Durban - The African National Congress has condemned the parading of a coffin in its colours at the National Freedom Party's 2014 election manifesto launch.
“The ANC condemns with the strongest terms the parading of the coffin with ANC colours during the NFP gathering on Sunday at Curries Fountain Stadium,” ANC KwaZulu-Natal secretary Sihle Zikalala said in a statement on Wednesday.
The NFP held its rally at Curries Fountain Stadium in Durban on Sunday where thousands of people attended the launch of the party's manifesto.
Before party leader Zanele kaMagwaza-Msibi addressed the party faithful, a coffin in black, green and gold was lifted above the heads of supporters.
At one stage an NFP supporter climbed onto the coffin being held aloft and rode it as if in a rodeo, miming with his fingers that he was shooting into the air.
Almost all the newspapers in the province on Monday carried pictures of the coffin amid the sea of orange NFP shirts.
However, Zikalala said the parading of the coffin was akin to the launch of the United Workers' Union of SA in 1986, which was aligned with the Inkatha Freedom Party.
“In 1986, in the same stadium during the launch of Uwusa, similar behaviour was displayed and that was followed by a bloodbath in the province. The display of the coffin tells us that the NFP may have defected from the IFP but some bad behaviour, which characterised the IFP for sometime, is still prevalent in the NFP.”
He said acts of violence and political intolerance were deplorable.
He said the party also condemned the recent killing of an NFP member in KwaMashu.
A woman, believed to be an NFP supporter, was shot dead at Durban's KwaMashu Hostel on Monday.
Sapa