State capture, billboard controversy & VBS: scandals plaguing election campaigns

While the ANC, DA and the EFF have been campaigning hard ahead of the upcoming general elections on May 8, their bids to get South Africans to vote for them have not been entirely smooth.

Here's a wrap of three scandals that plagued the top three:

DA - 'The ANC is killing us' billboard

The official opposition was accused of insensitive and of cheap politicking after putting up a campaign billboard with the names of the Life Esidimeni psychiatric patients who died, the Marikana massacre victims and Michael Komape, who died in a pit toilet in Limpopo. 

The billboard was headlined "The ANC is killing us" and stirred emotions. It was widely criticised on social media before being torn down shortly after it had been erected.

In an attempt to self-correct, Gauteng premier candidate Solly Msimanga placed a label which said "ANC does not care about South Africans" over the names of the victims.

ANC - state capture

The ruling party has had to do major damage control to assure South Africans of their commitment to them, after various members in the party's top leadership were implicated in state capture.

Nomvula Mokonyane, Ace Magashule and Malusi Gigaba are some of those who have been heavily implicated. 

President Cyril Ramaphosa and the party's elections head, Fikile Mbalula, have on numerous occasions said they are self-correcting and the party is on the mend.

EFF - VBS mutual bank

Julius Malema and Floyd Shivambu are fighting to have their names cleared after they were alleged to have received money from the collapsed VBS Mutual Bank. The two are taking the party's former MP, Thembinkosi Rawula, to court, after he alleged that Malema admitted to having benefited from VBS in one of the party's meetings. 

Former finance minister Nhlanhla Nene told the Zondo commission into state capture that Shivambu tried to stop the Treasury from placing the bank under curatorship.