Advice in many shades from Helen Zille

EMBATTLED Western Cape premier Helen Zille has warned the DA faithful against “becoming green or purple” to appeal to more voters to win elections.

Zille was referring to the DA forsaking its principles to dilute its blue with the yellow of the ANC or the red of the EFF.

She has warned before against the DA softening its principles in the quest for power by cosying up to parties that do not share its liberal sensibilities.

Her comments come as she faces disciplinary charges related to a tweet in which she was said to have defended colonialism. Following DA leader Mmusi Maimane’s response to her tweet, Zille warned that the DA should avoid adopting the ANC’s African nationalism.

While delivering the Colin Eglin memorial lecture at the Cape Town Club on Thursday, Zille was disrupted by protesters demanding that state land not be sold to commercial interests.

Zille nevertheless finished her speech.

She told her audience that South Africans “chart our course between bright beacons, painted in South Africa’s primary political colours of red, yellow and blue.

“As primary colours, they should represent clear and distinct policy choices. Our colour is blue, and we need to understand what the core elements of blue are,” she said, characterising these as “freedom you can use to live a life you value”.

“In the race against time, there will always be a big temptation to become slightly purple or slightly green — by which I mean merging our blue with red, on the one hand, or with yellow on the other.

“There is a point beyond which we will not be able to go and still describe ourselves as blue.

“Getting past that point means that even if we are able to win elections, we will not be able to govern according to the values we have spent so many decades de- fending, and which we believe are required to live in peace and prosperity in an inclusive country.”

Zille’s views come as the opposition has formed an alliance with civil society groups to force President Jacob Zuma to leave office.

The DA has had to join hands with the EFF in co-operation agreements to govern major metros where the ANC failed to win a majority last year.

In the National Assembly the official opposition initially faced criticism that it watched from the benches as the EFF led the charge in challenging the ANC.

Zille warned that DA values would come under attack from the party’s opponents.

“We all know that race-shaming has become the weapon of choice of our political opponents: dismissing black people who disagree with the ruling party as inauthentic blacks at best, traitorous at worst; and whites as inherent racists whose only role is to shut up and feel guilty,” said Zille.

Regarding the disciplinary process, sources close to Zille said this week she was still prepared to take the fight to the bitter end. As DA leaders geared themselves for a battle that may well end in court, MP Glynnis Breytenbach said a date for the internal hearing had not yet been set.

Race-shaming has become the weapon of choice of our opponents