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JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African President Jacob Zuma's fathering of an illegitimate child has hit his chances of running for a second term, with some ANC heavyweights saying his sex life is damaging the party's image.

Zuma, who has three wives, has apologised for fathering out of wedlock his 20th child with Sonono Khoza, the daughter of close friend Irvin Khoza, who heads South Africa's organising committee for this year's soccer World Cup.

Publicly, the ruling African National Congress has backed the 67-year-old but in private senior party members feel the latest in a long line of sexual scandals is the "last straw".

"He is becoming too much of a liability to the party and his image is damaging," a member of the ANC's national executive committee, who did not want to be named, told Reuters. "Polygamy and promiscuity is not the same thing."

In 2006, Zuma was cleared of raping an HIV positive woman, but admitted during the trial he had unprotected sex with her even though he knew she had the virus.

Even before the love-child scandal broke, Zuma's chances of being the next presidential candidate hung in the balance. The latest incident can only have weighed against him.

The ANC elects a new leader in 2012, and Communist Party chief Blade Nzimande -- now Zuma's higher education minister -- and powerful trade union movement leader Zwelinzima Vavi appear to be lining up a bid for the top position.

"Zuma has managed to keep the party together and present somewhat of a united front but his embarrassing personal life may see him fall from grace," another ANC source said.