South Africa’s President Labels Opposition Flag-Burning Ad as “Treasonous”

South Africa’s President, Cyril Ramaphosa, has condemned a campaign video by the opposition, Democratic Alliance (DA), that shows the national flag burning, labelling it as “despicable” and “treasonous.”

This ad controversy comes weeks before the national elections, viewed as the most critical election since the end of apartheid.

DA is the official opposition party to the ruling African National Congress (ANC). The former has long been perceived as a party for the middle-class whites in South Africa.

The ad, pulled down from airing on state broadcaster SABC due to public backlash, symbolises what the DA, claims will happen if the ruling ANC remains in power.

According to the DA, the video was intended to depict the urgent need for change in governance, with the ad narrator stating, “This election is about survival,” followed by a reversed video sequence showing the flag reassembling till it is intact and with the caption “VOTE DA.”

President Ramaphosa, responding to the ad, said, “It is that flag that unites all of us. It is despicable that a political party, as it seeks to express itself, go and burn this symbol of our unity. The symbol of our existence as a nation. And I think it is treasonous.”

The DA’s leader, John Steenhuisen, defended the ad during a campaign speech in Johannesburg, claiming it had achieved more than four million views online and blamed the ANC’s corruption and mismanagement for the country’s current economic woes.

Political analyst Solly Moeng weighed in on the issue, saying that “the DA is portraying the country, the symbol of the country, which is in pain, turmoil, and burning. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

As the elections approach, predictions suggest the ANC may lose its parliamentary majority for the first time, potentially forcing it to form a coalition to maintain power.

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