President Thabo Mbeki's radio interview on Wednesday evening is an attempt "to reach" the ANC party delegates who will be voting at Polokwane next weekend, the Democratic Alliance said.

"Mbeki is not facing 'the nation' but his own party," DA spokeswoman Dene Smuts said in a statement on Wednesday. Mbeki was scheduled to be interviewed on all of the SABC's public radio stations at 7pm on Wednesday. The interview comes two weeks ahead of the crucial ANC National Conference at Polokwane, where the new leader of the party will be chosen.

So far Mbeki and ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma have been nominated for the position. "We can assume that the SABC is offering President Thabo Mbeki a platform across all its public radio stations tonight [Wednesday] to reach the delegates who will be voting at Polokwane next weekend,"Smuts said. She said a proper journalistic decision based on news worthiness would have seen both contenders for the ANC presidency in the studio for a debate.

"The SABC's belated announcement that Jacob Zuma would enjoy similar exposure offers his supporters some comfort. "This episode confirms the conviction that the public broadcaster is a party organ," she said. SABC's chief executive Dali Mpofu dismissed the DA's claims. "The SABC will cover the Polokwane conference without any bias and give a chance to all the role-players," he said.

No further details on Mbeki's broadcast or whether Zuma would also be interviewed were immediately available.