'They must take them down': Mmusi Maimane reacts to DA posters with his face spotted in Western Cape

A poster moemish by the Cape Muslim Congress (CMC) has seen the party getting a lashing from the DA's former leader Mmusi Maimane after his face was spotted on some campaign posters in the Western Cape. 

This week, social media users, including author Gasant Abarder and Newzroom Afrika’s Athi Mtongana, spotted Maimane's face on DA municipal election posters. 

According to the social media posts, the campaign posters were reportedly hung up in Wynberg, Ottery and Ceres. 

It turned out that the posters with Maimane's face were bought by the CMC, who stuck their campaign messages and pictures of their candidates' faces over the old posters.

The Congress’s Yagyah Adams told IOL they put their stickers over Maimane’s face and suspected foul play. 

“We were sabotaged by someone, and I do not know who. It does not make sense that only in those areas this happened, while in places like Bellville and Eerste Rive our stickers are still intact,” he said. 

Reacting to the posters, Maimane called for the posters with his face to be taken down

“They must take them down,” he tweeted. 

Leading up to the local government elections, political posters have been at the centre of conversations, leaving many puzzled. 

Earlier in October, the DA found itself on the receiving end of criticism over campaign posters in Phoenix, Durban, where 36 people were killed during July’s unrest. The poster read “The ANC calls you racists. The DA calls you heroes”.

The party was accused of fuelling racial tensions with the posters. It later removed them and issued an apology.

Last week, the party caused a stir after it put up posters that read “DA or ANC: Your choice”.

Political analyst puppet Chester Missing weighed in on the DA’s latest poster, claiming it gives “free advertising” to the ANC.

“The DA’s big sell is telling people who they are not,” he said.

“You’ve never seen a KFC poster where they go ‘KFC or Chicken Licken: Your choice’ or a condom advert where they go ‘Durex or Lovers Plus: Your choice’ or a tourism advert where they go ‘Durban or Gqeberha; Your choice’ or a DJ poster saying ‘Tbo Touch or iTunes’.” 

The Sunday Times reported that several unnamed DA provincial leaders were against the new posters because they had ANC’s name on them and this amounted to free advertising for the ruling party.