Zuma: Ancestors will be upset if ANC loses Nelson Mandela Bay

The ancestors will be upset if the ANC loses control of Nelson Mandela Bay in the local government elections on May 18, President Jacob Zuma said on Friday.

"The ancestors will be upset if Nelson Mandela Bay is lost because this is the home of the ANC," Zuma told a crowd of about 25,000 at the Dan Qeqe Stadium.

Zuma, who was accompanied by Cosatu secretary general Zwelinzima Vavi, was greeted by singing and dancing before he spoke.

Earlier Zuma said there had been a big debate before the general election in 2009 about whether the Congress of the People would win the metro from the ANC, but this had never happened.

"This is the home of the ANC. No one will take the ANC and no one feels threatened," he said.

Before the rally Zuma handed a new wheelchair to a woman he had met on a previous visit to Zwide. She had complained of struggling to operate her previous wheelchair. Zuma had promised to return with a new one.

The Democratic Alliance and Cope expect to win control of the metro from the ANC in a coalition after the election.

The rally on Friday was Zuma's last bid at winning over the cash-strapped metro's voters before voting on Wednesday.

Zuma's campaign visit comes amidst widespread unhappiness in the Eastern Cape ANC over the party's lists of mayoral and ward candidates for the elections.

Party members in the province have complained about flaws in the candidate selection process, leading to court cases and even alleged assassination plots.