Former ANC president Jacob Zuma has said his newly formed MK party aims to win a two-thirds majority in this year's general election.
He was addressing hundreds of people at the Umkhonto Wisizwe rally in Kwasimba, west of Durban.
Mr Zuma recently announced his support for the party. He received a warm welcome at the MK's first large rally in the province.
KwaXimba in eThekwini is one of the ruling party's strongholds.
Mr Zuma said MK's main priorities were to return power to the land and traditional leaders.
“Our land will come back and we will put it to better use. As you know, Congress is no longer the same as it was before. Traditional leaders were in charge back then. Congress was established and “Back then, traditional leaders had higher authority and politicians reported to them,” Zuma said.
Jacob Zuma leads MK rally in Kwasimba: Organizer Thulani Gamede tells SABC News:
He said he chose to ignore the negative comments he received. He also commented on being jailed for contempt of court for failing to appear before the State Capture Commission.
“The judges of this country's Constitutional Court took away my constitutional rights. They said I should appear on a committee because I am influenced by the leaders of this country. I refused. But instead of stripping me of my rights, they imprisoned me. Many people were happy, including those who headed the government.”
Traditional and religious leaders who attended the rally pledged support for Mr Zuma, with some threatening to shut down the country if his party did not win a two-thirds majority.
“I want to send (a warning) to you in KZN. Good luck and prepare for the Moses Mabhida Stadium. If we don't accept that, we will shut down South Africa from the Cape to Cairo. We need to vote in numbers. As the traditional leaders of the Mtungwa people, UMkhonto weSizwe is gaining momentum It seems like God heard our prayers when we said we needed a leader to help us. Go and represent us, Nzamalala, and Please represent me.”
The party urged its supporters to register to vote this weekend as it continues to gain support.
Former President Zuma leads MK rally: Simphiwe Makhanya shares the latest information