People who do not vote for the African National Congress (ANC) in the upcoming elections will be wasting their votes, party president Jacob Zuma said on Monday.

Addressing ANC supporters in Bhambanana in northern KwaZulu-Natal, Zuma said his party would win the elections overwhelmingly.

He urged people to vote in their numbers, saying it would be easy for the ANC to take decisions and deliver if it had a massive majority in government.

"If you vote for another party it will be like throwing your vote into the bush because it won't make any difference," Zuma said.

He took a swipe at opposition parties, saying they had failed to come up with manifestos different from that of the ruling party.

"They just say vote for us so that they can reduce ANC power. When they have conferences, they just discuss the ANC," he said.

He urged Amakhosi (traditional healers) to be part of the development projects in their area.

"You need to tell us what you need to happen in your area. The ANC believes that rural development is important," he said.

ANC Member of Parliament in the area, Jeff Vilane, earlier said the party had managed to persuade ten of the 18 Amakhosi in the area into the ANC fold.

The rally was held in a previous Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) stronghold and some people had to listen to Zuma standing outside as the 15 000 capacity marquee used for the rally was full.

The people in Bambanana, an area struggling with water shortages, asked Zuma not to forget them when he took over as President.

They asked him to make sure that the multi-million water project aimed at providing residents with running water was completed.

Local government MEC Mike Mabuyakhulu assured residents they would soon have water.

He, along with Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma and ANC provincial chairperson Zweli Mkhize accompanied Zuma to the rally.

Zuma was expected to address Amakhosi in Hluhluwe, also in northern Zululand, on Monday evening.