ANC hits back at DA’s jail hint

THE battle for Gauteng intensified yesterday after the ANC threatened to lay another complaint against the DA for dumping orange overalls and handcuffs outside Luthuli House.

Acting ANC national spokesperson Dakota Legoete said the party would make a formal complaint to the Electoral Commission of SA (IEC) about the DA’s interference with its rights to campaign.

A handful of DA leaders – including Gauteng premier candidate Solly Msimanga and provincial leader John Moodey – along with supporters dumped orange overalls and handcuffs to show their dissatisfaction with the number of candidates on the ANC list implicated in crimes.

The march to Luthuli House was followed by revelations that the ANC had complained to the IEC about the DA’s claims that the governing party was involved in orchestrating violent and anarchic protests in a number of municipalities it ran.

ANC secretary-general Ace Magashule complained to the IEC, denying that the party was involved in the service delivery protests in Gauteng and the Western Cape.

The DA yesterday insisted it was clear that the ANC was inciting violence in Alexandra. “The violent protests were nothing more than a diversion tactic by the ANC to draw attention away from its 25 years of empty promises and corruption,” said DA spokesperson Solly Malatsi.

He said the DA had evidence that ANC officials were behind Alexandra shutdown and had lodged its own complaint with the IEC.

Legoete said: “During election campaigns… marches on each other’s headquarters smack of political immaturity… They use dirty tricks which started a long time ago when they spoke of the swart gevaar,” he said.

He said the ANC would nonetheless receive the DA’s memorandum while its leaders engaged with voters on the ground.

Referring to officials who had reportedly been flagged by the ANC integrity committee, Msimanga said: “These are people who don’t deserve to go to Parliament but must go to jail.”