Durban - NOT in our names. This was the reaction of political parties to the distribution of masks and sanitisers bearing political emblems.
The Activists Movement of South Africa is one organisation that has complained about parties using sanitisers and masks to campaign.
General secretary Sagren Naidoo said: “Those who use this dark period in our history to campaign for their brands are despicable. They are not leaders and as communities we must expose them.”
This came as pictures of masks bearing emblems of parties made the rounds on social media this week.
DA national spokesperson Solly Malatsi said he was aware of pictures that had surfaced of face masks bearing the party’s logo.
“Masks were made by individual colleagues in Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape who were acting out of goodwill to make masks using party material because they wanted to assist people, particularly those who do not have the resources to procure or make masks. The party has not commissioned the mass production of masks.”
IFP spokesperson Mkhuleko Hlengwa said it did not subscribe to using the party’s name on masks and sanitisers. “Now is not the time for politics and politicking.”
ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte said they were aware that people from the private sector were producing masks with the ANC emblem. There were also ANC members making masks out of used ANC T-shirts.
“We are asking members of the private sector not to abuse the ANC’s emblem. We are also asking the ANC membership to understand that Covid-19 affects everyone, irrespective of which party you belong to,” she said.
Meanwhile, the SA Social Security Agency said it had not received calls about politicians using food parcels to curry favour with voters. Sassa KZN spokesperson Sandy Godlwana said the call centre had received large volumes of calls about cards being swallowed by ATMs and disability grants lapsing.