And as a woman, she ticks a number of boxes that make a lot of sense," said Gary van Staden, a political analyst with NKC African Economics.

Ramaphosa's camp could not immediately be reached for comment.