DA to launch TV advert

Democratic Alliance (DA) Gauteng Premier Candidate, Mmusi Maimane, will on Tuesday launch a new DA TV advert in Johannesburg.

Maimane says the advert is very important because it summarises what the elections are all about.

Maimane says: “The advert speaks a lot about where we are as a country and where we are going to be taking the future of Gauteng. We will be launching the ad in Bekkersdal with the Concerned Residents Association.”

Last month, the Independent Communications Authority of SA (Icasa) announced that political parties are to be accorded free airtime on the public broadcaster’s platforms from the 5th of April to the 5th of May. Television and radio will broadcast the parties’ adverts.

Allocating time slots through a raffle, Icasa says this will ensure that voters are well informed of each party’s manifesto.

Icasa has allocated more than 240 party election broadcast airtime slots free. The airtime is going to be allocated to the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) for broadcast.

Icasa says this will enable voters to be informed of what they are voting for and is the independent authority’s contribution towards promoting democracy.

The African National Congress (ANC) received 52 slots; the Democratic Alliance (DA) 19, Congress of the People (COPE) 12 and others vary between seven and four.
Maimane says they are ready to use the slots that they got.

Maimane says: “It is a good space to have, we have to maximise everything we can to make sure that we speak to voters.”

South Africans will cast their votes on May 7.

– By Sthembiso Sithole