Johannesburg - The former Methodist bishop, who will lead South Africa's new Congress of the People (COPE) against the scandal-plagued ruling African National Congress (ANC) in elections this year, vowed Monday to clean up government if elected.

Mvume Dandala was outlining his vision for South Africa after formally accepting COPE's nomination for presidential candidate in the April 22 election.

"The time has come for a return to values that characterize clean governance," the respected churchman, who has resigned his religious duties to devote himself to party work, told a group of about 50 reporters and COPE members in Johannesburg.

Improving food security and public service delivery, fighting crime and protecting the independence of the judiciary and other important institutions were among COPE's other priorities, he said.

COPE's choice of Dandala as presidential candidate is seen as an attempt to present voters with a more "moral" alternative to ANC leader, Jacob Zuma.

Zuma stands accused of corruption and fraud in relation to a 1990s arms deal. He is due to go on trial after the election, in August.

The ANC leader's reputation was also tarnished by controversial remarks he made about women and HIV/AIDS during his 2006 rape trial. Zuma was acquitted of those charges.

Although little-known to many South Africans before he was revealed as COPE's choice for president, Dandala has an unblemished reputation as a former general secretary of the All Africa Conference of Churches and former anti-apartheid activist.

Despite rumours that COPE president Mosiuoa Lekota had wanted the job of presidential candidate for himself, Lekota expressed enthusiastic backing for Dandala at Monday's press conference, saying: "Many who might have been doubtful (about COPE) should be inspired by this."

Unlike Lekota, an ex-ANC chairman who left the party to form COPE last year in protest over the ANC's ousting of former president Thabo Mbeki, Dandala comes with zero political baggage.

And Lekota remains the face of the party, COPE stressed. His face, and not Dandala's, will be on the party's election posters, a party spokesman said.

Despite the corruption cloud hanging over Zuma, the ANC is expected to easily win the elections - the fourth national polls since the end of apartheid in the 1990s.

At best, COPE is credited with a chance, together with other opposition parties, of denting the ANC's more-than-two-thirds majority at national level, and of taking one or two provinces. (dpa)