Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Helen Zille is to raise the issue of political violence when she meets the chairwoman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), Brigalia Bam, on Friday.

Zille will ask Bam what special measures the IEC will take to monitor and prevent political intimidation and violence in the run-up to the 2009 election.

In a statement on Tuesday, Zille said: "The ANC realises that its grip on power is slipping and that it runs the risk of losing more than one province after the next election, so its members and supporters have embarked on a campaign of Mugabe-style intimidation and thuggery, in an attempt to bully their political opponents."

The DA leader charged the campaign was "stoked by the reckless war-talk of the ANC Youth League and senior ANC leaders and the ruling party's failure either to condemn unequivocally or take remedial action against its members for inciting and perpetrating violence."

As an example, Zille pointed to a Congress of the People meeting inVerulam, KwaZulu-Natal, last week which she said was invaded by about 200 ANC members.

"Wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Jacob Zuma's face, they hurled chairs at Cope supporters and broke up the gathering. KwaZulu-Natal ANC provincial secretary Senzo Mchunu had earlier warned that the ANC would 'crush' any meetings of Cope in the province."

Zille urged the IEC to "redouble its efforts to anticipate and prevent outbreaks of violence as the next election approaches".