Helen Zille, former journalist and now leader of South Africa's opposition Democratic Alliance party, has criticised a newspaper promotion linked the the celebration of the ANC's coming centenary celebrations.
She complained that a planned Independent Newspapers advertising feature gives a glowing endorsement to the ANC.
It is due to run in several South African papers, such as The Star, Pretoria News, Cape Argus, Daily News, Diamond Fields Advertiser and Isolezwe on 13 January.
The papers' publisher, which is ultimately owned by the Irish-based Independent News & Media, requested that Zille's party advertise in the feature.
But she said: "It is deeply ironic that Independent Newspapers would choose to run an advertising feature glorifying the the ANC when the very same party is attempting to shut down the free press."
Zille argued that "the one-sided endorsement by a newspaper of a political party to solicit prospective advertisers" was against the country's press code.
She was planning to make a formal complaint to the press ombudsman, but it said it had no mandate over advertising, only editorial.
Moegsien Williams, Independent News editorial director, said: "There is a 'Chinese wall' between the commercial and editorial units of our company."
Source: Business Day/iAfrica.com
