ANC to take DA to court for ‘murder’ election billboard
THE ANC and DA could square off in the Electoral Court following the unveiling of the opposition party’s election billboard which labelled the governing party “murderers” of mineworkers and mental health patients in Gauteng.
Mmusi Maimane launched his party’s election billboard: “ANC is killing us” on Queen Elizabeth Highway in Joburg yesterday.
The billboard lists the names of all those killed in Marikana since August 8 until August 16, 2012 – an incident which saw 34 mineworkers being killed by the police.
On the billboard, the names of Mgcineni “The man in a green blanket”, Noki and Komape are placed next to each other.
Addressing his supporters, Maimane said: “The ANC will never do this. Because they don’t care about the outsiders. We are here to honour the outsiders. To honour the people whose lives have been trampled on by the ANC”.
The ANC will now consider reporting the matter to the The Independent Electoral Commission’s Electoral Court for a decision. Reacting, ANC spokesperson Zizi Kodwa said the antics of the DA exposed the bankruptcy of their politics and the levels of desperation they have descended to.
Kodwa said the DA was a party whose politics have become toxic and they allegedly believe that fear-mongering and spreading lies would frighten voters to support them at the upcoming elections.
“The ANC is concerned that the conduct of the DA flies in the face of the Electoral Code of Conduct as it is nothing short of spreading deliberate lies about the ANC. The ANC will take up the matter in the appropriate forums provided for in the country’s electoral laws,” Kodwa said.
Earlier, Maimane said Ramaphosa’s government was responsible for the deaths of the three minor children who died after drowning in pit latrine toilets in the country – one of them was Michael Komape of Limpopo. Komape’s family has petitioned the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in Bloemfontein, seeking a R3million compensation for his death.
Yesterday, Maimane vowed that his party would campaign for the speedy prosecution of those who were responsible for the murders of mineworkers in Marikana and mental health patients at Life Esidimeni.
“The ANC is harming and killing South Africa. When I say this, I don’t just mean they’re harming our economy and killing our dreams. I mean they are literally harming our bodies and killing us,” Maimane said.