The advertisements saying “the City of Johannesburg is in good hands” were aimed at investors not voters‚ and the campaign was launched “long before the date of the local government elections was announced”. That’s the gist of the city’s argument in its call on Thursday to “the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to dismiss the Democratic Alliance’s (DA) false and mischievous allegations of misappropriation of public funds to campaign for the African National Congress (ANC)”.The DA had‚ earlier this month‚ appeared to put the IEC on notice to act on its complaint about taxpayers’ money seemingly being used for electioneering‚ saying its advertisements “specifically endorse” mayor Parks Tau.The City of Johannesburg is in good hands under Cde Parks Tau Vote ANC in the 2016 local government elections. pic.twitter.com/nXGWDILPN8— ANC_Mzala Branch (@ANCMzalaBranch) February 4, 2016async “We are confident that the IEC will accede to our request‚ but if it fails or refuses to do so we will seek other legal avenues to compel adherence to the Electoral Code‚” DA federal executive chairman James Selfe said at the time.Tau’s spokesperson Phindile Chauke noted on Thursday: “At the centre of the political party’s complaint is an advert of the City of Johannesburg’s milestones and achievements…with the tagline: ‘Clearly‚ the City of Johannesburg is in good hands’.”The advert‚ Chauke added‚ “was designed to instill confidence among Johannesburg residents‚ investors and potential investors”.“The advert is a mere standard and annual communication of successes and achievements of the previous financial year of a metropolitan municipality led by a competent administration - with a visionary and strategic council and an executive led by Mayor Parks Tau.”Chauke said the ad was first distributed as early as March 3 “long before the date of the local government elections was announced…by President Jacob Zuma‚ on 6 April 2016 and published in a government gazette of 23 May 2016”. “Clearly the DA failed to lodge a complaint in March 2016 and waited until July 2016. On this basis alone‚ the complaint is indeed with unwarranted malicious intent against the City and its leadership‚” said Chauke.“It is disingenuous of the DA - having failed to discredit Mayor Tau against his strong record of service delivery in the past five years - to resort to dragging the IEC into its desperate campaign to mislead Johannesburg residents.”Selfe had said earlier this month that “Tau is currently the mayor of Johannesburg‚ but he is also an ANC candidate in the coming municipal election”‚ and “any reasonable listener would conclude that the advertisement is only aimed at influencing the outcome of the election in Johannesburg‚ by promoting the candidature of Tau and the ANC”.This‚ Selfe alleged‚ “is an infringement” of Electoral Code...