Durban - South Africans should not insult President Jacob Zuma or other race groups during their demonstrations, the DA's KwaZulu-Natal leader said on Wednesday.
"We condemn those who come up with insulting slogans against the president and against South Africans of different colours. We cannot allow that," Zwakele Mncwango told News24.
"President Zuma is a human being. We must not insult him. The bottom line is: We don't hate Jacob Zuma. We do what we do because we love South Africa," he said during a small Democratic Alliance demonstration to demand that Zuma step down.
AS IT HAPPENED: Tens of thousands march to the Union Buildings against Zuma
Last week, the DA led an anti-Zuma march at the Durban beachfront that attracted over 6 000 people.
He said the party decided not to stage massive marches on Wednesday as they were exploring other avenues of demonstrating. This included encouraging people to sign a petition to be handed to MPs next Tuesday, the day of the vote of no confidence in Zuma.
The DA hoped the petition would help MPs "use their conscience".
"MPs must realise that they don't just represent Zuma and their party. Sometimes they don't realise that they represent South Africans."
Thousands of people, including members of opposition parties and civil society organisations, marched on the Union Buildings on Wednesday to demand that Zuma step down. This followed a similar march on Friday.