DA leader Helen Zille took to social networking site Twitter to announce that she had been bitten by a rat, The Star reported on Wednesday.

Zille tweeted her 251,000 followers around 6am on Tuesday: "The weirdest thing just happened. I went to fetch the newspapers at the gate when a rat darted out, and bit me on my toe!"

This was retweeted 268 times. Her followers on Twitter were quick to chime in with advice and suggestions which included go to the doctor,...read more here: Zille bitten by a rat