Johannesburg - President Jacob Zuma declared the ANC's election campaign a success on Monday, saying voters had showed great vigour for the ruling party.
“We were in every town, city, and village... It was a very wonderful campaign,” he told editors at a briefing in Johannesburg.
“We are very happy with the campaign. People have come in big numbers.”
South Africans go to the polls on Wednesday for South Africa's fifth national and provincial post-apartheid elections.
Zuma said South Africans had showed great enthusiasm and listened to what the African National Congress had to say.
In some rural areas people had asked when services would be delivered.
“People say they know it is coming, they just asked when. People know it cannot be done overnight. People said they would die with the ANC.”
Zuma said the general experience of all ANC cadres and volunteers during its election campaign was that people knew the country was better today than before 1994.
“People say things have changed for the better....They can now put food on the table...”
Zuma sought to put into context how apartheid policies had a ripple effect on the lives of people today.
“Some people want to quickly forget about the past but today's problems are embedded in the past,” he said.
“It started then, it wasn't created now.”
Before 1994, energy was in abundance and it was cheaper, he explained.
“Energy was designed to serve a minority of people. Others were not considered.”
He said a false impression was given that there was enough energy.
After 1994, he said the ANC expanded structures of the economy to all racial groups so that it could grow.
“We needed more electricity... Every citizen of the country needed to get electricity. We had to roll out electricity to remote areas.”
Zuma said nobody talked about corruption in South Africa before 1994 although it was rife.
He said it was the ANC that began the fight against corruption.
“We have been fighting, arresting people... Some people have lost their jobs. Only the ANC is doing something about corruption. Nobody else is doing anything.”
On the election trail, people relayed to the party that they could see the changes since 1994, said Zuma.
He said the party's rallies showed it had overwhelming support.
“We think May 7 will go well. We think the ANC will win it overwhelmingly. We are confident and happy.”
The year 1994 marked the first time South Africans of all races were allowed to vote.
Sapa