Helen Zille charged over tweets on colonialism

By Prerna Mukherjee

Helen Zille, the ex-head of the South African Democratic Alliance (DA) party and the current premier of the Western Cape province recently set off a storm when she tweeted in defence of colonialism. Her comments drew a wide range of criticisms on social media, from opponents and even from members of her own party.

Her tweet emphasised that colonialism had positive aspects and its legacy was not altogether negative as it brought an independent judiciary, transport infrastructure and piped water. This tweet resulted in a wave of resentment as it was seen as a justification of apartheid and colonialist oppression.  The pressure is now on the young and alluring black leader of the party, Mmusi Maimane, to take a clear stance on this. In a statement, Maimane said that Zille had “violated the party’s federal constitution by acting in a manner which brought the party into disrepute”. He made it clear that his role as the leader of the DA was to develop and advance the project of building a non-racial prosperous democracy.

On that note, the Democratic Alliance’s federal Executive will institute formal disciplinary proceedings. The panel, drawn from the party’s 30-member federal legal commission, will conduct the disciplinary inquiry to determine whether Zille had violated one or more of the provisions of the DA constitution which includes penalties for bringing the good name of the party into disrepute or harming the interests of the party.

If found guilty, Zille’s membership could be terminated or suspended. She could also be temporarily or permanently prohibited from holding office, fined an amount not exceeding R50,000; or be ordered to a period of community service.

The liberal DA party faces the risk of a major setback in the 2019 elections as their appeal among black voters has been hurt by Zille’s tweet. On the other hand, it may have also strengthened support from the traditional white voters by presenting itself as a plausible alternative to the ruling African National Congress.

Featured Image Credits: BBC