Ramaphosa's pre-polls address was effectively a campaign speech, DA tells court

JOHANNESBURG - The Democratic Alliance said that while President Cyril Ramaphosa’s pre-election speech did not mention the African National Congress (ANC) by name, it was effectively a campaign speech. 

On Thursday, the Electoral Court sitting in the Johannesburg High Court, heard an application from the DA accusing Ramaphosa of violating the Electoral Code of Conduct. 

The DA said that Ramaphosa's 26 May speech amounted to undue influence of the elections. 

In its founding affidavit, the DA listed 16 instances where Ramaphosa's 26 May speech was similar to the one he delivered at the ANC's final Siyanqoba rally. 

The DA's legal representative, Advocate Anthony Stein, said that Ramaphosa's intention to campaign for his party was prevalent throughout his speech. 

"No other party would be allowed to trumpet its policies and accomplishments this way, rightly so, and the president certainly can't do it just because its under the guise of a presidential address to the nation."

Advocate Ngwako Menetje, who is representing Ramaphosa, said that the court could not make assumptions on what the president did not say.

"What you have here is an application that did not allege any fault on the part of the president, either by way of intention or negligence. So they accept what he says is the reason he made the speech, they don’t say he always intended to promote the ANC, they say you must infer from what he says."

Judgment in the case has been reserved.