Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa has accused the Democratic Alliance (DA) of using an election campaign advert to sow seeds of discord in the country.
The DA’s electioneering video depicts a picture of the South African flag burning out slowly.
The narrator says the elections are about surviving the damage done to the country by the ruling African National Congress (ANC).
At the end of the video, there is a restored picture of the South African flag with the party electioneering theme “Unite to rescue South Africa”.
Kodwa condemned the advert and said the burning of the flag goes against the nationhood it represents.
Kodwa’s spokesperson Litha Mpondwana says, “This action by the Democratic Alliance, offends the gains South Africa has made as a free and non-racial democracy and the blood, sweat, and sacrifices it took for the country to gain this freedom.”
The minister said the South African flag will not be used as an instrument to sow division and hysteria in our nation.”
The South African flag represents our nationhood and the coming together of our people. I condemn in the strongest terms the political advertisement by the @Our_DA which shows the burning of the South African flag.@SportArtsCultur @CyrilRamaphosa #IAmTheFlag pic.twitter.com/30oWaIrO4n
— Minister of Sport, Arts & Culture (@zizikodwa) May 6, 2024
Meanwhile, the DA has defended the advert saying the burning flag symbolises the country’s current state.
The party’s spokesperson Solly Malatsi says, “The aim of the advert is to showcase the slide that the country is on and the risk that it will continue to go on, should we enter into the prospect of a coalition between the ANC, the EFF, and MK.
South Africa is in a very difficult time, and these parties collectively represent some worrisome trends that showcase that South Africa is on a slide. When you look at the flag, the burning of that flag represents that slide, and to showcase that there is still hope, that flag is not completely burned out, and it is then restored.”
🚨 This election is about survival! Watch the DA’s new TV advert. Your vote can stop a corrupt coalition between the ANC, the violent EFF and the Zuma faction.
A strong DA can anchor a new caring government to create more jobs and get things done. Unite to #RescueSA. 🇿🇦#DAtvAd pic.twitter.com/2PiEcp8W2t
— Democratic Alliance (@Our_DA) May 5, 2024
