Reports in the media that African National Congress (ANC) members disrupted a Democratic Alliance (DA) rally in Pretoria were unfounded, the party said on Thursday.
“The ANC Tshwane Region rejects with contempt the extraordinary prominent media reports,” said party spokesperson Burton Joseph.
“Party campaigns were held in close proximity to each other, unknowingly, and could have been mistaken by journalists as opposing each other,” he said.
The Pretoria News on Wednesday reported that the police had to intervene in Pretoria’s Mamelodi township when a group of ANC supporters apparently tried to stop a DA rally from taking place.
It said that DA supporters were allegedly taunted with comments. ANC supporters apparently used a T-shirt with President Jacob Zuma’s face on it to “clean” the Solomon Mahlangu statue of “the DA dirt”, the report said.
“We support the vehement denial by Mrs Zille during the Freedom Day celebration today in Tshwane, made in our presence to journalists of the Daily Sun, that there was an attempt to disrupt their rally and the event passed without incident,” Joseph said.
“The ANC respects the right to freedom of assembly of all people and political parties, and we adhere to the IEC code of conduct.” — Sapa