ANC stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela made a rare public appearance at the party’s Siyanqoba rally in Joburg on Sunday.
ANC supporters welcomed her with great enthusiasm.
Madikizela-Mandela made an effort to attend the event at Emirates Airline Stadium (formerly Ellis Park Stadium) despite her reported ill-health.
She was one of the stalwarts who came out to bat for the ANC alongside the likes of its former deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe.
Former president Thabo Mbeki reportedly declined to campaign for the party.
The stadium was packed, as was the nearby Johannesburg Stadium, which was used as an overflow area. People who hadn't got in had to sit outside.
The number of supporters who attended the Siyanqoba rally was a victory for the ANC, showing the kind of support the party still has despite the growth in the number of opposition parties and disgruntlement within the party over issues such as poor service delivery.
President Jacob Zuma on Sunday urged ANC supporters to spread the party’s message to communities to vote for it on Wednesday as it was the only party that could change people’s lives.
Zuma said life was different under the ANC government even though there was still a lot that needed to be done.
He expressed the ANC’s intention to win back Cape Town from the DA.
“The ANC must win back Cape Town; the poor must be treated with respect and dignity,” said Zuma.
He was joined by leaders of the ANC’s alliance partners, who also expressed support for the ruling party and vowed to ensure its victory.
Zuma described how the ANC-run metros were attracting investment and creating employment.
He pledged that the metros would create even more jobs after the elections and deliver better services.
“Nelson Mandela Bay is our home. People want electricity, and we have provided over 86 percent of electricity so far,” he said.
This metro is one that the DA stands a good chance of taking from the ANC.
Zuma avoided focusing too much on opposition parties in his last address before the elections, a departure from the kind of speeches he has delivered during the campaign, often attacking the DA and how it was formed.
Many ANC supporters said they would ensure a victory for the party on Wednesday.