South Africa 'doomed under Zuma' - Zille

If it takes you stopping people in the street and asking if you can transport them to the polling booths on Wednesday, if it takes going from nursing home to nursing home, from hospital to hospital, from family to friends to workmates etc, please get as many people as you can to vote on Wednesday. This may indeed be the last truly free election in South Africa if we do not stop the ANC getting a two-thirds majority. The ANC already has a swathe of legislation lined up to change the constitution. That is FACT people.

If you value your country, if you want to bring it back from the brink then you must get everyone you know to cast their vote. CHECK that they do. It's that or prepare for a future our neighbours to the north know all about. It is the way of Africa. The ANC is the same as all African liberation movements before it.

The ANC knows this election is the last where it may secure a 2/3rds victory enabling it to amend the constitution to prop itself up for 2014. But without amending the constitution, in 2014 it may not even win or exist for that matter - so it is up to us then - on Wednesday - to boot them out to stop the rot and stop changes to the constitution.

South African opposition leader Helen Zille has urged voters to stop the African National Congress from turning the country into a "failed state".

Speaking at the final Democratic Alliance (DA) rally before elections on Wednesday, Ms Zille accused the ruling ANC of cronyism.

A crowd of about 3,000 people came to hear her speak despite heavy rain.

She told the crowd their votes could stop the ANC from retaining their two thirds majority.

‘Telling the truth’

"Only the DA is strong enough to stop (ANC President Jacob) Zuma taking us down the road of a failed state," she said.

She made frequent reference to criminal charges of corruption and racketeering brought against Mr Zuma which he denies and which were dismissed earlier this month.

"In 10 years time people will look back and everyone will know the DA was telling the truth from the start"

Speaking in three South African languages, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English, she urged the crowd to prevent the ANC from getting a two-thirds majority.

The DA fears that if the ANC achieves this, it use it to change the constitution to influence the independence of the judicial system.

"In 10 years time people will look back and everyone will know the DA was telling the truth from the start," she said.

She also accused the ruling party of overseeing a system that put services for the people in the hands of friends and family of ANC leaders.

‘Electric atmosphere’

Mrs Zille danced and sang at the rally which buoyed up her supporters despite the rain.

She sang along to the Afrikaans song ‘Koekie Loekie’ which has become her trademark.

The lyrics of the bawdy ballad roughly translate as "Hey Koekie, with your little tight pants."

The BBC’s Peter Biles in Cape Town said the atmosphere at the stadium was electric.

The DA is the only party that suggests it is possible to cross the racial barrier, he says.

Mrs Zille has massive support from coloured or mixed race South Africans in the western Cape.