The Democratic Alliance’s (DA's) chief whip in Parliament, John Steenhuisen, has described the way the African National Congress (ANC) government runs the country similar to “schizophrenic behaviour”.

He also claimed the ruling party’s “policy confusion” was as a result of President Jacob Zuma putting the ANC before the country.

Speaking in Musgrave, Durban, on Monday night at the party’s introduction of the area and surround’s ward councillors, Steenhuisen said Zuma’s management of the economy was like a “drunk teenager with his hands on the wheel of the economy and veering the car across the road”.

He also called deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa “Cyril the Chameleon” because “no one knows what he stands for”, he said that the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) were equally confused and posed no threat to the DA’s voting base.

“We lurch from one crisis to the next. [The ANC] said they are open for business yet they pass ridiculous pieces of legislation such as the Promotion and Protection of Investment Bill which does the opposite.

“It reduces the right of potential investors. We have this complete incongruence. We have ministers going to tourism expos telling people to leverage their currency against the Rand and then pass laws on visas that make it as difficult as possible for people to visit. People instead visit Thailand or India.”

He said if Ramaphosa was the ANC’s best candidate for president it should be a concern for the country and reason enough to vote for the DA.

“People see Cyril Ramaphosa as a messianic figure. Cyril the chameleon, when he talks to business people, turns blue and almost sounds like he is from the DA. Then he comes across as a communist or trade unionist and then he turns red and starts talking about how state should have control.

“Then he totters along and comes across a group of farmers and turns green and talks about protection of farmers and that farmers are producing food. No sooner has he finished, then he turns red and starts talking about how terrible the farmers are and farms should be given to workers. No one understands who Cyril is. No one knows what he stands for,” said Steenhuisen.

He said the DA was not worried about the EFF because the DA’s polling data showed that the EFF would take about nine percent of the vote nationally.

“We are not concerned about the EFF. They will naturally grow in the next election (by having councillors elected). But what is very interesting is what they will do when they get into power. I want to see the EFF in government because I don’t think the EFF themselves know what they stand for.”

He said there was a picture of EFF leader Julius Malema “holding the Constitution” and saying “this is the EFF bible”, and then a few weeks later issuing a press release “that undos large parts of the Constitution such as expropriation without compensation and nationalisation”.

“I think the other telling point is that the EFF has not contested a single by-election since its formation. It is very hard for them to say they are the government-in-waiting yet that has never been tested.”

He called on people to vote for the DA, saying the party can “demonstrate through action”.

“It is a crying shame there is such waste in Durban with this useless ANC government. In Durban we cannot afford another five years of neglect, another five years of mayor infighting and another five years of taking instructions from Luthuli House.”

He said the residents must get behind the eThekwini Metro mayoral candidate Haniff Hoosen and vote for a strong DA.

“Clearly the city leadership has lost focus and feel nothing about going to concerts or cruises [at the city’s expense],” he said, referring to how city officials were offered free tickets to popstar Nicki Minaj’s performance which the city bank-rolled to the tune of R1.7-million.

They also failed in an attempt to send councillors on a three-day cruise to Portuguese Island, Mozambique, on the luxurious MSC Sinfonia at a cost of R160 000 for a “conference cruise”.

He said the Independent Electoral Commission was “still okay” but was under pressure from Zuma’s “state capture” programme. He said the party had asked for international observers to be present and was asking its members to volunteer at polling stations in their numbers to make sure the election was free and fair.