The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has cautioned political parties against using dirty campaign tactics ahead of the November local government elections.
The IEC briefed the media at its Centurion headquarters on Wednesday, where it revealed that it had been inundated with complaints from political parties.
Chief Electoral Officer Sy Mamabolo said political parties and candidates have an obligation to comply with the Electoral Code of Conduct, which is intended to help create an environment conducive to free and fair elections.
He said political parties are key to maintaining a stable environment during an election campaign and urged their leaders to consider the impact of their statements and actions.
Mamabolo emphasised that it was in the interests of political parties to help create a peaceful and conducive electoral environment rather than fuel tensions.
One high-profile incident involved the Democratic Alliance, which recently had two of its black employees attend the ANC’s manifesto launch in Diepsloot wearing ANC T-shirts. The pair were reportedly spotted by a journalist.
The ANC accused the DA representatives of political spying and espionage, alleging that they had been recording and monitoring the campaign event.
Meanwhile, ActionSA last week announced that it had lodged a formal complaint with the IEC calling for an investigation into ANC councillor Kgoši Maepa over what it described as repeated acts of disinformation against Tshwane Executive Mayor Dr Nasiphi Moya.
ActionSA said the alleged conduct could constitute breaches of the Electoral Code of Conduct and indicated that it would also lay criminal charges against Maepa.
The complaint relates to a series of social media posts in which Maepa accused Moya of using a contractor linked to the City of Tshwane to carry out renovations at her private homes in Pretoria and the Eastern Cape.
Mamabolo said political mudslinging was unhelpful and warned that inflammatory conduct by party leaders could have a wider impact on their supporters.
He urged political leaders to exercise greater restraint and conduct their campaigns in a manner that protects the conditions necessary for free and fair elections.
He said political parties should engage robustly during the campaign but ensure that their conduct does not undermine the integrity of the electoral process.