A battle for the Western Cape's airwaves has embroiled premier Helen Zille in controversy.

Zille has been accused of being a hypocrite for paying for a monthly show on one of the province's most popular radio stations.

The radio "scandal" on Heart 104.9FM follows shortly after the DA slammed the SABC for offering the provincial government a "paid opportunity" to showcase itself on its Interface programme.

Yesterday the province's ANC demanded to know why Zille used taxpayers' money to pay for her slot on Heart.

On Tuesday, Zille told the Western Cape legislature that the station won a tender to host her programme.

Gavin Meiring, managing director of Heart 104.9 FM, told The Times that Zille had had a slot on the station when she was mayor of Cape Town which was discontinued last year.

"In April 2010 she returned on-air in The Premier Show, a show aimed at focusing on service delivery from the premier's office, which was also the tender that Heart 104.9FM won," he said.

Provincial government spokesman Nick Clelland-Stokes denied that public money had been squandered on the monthly slot, shared by Zille and Cape Town mayor Dan Plato.

"This is not advertising, this is not DA brand building as has been alleged, this is public participation," he said.

"This radio show is a monthly opportunity to have the mayor and premier listen to what your concerns are and take account and then come back to you directly and say what was done to address your concerns."

But provincial ANC leader Lynne Brown, called it a "scandal".

"Zille actively sourced and solicited publicity and paid with taxpayers' money to be on radio without informing the public that it is paid news and interviews sponsored by her DA-led local and provincial government. This pretence is unacceptable," she fumed.

"Now it comes out that the very same party indulged in pay-for-news and burned good money to have an on-air phone-in programme to chat to Zille. This is typical DA double standards and smacks of hypocrisy."

Clelland-Stokes said Interface is touted by the SABC as an "editorially independent hard news show", but sought money from the provincial government in return for coverage.

"Interface is a programme on the national broadcaster [that] gets money from the public purse and TV licences. Heart is an independent broadcaster, they won a tender. What is also important to note is that Heart 104.9FM wasn't bailed out last year to the tune of R1.47-billion by the national government because it misspent public money," Clelland-Stokes said.

Zille and Plato signed a three-year contract with the radio station and paid R56430 for the first year, R62073 for the second, and R68280 for the third. The bill is split between the city and the province.

But Brown is no stranger to the Heart 104.9 FM's studios either.

As premier in 2008, she also had a regular half-hour slot.

"Heart 104.9FM is excited about welcoming Lynne Brown in studio and believes that, together with the monthly Mayor's Show with Mayor Helen Zille, this sets them apart as the most relevant radio station for Capetonians," a press release said at the time.

But Brown was quick to point out that she didn't pay for her slot on Cape Town's airwaves.