Democratic Alliance (DA) leader Mmusi Maimane held no punches on Thursday during the party's unveiling of election its posters, taking on President Jacob Zuma, the African National Congress (ANC) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president Julius Malema.

"Those people have long forgotten about South Africa. They are dinosaurs those people. They are fighting with each other, they have a problem with [candidate] lists," he said.

Maimane said ANC members in Ekurhuleni have been calling him complaining about the ANC candidates list where, "only people connected to Zuma are on the list".

"The people of Ekurhuleni have been calling me saying 'we have been hearing you tell us that the organisation is no longer the organisation of the people. It's the organisation of Zuma and his connections', and I said to them 'I've been telling you'."

Maimane said if the ANC candidates list was decided by the people the party would not stall on revealing it.

Nothing to celebrate

He then took shots at Malema and the EFF saying the party's policies would cripple the country's economy.

"What's worse is they gave birth to another one whose policies can be summarised in three words: 'everything for free'. The people of Zimbabwe are saying to me stop these people, we have seen what their policies have done in Zimbabwe."

Maimane and Tshwane mayoral candidate Solly Msimang unveiled their poster which read, "517 000 unemployed under Tshwane mayor Ramokgopa".

Maimane said there was nothing to celebrate during this youth month because the young people were unemployed. "We cannot say to our young people there is something to celebrate this month, when our young people are on the street. They [ANC] can't understand young people.

"Small business will be started and owned by black people with the DA," he told supporters.