The ANC in the Western Cape called on premier Helen Zille on Friday to prove her allegations that it had arranged fake water cuts to tarnish the image of service delivery in the province.

"Premier Zille's allegations have yet to be proven," the Western Cape provincial task team of the African National Congress said in a statement.

"She has authored elaborate conspiracy theories that she has been unable to prove in the past."

It said the team, led by Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana, had launched an "urgent investigation" into the claims by the Democratic Alliance leader.

Earlier this week, Zille said the fake water cuts were arranged ahead of a visit by Co-operative Governance Minister Sicelo Shiceka to the Cape Town suburb of Mitchell's Plain.

After the visit Shiceka warned that national government would have to step in if Zille's administration and the DA-controlled City of Cape Town failed to deliver basic services.

But Zille, in an open letter to the minister, said there was no truth in the reports of water cuts.

She said she had been told by residents that local ANC branch members had instructed them ahead of the minister's visit to close their stopcocks, so it looked as though the municipality had cut off their water.

The ANC said in its statement that no "deployee or member or supporter" of the party had received instructions from the task team to lie about water cut-offs in order to make anyone look bad.

"Such behaviour, if proven, runs counter to the ethos of the ANC, and will not be tolerated.

"If it is proven that Premier Zille is spreading lies..."

"If it is proven that Premier Zille is spreading lies, the ANC Western Cape will expect her to do the honourable thing and publish an apology and explanation."

Cape Town newspapers on Friday published interviews with several residents who claimed ANC members told them to fake cutoffs.

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