Steenhuisen: Flag-burning ad 'most successful in history'
DA leader John Steenhuisen says the party's controversial election advert is the most successful of its kind since the dawn of democracy.
Steenhuisen concluded the party's Rescue South Africa Tour in Soweto on Thursday.
Since its release on Sunday, the ad has been the subject of fierce debate due to the image of a burning South African flag.
The advert has seen the DA come under fire from some quarters, with President Cyril Ramaphosa joining the chorus of disapproval on Tuesday.
The Department of Arts and Culture also said it is considering what action it would be able to take against the DA.
But Steenhuisen hailed it as a great success with over four million views online and millions more on radio and TV.
"We symbolised how South Africa’s flag, its constitution, and its future would burn to ashes if voters sit back and allow the ANC, the EFF, and other destructive populists to seize power.
“The piece delivered a powerful wake-up call to voters that if they stay at home on election day, or if they split the DA’s vote, this Doomsday Coalition between the ANC and EFF would burn our country to the ground.
“And boy, did it succeed.
“For the whole past week, South Africa has talked about nothing else.
“The prospect of seeing our flag, and all that it symbolises, going down in flames has grabbed the attention of a country that is about to go through the most profound political transition in 30 years," said Steenhuisen.
He reiterated his belief that the ANC would lose its majority but would do anything to stay in power.
"Imagine a coalition between the ANC, the violent EFF, and the Zuma faction. Under this coalition of corruption, life will only get worse.
“This election is about survival, the survival of the South African flag, and our South African dream.
“But the ad does not end there. It goes on to show that there is a way – but only one way – to restore the South African flag to its full glory.”
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