South Africa: President Ramaphosa denounces opposition over flag-burning political ads
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called an opposition party’s campaign commercial depicting a burning national flag “treasonous” as political animosity escalated three weeks before an election.
The Democratic Alliance’s campaign advertisement, aired on Monday, uses the burning flag as an illustration for what it claims is the serious risk of the ruling African National Congress holding power in a coalition with left-wing parties.
President Ramaphosa told reporters during a visit to Limpopo province that the commercial “ is the most despicable political act that anyone can embark upon,” as he accused the Democratic Alliance of desecrating a symbol of national unity.
The controversial commercial shows a flag slowly burning as a voice warns of a dangerous alliance between the ruling ANC, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and those aligned with former President Jacob Zuma.
Despite the condemnation by Mr Ramaphosa, Helen Zille, a former DA leader and chairperson of the party’s federal council, justified the flag-burning commercial in an opinion column, saying the party picked the flag as the clearest symbol of the dream it shared 30 years ago, at the dawn of democracy under President Nelson Mandela.
She stressed that the flames show how Mandela’s vision has been ravaged by 30 years of ANC rule .
On May 29, 2024, South Africa will elect a new National Assembly as well as the provincial legislature in each of the nine provinces.
This will be the seventh general election held since the end of apartheid in 1994.
