Formal complaints lodged by senior black DA members against Helen Zille for apartheid tweets | News24

• Two DA leaders have lodged formal complaints against the party’s federal council chairperson Helen Zille.
• This comes on the back of her tweets saying there were more racist laws now than in apartheid and about FW de Klerk. 
• They claim her tweets are in breach of the party’s constitution, social media policy and go against its anti-racism pledge.

Senior black DA members have referred federal council chairperson Helen Zille’s tweets to the party’s federal legal commission (FLC) for action to be taken against her. 

Gauteng provincial legislature member Khume Ramulifho and Member of Parliament Hlanganani Gumbi have confirmed to News24 they have sought to have the matter investigated by the FLC.

This is amid the controversy caused by Zille’s tweets that there were more racist laws in the country now than there were during apartheid and lauding the oppressive regime’s last president FW De Klerk for its downfall.

Zille also dismissed the ANC’s contributions toward a democratic South Africa.

Ramulifho, who is also the DA’s Gauteng spokesperson on education, told News24: “I feel like what she has been tweeting is against the party’s constitution. It is considered as misconduct in terms of the DA’s constitution. It is also against the party’s social media policy.”

“Regardless of a person’s position, we are all supposed to adhere to the party’s constitution,” he added.

Ramulifho said he had written to interim DA leader John Steenhuisen and one of Zille’s deputies Thomas Walters, with the former being able to directly refer the matter to the FLC and the latter able to do so through the federal executive.

“Leadership has to ensure they enforce whatever decisions are taken. I am following internal processes as outlined by our constitution, even if this is a repeated offence, I am complaining as a member now and asking the leadership to take it forward,” said Ramulifho.

He told News24 while he wasn’t saying Zille had no right to air her views, he felt her tweets were “demeaning”.

“I am not an ANC member, but I value what the struggle stalwarts have done for the country. The fact that there are issues when it comes to the new government doesn’t take away the struggle credentials or what people fought for… people lost their lives, their families were broken up,” he said.

READ | Zille says there are more racist laws today than under apartheid – we compared them

He also lambasted Zille for suggesting it was De Klerk who birthed the country’s democratic dispensation, saying it undermined the efforts of those who risked their lives for liberation, along with the pain felt by those related to people whose remains were never recovered.

“It also doesn’t assist us with regard to social cohesion. How do you build a South Africa with one vision, while trying to delete the entire history of the struggle waged by many including the ANC?

“Many South Africans who still believe we can build a better South Africa for our future and believe the DA should be the vehicle will wonder how with these kinds of comments,” he added.

This is not Zille’s first transgression in this regard, previously she vowed to no longer tweet and stepped down from active leadership in the party when then leader Mmusi Maimane made her apologise for tweets in which she praised colonialism.

READ MORE | Zille apologises for insensitive actions 

While Gumbi was not willing to say much, he also confirmed that he had laid a formal complaint against Zille.

“I have filed it with Thomas Walters, deputy chair of the Federal Council for tabling with FedEx as per 10.8.1 of the federal constitution to FLC for potential breach of the federal constitution and social media policy,” he told News24.

Gumbi said he received confirmation that his complaint had been accepted by Walters and Zille, adding that he left it all up to party processes going forward.

On Tuesday, Steenhuisen told News24 that Zille referred her tweets to party structures for debate. 

He said while he did not agree with Zille’s views regarding apartheid laws, he lambasted government’s use of race policies during the Covid-19 crisis.

MORE | Steenhuisen says Zille’s tweets on apartheid not truthful

News24 has also seen an internal letter by the party’s Gauteng leader John Moodey in support of Ramulifho and Gumbi which also included his views on Zille’s tweets.

Moodey expressed disappointment in Zille, who he said was out of line, as he distanced himself from her views, which he called “insensitive”, “indefensible” and damaging to the DA.

‘Ignorance and superiority’

The provincial leader, who is also a federal leadership hopeful, said De Klerk did not dismantle apartheid alone, many other leaders and citizens were involved.

“I previously defended De Klerk when there was a call to have him stripped of his Nobel prize, because I recognised his contribution to bringing about a peaceful transition to democracy in South Africa,” said Moodey.

He further said Zille was wrong and misguided in saying there were more racist laws in the country now, adding that this showed ignorance and superiority and was hurtful to the country’s majority.

“These statements bring back painful memories and open old wounds, both of which I had hoped to have forgotten. This conduct is not what I would have expected from a senior leader of the DA and in the current political environment,” he said.

On Tuesday another leadership hopeful Mbali Ntuli tweeted the interim leader asking if he agreed that Zille should retire from political life.

A fed up Phumzile Van Damme, who is an MP, also took to social media on Wednesday expressing her views on the matter as well as the state of the organisation.

Van Damme also questioned what reporting Zille to the FLC would yield, questioning disciplinary processes in the party and accusing the leader of using her influence to target some, including Ntuli and DA youth leader Luyolo Mphithi.