The racial war of words between the ANC and DA has taken an ugly turn.

This was after ANC deputy secretary-general Jessie Duarte charged over the weekend that DA leader Mmusi Maimane could not lecture the party on how to govern the country while he was being called a monkey by his party.

Maimane hit back at Duarte.

"Jessie Duarte and the ANC are themselves committing to and producing a racialised society. They have and are doing nothing about racism, they have abandoned the dream of Nelson Mandela of a none racial society. If they were doing something we were not going to be talking of racism now," he told Sowetan.

Speaking during the ANC's 104-years celebration at KaMhlushwa Stadium in Mpumalanga on Saturday, Duarte said people must not waste votes to "micky-mouse" parties like the DA and the UDM.

"There's a man called Maimane trying to lecture us, the 104-years-old ANC, on how to forge a nation. This is the same man whose own organisation calls him a monkey. We have travelled a long way to find each other.

"We call on all people of this country to work together and defeat the demon of racialism and tribalism. It is clear that a tiny minority harbours a desire for separate amenities and who idolise apartheid-era leaders."

Maimane and Duarte's comments came in the wake of former estate agent Penny Sparrow's remarks that black beach-goers were monkeys. Her comments have since unleashed a storm of racial exchanges on social networks, with political parties going as far as opening criminal cases against one another.

Duarte also said the ANC was worried about the SACP's failure to attend the event. "We are concerned that our alliance partner, the SACP, is not here," said Duarte.

When contacted for comment, the SACP's provincial secretary Bonakele Majuba said they were only invited late on Friday.

"Our invitation came on Friday night, again the leader, Premier David Mabuza, hates SACP with passion. The ANC national tried to hold an alliance summit, but he refused, and that shows that the national ANC is afraid of him; they worship him," said Majuba.

The SACP in Mpumalanga was at odds with Mabuza, accusing him of sidelining communists.