ANC 'making inroads' in DA strongholds

The ANC is making inroads in Democratic Alliance strongholds, particularly in the Western Cape, ANC head of elections Ngoako Ramathlodi said on Thursday.

"With its policies having been exposed as racially polarising the South African society, the DA has now been put on the back foot in the Western Cape where the City of Cape Town has violated human rights and the dignity of blacks by building unenclosed toilets," he said at a media briefing at the party's Johannesburg headquarters.

The ANC came out in "battle" mode, lashing the main opposition and accusing it of racism and double standards.

It listed the toilet saga, allegations of nepotism against the DA's Cape Town mayoral candidate, Patricia de Lille, and the Midvaal Municipality's reluctance to remove a bust of apartheid architect Hendrik Verwoerd at its offices, as indications of the DA's character.

"The DA has placed as one of the pillars of its elections propaganda the accusation that the ANC is involved in the practice of 'cadre deployment', but it has emerged that the party is itself involved in 'family deployment'," he said referring to De Lille.

"This once again exposes the DA's double standards particularly in this election which has seen the party always indicating left but turning right on moral and corruption matters."

ANC spokesman urged De Lille to answer to the allegations before the election.

It is alleged that De Lille employed her son, nephew, three sisters, two brothers-in-law and three family friends in government posts in the Western Cape where she is the MEC for social development.

Both Cape Town and the Midvaal in Gauteng are hotly contested terrain with the ANC and the DA pulling out all the stops to capture the municipalities.

Ramathlodi said the ANC's campaign would shift from "battle" mode back to emphasis on its manifesto during the final stretch toward the election.