The African National Congress (ANC) in the Eastern Cape is so certain of the support it has in Nelson Mandela Bay that secretary Oscar Mabuyane believes they will win outright.

They would not have to beg to go into coalition with other parties, he said on Thursday.

"We are winning this metro. We won't have to go around begging for parties to work with us. Not here. And there is no way we are going to let this metro go into the hands of someone who can't even run a farm," he said.

Briefing media, as more party leaders made their way into the hotly contested Nelson Mandela Bay, Mabuyane said they had done a dry run and the party was ready for the elections in the area.

"We are not intimidated, our structures are stronger than ever here, issues are being attended. Not all issues have been resolved, but it’s mostly issues of internal democracy in the ANC."

Systems in place

The ANC is hanging on to power in Nelson Mandela Bay by a thread, as it has just 62 of the 120 seats in council.

Mabuyane said they believed in a government of the people, by the people and for the people.

"The ANC is not an institution of individuals, but an organisation of its people."

Mabuyane said Nelson Mandela Metro was very important to them and to national leadership, which was why they had been in and out of the area in the past few weeks.

"It is an economic hub of this province. So if you lose Nelson Mandela Bay, you have lost the bigger part of the province from an economic point of view," he said.

Their war room was ready, he said, and all their systems were in place to ensure victory.