The ANC ended its campaign for Wednesday's general election on Sunday at a massive rally in Johannesburg with Jacob Zuma, it's president, remarking that his party had "run a good race".

The Coca-Cola Park and nearby Johannesburg stadium east of Johannesburg's central business district was packed with supporters, and venues in other provinces received a live feed of the event.

Supporters began arriving from early in the morning, wearing the party's green, gold and black, with the youth wing adding sparkle on the hot autumn day with glitter-encrusted versions of the party's T-shirts and slogans such as "Young, Gifted and ANC".

Song and debate helped pass the journey to the stadium.

In a bus in Yeoville, occupants were stopped when they started singing "My father was a garden boy, my mother was a kitchen girl", repopularised by SA Communist Party general secretary Blade Nzimande, on the grounds that they should no longer define themselves in that way.

A song about former ANC chairman Terror Lekota, who left the ANC to co-found the Congress of the People, was also nipped in the bud in the interests of not undermining other parties.

Supporters included a group of bikers who cruised in on their Harley Davidsons, BMW and Honda motorbikes. But, one vehicle carrying supporters from Pretoria's Centurion to the rally was involved in an accident on the way, leaving the party shocked at the news that 23 people had been injured.

Five other people, including the driver, refused medical treatment for minor injuries, opting to continue on to the rally.

The likes of Gauteng premier Paul Mashatile, ANC Youth League president Julius Malema, provincial education MEC and Women's League leader Angie Motshekga, Nzimande, deputy president of the party and South African president Kgalema Motlanthe and party stalwart Winnie Madikizela-Mandela with her arm in a sling, were among those on stage in the party's last push for votes.

Former president Nelson Mandela was also present, by his own volition, Zuma said, referring to allegations that he was being wheeled out for extra votes.

Mandela sipped water as his recorded message to fight poverty and build a united non-racial society was played.

Reporters did not see former party president Thabo Mbeki, who was forced to resign last year following a judgment related to the Zuma prosecution, at the rally.

After a spirited dance, Zuma began by saying that Wednesday's election would be a defining one and said that after a period of pessimism, there was excitement around the party.

The election campaign had been "exuberant" and was generating the type of excitement not seen since the release of Mandela from his long incarceration.

"The movement has come alive," said Zuma

He gave an overview of the party's main goals, such as fighting corruption and its challenges relating to crime, health, education and rural development, and pledged greater interactivity with the citizenry.

Turning to a rallying point by some opposition parties, he said the ANC had never used its electoral mandate to change the Constitution.

"In 15 years that it has been in power the ANC has never used its electoral mandate to change the Constitution.

"It has never tried to subvert or ignore the ruling of the Constitutional Court or any other court or Constitutional structure," he said.

Opposition parties have cautioned South Africans against voting for the ANC to prevent it from receiving a two-thirds majority, which they charge the party would use to change the Constitution.

Zuma said the ANC's "track record" spoke for itself.

"We will always uphold, defend, promote and protect the Constitution of the country and all our democratic institutions," he said.

He reiterated the party's commitment to constitutional governance and the independence of the judiciary.

"When we comment on the pace of transformation in the judiciary, it is not because we want to infringe on its independence, but seek faster action," Zuma urged.

He thanked all who had participated in the campaign.

"We have run a good race, we have fought a good fight ? we talked our programmes, we did not talk about other people or parties," he said.

He then broke into song, and yet again sang "umshini wam'," a song seen as his "trademark".