We will only abandon you when you're dead resident tells Zuma

President Jacob Zuma chatted to residents in Duduza while, on the sidelines of his campaign trail, his bodyguards deleted photographs a reporter took of themselves handing out free ANC T-shirts.

"We will only abandon you when we are dead," 73-year-old Sarah Kanze told Zuma, who is president of the governing ANC.

"That makes me happy," Zuma responded.

He was in the township campaigning ahead of the May 7 elections and handing out T-shirts.

He told residents the party was visiting "its people" to encourage them to vote.

"We are visiting our people and reminding them to go and vote. On the day you must tell your friends and neighbours to go vote," he said.

Meanwhile, an eNCA reporter was forced to delete pictures on his cellphone that he took of one of Zuma's escort drivers handing out ANC shirts.

The phone was taken out his hands when he refused. The guard, who was photographed by other journalists, then deleted his pictures.

Another bodyguard asked that the picture be deleted, failure of which would result "in us giving you hell".

"We are already under pressure, please don't do that to us," said the unnamed guard.