ANC president Cyril Ramaphosas’s opening speech was overshadowed by disruptive chants from a rival faction, technical glitches in registering delegates, suspended members putting up a fight to take part, and a bombshell court bid by former party leader Jacob Zuma.

The ANC’s national elective conference got under way after a rocky start in Nasrec, Johannesburg on Friday — more than eight hours behind schedule — as the party used a new registration system for delegate accreditation...