The New Age newspaper has accused DA leader Helen Zille of double standards after she said she would no longer participate in its business breakfasts, according to EWN.

On Monday, Zille made the announcement following reports that public money was being spent to fund the breakfast events.

The City Press reported over the weekend that Eskom, Telkom and Transnet spent millions to fund the sessions, while the SABC broadcasted them for free.

Zille that said it was unacceptable that public money was being used to bankroll a privately owned newspaper.

She said she pulled out after noting how "tens of millions had been spent on breakfasts" from public funds by a "private business venture of a major benefactor of Jacob Zuma and his family, and the ANC generally".

But The New Age hit back on Tuesday, accusing Zille of double standards.

The paper quoted the DA leader thanking Telkom for being a sponsor during a business breakfast in Cape Town in February 2011.

In a statement issued by The New Age editor Moegsien Williams, he said that Zille had previously participated with the full knowledge that it was a sponsored event.

At the time, in her opening remarks, Zille reportedly said: "Mr Clyde Rossouw, representing Telkom, the sponsor of this breakfast today, thank you very much, sir, for enabling this to happen." The newspaper also uploaded a clip of Zille's remarks to YouTube.

Williams said: "The decision of Helen Zille, leader of the DA and premier of the Western Cape, to withdraw from The New Age/SABC Business Briefing is regrettable. It is a missed opportunity to spell out the vision of her party over the next 18 months during which a general election will be called. It flies in the face of her often harsh criticism of the SABC for not affording leaders of the opposition a fair opportunity on the airwaves.

"It is also sad that her decision is based on a newspaper report which we believe to be part of an orchestrated campaign to undermine the success of The New Age and ensure its demise. We have reason to believe, however, the DA is part of this campaign, as was reported in The New Age last year."

But Zille told EWN that she could not recall making the comment.

"I cannot personally recall thanking anybody, but it was a very long time ago and I have many, many engagements every day."