Nelson Mandela will be at the centre of the election battle on Wednesday. Not only are political parties fighting over the use of his name, the political future of Nelson Mandela Bay, in Eastern Cape, hangs in the balance.Yesterday the ANC and EFF put on their final pre-election shows and made more promises to the electorate.Elections 2016: Our web app tracks SA's political battlegrounds in real time http://bit.ly/2apwZKUThe United Democratic Movement's leader, Bantu Holomisa, has frequently visited Nelson Mandela Bay after his party won ward 30 from the ANC in Port Elizabeth in a by-election last year. But there is also a threat from the new kid on the block, the United Front, which could deal the ANC a blow in a number of wards.Yesterday, former Cosatu leader Zwelinzima Vavi, former Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Zanoxolo Wayile, and Numsa boss Irvin Jim held a press conference in support of the United Front candidates. And it has emerged that behind the scenes there are talks of the DA forming a coalition to govern the city with whoever joins it in dethroning the ANC. The DA has denied this on numerous occasions.A DA survey reveals that it and the ANC are running neck-and-neck in Nelson Mandela Bay, with 48% and 47% respectively.Several electoral polls have shown that the EFF is likely to emerge as the third-biggest party.Live results, cool maps, fierce battlegrounds: follow the local elections on our web app:http://bit.ly/2apwZKUSpeaking to a capacity crowd in Johannesburg, President Jacob Zuma said he hoped the delivery of houses in Nelson Mandela Bay by the ANC-led government would give his party the edge.The ANC has prioritised Nelson Mandela Bay in its election campaign, bringing in soccer administrator heavyweight Danny Jordaan as mayor after years of ANC infighting which destabilised the municipality."The Nelson Mandela Bay metro has done remarkably well in the past year with regards to housing," Zuma told the Johannesburg ANC rally. "It has handed over many title deeds and the city has budgeted over R4-billion for new housing developments."The municipality has R1-billion in the bank, thanks to improved financial management. Asinavalo nge Bhayi sisebenza kanzima, iBhayi likhaya le ANC [We are not scared about iBhayi (the Bay); we are working hard; iBhayi is the home of the ANC." Human Settlements Minister Lindiwe Sisulu booked a two-page advertisement in which she was pictured yesterday with Jordaan and a beneficiary of the metro's housing scheme. She described the progress made in Nelson Mandela Bay following the April 2015 intervention in the affairs of the city by the cabinet. In March this year her department was given a further R500-million to deal with the housing backlog in the metro.DA MP Makashule Gana wrote to Public Protector Thuli Madonsela last Friday claiming that Sisulu had used state resources and housing for party political campaigning."The first event took place in Missionvale, Nelson Mandela Bay, on the 19th of July 2016. Nelson Mandela Bay mayor Danny Jordaan was also in attendance. In further support of this is that there is photographic evidence from media houses which depicts people in ANC regalia both attending and participating in this official Human Settlement department event."I believe this clearly highlights how this official government event was taken over and used as an ANC campaigning event," said Gana.DA leader Mmusi Maimane has made numerous visits to the metro including yesterday, the last day of electioneering for the parties.The DA expects to grow beyond Western Cape and committed most of its budget to Nelson Mandela Bay. During the party's final rally, in Soweto on Saturday, Maimane again invoked Mandela's name and said the ANC had betrayed his legacy.EFF leader Julius Malema has warned both the DA and the ANC to stop squabbling about the name of Nelson Mandela and to concentrate on winning voters through their work.Winnie Mandela, former wife of the late president, yesterday accused the DA of being "morally, ethically and intellectually bankrupt"...