President Jacob Zuma on Sunday sought to highlight the achievements of the three metros in Gauteng‚ during his address at the ANC’s final election rally in Johannesburg.

Zuma told thousands of supporters that the party had done “exceptionally well” in the country’s metros and that it was “proud of their achievements”.

He hailed the City of Johannesburg as a “gateway to the SA economy... a great African city and a true African metropole”.

He punted its transport infrastructure‚ free wi-fi for students and design hubs such as Maboneng.

Turning to Ekurhuleni‚ Zuma said it is set to host a manufacturing plant to build train coaches and provide on-site maintenance and engineering services.

He said Tshwane was the “home of the ANC”. However‚ he did not mention the destructive protests that followed the announcement of Thoko Didiza as the party’s mayoral candidate.

Nelson Mandela Bay had done well in turning around its finances‚ Zuma said.

He said the ANC had to win back Cape Town and make sure that the poor in the metro were treated with respect.

Ahead of Zuma’s address‚ ANC Gauteng chairman Paul Mashatile urged supporters to vote as early as possible on Wednesday. Voter turn-out is key for the party in the upcoming polls and the earlier its supporters voted‚ the easier it would be to get those who did not turn up early‚ to come to the voting stations and cast their ballots before closing time.

The party’s electoral fortunes have slipped in urban centres in the last local and national elections. Tshwane‚ Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay are key battlegrounds in Wednesday’s municipal elections.

Analysts have predicted that Tshwane and Nelson Mandela Bay in particular may be governed by a coalition after the polls‚ anticipating that the ANC would not obtain an outright majority.