"When I travel around South Africa, it truly shocks me to hear that many people think the DA would bring back apartheid if we won an election," said Zille at a Democratic Alliance campaign in Alexandra, Johannesburg on Saturday.
"There are a significant number of people who think the DA was responsible for apartheid, and that Helen Suzman was a member of the ANC."
Zille said DA members had to change the false perception people had about her party.
The campaign's objective was to educate people about the history of the opposition party.
Zille gave a detailed background of how the party was formed and what its priorities were.
She said some DA members were also part of the struggle during apartheid, adding that the party had grown considerably in the last few years.
"The DA has grown so fast, because we have been able to convince people from many different backgrounds that racial nationalism is a dead-end, and that South Africa can only thrive as an open, opportunity society for all." – Sapa