The Democratic Alliance in Tshwane has hired a private agency to keep an eye on its election posters after about 70 placards were recently vandalised — allegedly by members of rival political parties.
Employees of the agency will use cameras secretly to monitor DA posters on lamp posts, the party’s Tshwane poster coordinator, Manie van Dyk, said on Wednesday.
The purpose is to identify the ”poster terrorists” and have them criminally charged.
Van Dyk declined to identify the agency or divulge the costs of the service, rendered since Tuesday.
He complained about the cost to the DA of having to replace its vandalised posters. Each placard cost the party R8,30 to put up — meaning it has lost about R580 in damages so far.
Asked if this justifies the money being paid to the monitoring agency, he said: ”This is just the beginning of the election campaign. If we can stop the vandalism now, we will save a lot in the end.”
The company’s services will be retained until the DA is satisfied the vandalism has come to an end.
In a statement, the DA said New National Party and Freedom Front Plus supporters are apparently to blame for removing its placards.
It named two instances where its own posters disappeared or were damaged at the same time as NNP and FF+ posters went up.
It said it has laid a complaint with the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). But the IEC said this is a criminal matter and has to be reported to the police.
Van Dyk said a criminal charge has not been laid because the culprits are unknown to the DA.
DA Pretoria spokesperson Derek Fleming urged supporters to be vigilant and report any cases of vandalism immediately.
”Removing and vandalising our posters goes against a free and fair election campaign,” he said.
The FF+ accused the DA of political opportunism, saying it knows full well that all parties experience the same problem.
”In fact, in Potchefstroom [North West], we put up posters that disappeared and were replaced with DA posters,” spokesperson Pieter Groenewald said.
”We have a child witness who saw DA people taking off our posters, but I am not prepared to put that child through a court case.”
The FF+ is vehemently opposed to vandalism, and its members will not make themselves guilty thereof, he added.
”If the DA can supply proof against any of our members, we will institute disciplinary action against them.”
The NNP, too, rejected the claims and challenged the DA to provide proof.
”In the absence of proof, the allegation is in violation of the electoral code — which determines that no party may make false accusations against another,” said spokesperson Juli Kilian.
She added the NNP also has a similar problem with its posters, ”and in fact, in many places where ours disappear, they are replaced by DA posters”. — Sapa