Faizel Patel – 29/06/2020
Wits professor Roger Southall says Democratic Alliance (DA) Federal Chair Council Chairperson Helen Zille’s tweets were very rash when she tried to pursue historical arguments on Twitter.
Zille said that there were more racist laws today than there were under apartheid.
She also tweeted that had it not been for former President FW de Klerk’s dismantling of the apartheid regime, the African National Congress would still be bogged down in the mess of its so-called “liberation camps and infighting.”
From being the official opposition, to losing thousands of voters who were not happy with how the party changed under Zille, what has become obvious , is that the party is bleeding votes.
Southall and Pieter du Toit, author and investigatve journalist at News24 were discussing the rise and fall of Zille on Radio Islam on Monday.
Southhall says it is unprecedented that Zille gave up the leadership of the DA just to come back as federal council chairperson
“She seems to have an inability to stop moving her fingers on Twitter. It was extremely rash. But she seems to simply be a politician who doesn’t know when the time comes to stop.”
Du Toit says Zille should’ve learnt her lesson from her previous rants on Twitter.
He says Zille derides those who she believes are easily offended, scoffs at those who disagree with what she sees as self-evident truths and she is known to mock and dismiss those who she believes are weak.
“Inside of the DA there was and remains huge frustration that Zille is unable to think through what she says on social media over the last couple of years and its show its not a place to conduct nuance or complicated or difficult debate.”
Du Toit says while Zille was a strong leader and politician after taking over from former DA leader Tony Leon, she was unable to let go once she left party and handed reigns to Mmusi Maimane in 2015.
Listen to the discussion by Roger Southall and Pieter du Toit
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