In January 2012, while still heading the Department of Home Affairs, Dlamini-Zuma contested the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission.
In doing so, she broke an "unwritten rule" that major African powers do not put forward candidates for AU positions.

This angered many AU states, leading to a deadlock in the first election, despite Dlamini-Zuma's backing by the fifteen states comprising the Southern African Development Community.
As a consequence of the failure to secure a two-thirds majority of the vote, incumbent Jean Ping's term was extended by six months, until a second election on July 15 at the nineteenth session of the Assembly of the African Union elected Dlamini-Zuma to the position.
The vote was largely divided along language lines—Francophone states against Anglophone states.

Dlamini-Zuma was unpopular and disliked among AU officials for her apparent aloofness and absenteeism.
Her leadership as chairperson was considered a disappointing failure, although she was acknowledged for the managerial improvements she made.
This included her insistence on professionalism which enhanced the AU's reputation; it was taken more seriously as a result of her interventions.
She was also an advocate for increased gender representation in the AU which further exacerbated her popularity issues.
Furthermore, "[i]n a room of stuffy old men talking about guns and tanks, she brought in concepts like gender, human rights and food security."
In January 2012, while still heading the Department of Home Affairs, Dlamini-Zuma contested the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission. In doing so, she broke an "unwritten rule" that major African powers do not put forward candidates for AU positions.
This angered many AU states, leading to a deadlock in the first election, despite Dlamini-Zuma's backing by the fifteen states comprising the Southern African Development Community. As a consequence of the failure to secure a two-thirds majority of the vote, incumbent Jean Ping's term was extended by six months, until a second election on July 15 at the nineteenth session of the Assembly of the African Union elected Dlamini-Zuma to the position. The vote was largely divided along language lines—Francophone states against Anglophone states.
Dlamini-Zuma was unpopular and disliked among AU officials for her apparent aloofness and absenteeism. Her leadership as chairperson was considered a disappointing failure, although she was acknowledged for the managerial improvements she made. This included her insistence on professionalism which enhanced the AU's reputation; it was taken more seriously as a result of her interventions. She was also an advocate for increased gender representation in the AU which further exacerbated her popularity issues. Furthermore, "[i]n a room of stuffy old men talking about guns and tanks, she brought in concepts like gender, human rights and food security."
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma