"It’s Spying": Helen Zille's DA Team Spotted at ANC Manifesto Launch

• Helen Zille's DA social media team attended the ANC's manifesto launch in Diepsloot, with one member wearing an ANC T-shirt
• The ANC identified two DA members capturing content among the crowd at the event
• The DA defended its team's presence, saying they were there to document ANC hypocrisy and planned to attend more ANC events before the elections

GAUTENG - The Democratic Alliance (DA) has defended the presence of members of Helen Zille’s social media campaign team at the ANC’s manifesto launch in Diepsloot after the party accused them of engaging in “political espionage”.

The DA team was spotted at the ANC event on Sunday, where they were reportedly capturing content among the crowd.

According to News24, two members of Zille’s campaign team, digital strategist Tami Jackson and Zeke Wareley, were seen at the launch. One of them was reportedly wearing an ANC T-shirt.

Jackson is known as the digital strategist behind Zille’s increasingly viral social media campaign, which has largely focused on highlighting alleged governance failures in the City of Johannesburg.

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ANC cries foul

The ANC wasted no time condemning what it described as undercover political espionage. ANC spokesperson Mahlengi Bhengu told the media plainly:

"It's spying. It's unethical."

She added that the party would be looking into the matter further.

The incident comes as Zille and the DA have stepped up their campaign ahead of the upcoming local government elections.

Her social media campaign has increasingly targeted the ANC’s record in Johannesburg, with the DA positioning itself as the party that can turn the city around.

See Helen Zille's X post here:

DA hits back

The DA rejected the accusation of political espionage, saying its team was simply there to collect newsworthy material and highlight what it described as the ANC’s failures.

DA Johannesburg mayoral campaign manager Kyle Jacobs said the team’s presence was intended to showcase the ANC’s “hypocrisy and falsehoods”.

Jacobs also dismissed the idea that the DA members had acted improperly, pointing out that the ANC had not indicated the event was restricted to party supporters.

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“Nowhere did the ANC say that this rally was for supporters only and, as we saw, they were desperate to get more people there to boost attendance,” Jacobs said.

He argued that the presence of the two DA team members even helped the ANC’s attendance figures, drawing a comparison with the DA’s efforts to “lend a helping hand” in fixing Johannesburg.

Jacobs further indicated that the DA campaign team would attend more ANC events in the run-up to the elections.

Zille mocks ANC's cancelled mayoral candidate announcement

Briefly News also reported that Zille recently attracted attention with a social media post poking fun at the ANC after the party delayed the announcement of its Johannesburg mayoral candidate. Zille posted a cartoon on her X account that showed her standing in a boxing ring across from a corner draped in ANC flags and completely empty. The banner on the corner read: "Empty corner, empty promises, empty courage."The party had been expected to unveil candidates for eight metros and 44 district municipalities at the Sandton International Convention Centre, but pulled back at the last minute.

Source: Briefly News