THE DA is poised to capture the capital's municipality, Tshwane, from the ANC in the coming local government elections.

Campaigning in Atteridgeville, west of Pretoria, yesterday, DA leader Helen Zille said the ANC had admitted it had "failed the masses".

"Earlier this week, (ANC MP) Winnie Madikizela-Mandela was here ... she conceded that her party had failed the masses," Zille said at Saulsville Hostel.

"She acknowledged that people had been victims of broken promises. And she said that people had taken to the streets in protest because their hopes have been blasted.

"A few days before that, President (Jacob) Zuma admitted there were problems.

"He said: 'We can sort out the problems only if you vote for the ANC. Let's vote and after that sort out all the problems'," she said.

Zille accused the ANC of making the same promises in every election. The way residents had been treated was an outrage and affront to human dignity. "Nobody in a democratic South Africa should have to go without decent sanitation and electricity. Nobody deserves to live with the stench of raw sewage."

Zille was confident of winning the May 18 election in Tshwane, as research indicated the DA was neck-and-neck with the ANC.