Zillegate finally at an end

THE ongoing saga that was Zillegate finally came to an end yesterday after the DA settled with its former leader, Helen Zille, who had been facing charges of bringing the party into disrepute.

Zille had tweeted about the benefits of colonialism on her way back from a trip to Singapore on March 16, and then, as outrage mounted, steadfastly defended herself and her conduct until the issue morphed from being about her to an existential crisis for the DA itself.

She was charged with bringing the party into disrepute and suspended from all party activities pending her disciplinary hearing, which was supposed to be held last Friday, only for it to be postponed until month end.

Yesterday, pre-empting the entire process, party leader Mmusi Maimane held a press conference with Zille at his side.

She apologised yesterday for her tweets, and publicly supported Maimane.

Then she stepped down from her party’s federal executive and provincial executive structures. Zille remains premier of the Western Cape and a member of the party’s caucus in the legislature – for practical reasons of governance. To all other intents and purposes, however, she plays no role in the leadership of the DA. She has been isolated.

It’s a compromise decision that found few immediate fans. Many had wanted her to be fired as premier, even though she admittedly runs a good administration.

Others wanted the entire saga wished away.

The schism shows just why the party had no option but to do as it did, to strike a settlement and get the matter behind it to allow it to concentrate all its efforts on the all-important general elections in 2019.

Just how successful it has been in achieving this will become evident then.

The EFF could not have said it better in a statement yesterday which read: “We are in a difficult position of having to choose between kleptocracy and colonialists, gangsters and racists.” They went further to say Zille had exposed herself as an unreformed racist.

It’s sad that Zille represents the views and sentiments of many people in South Africa. However, now that the DA has dealt with one errant leader, maybe the ANC can deal with another.