DA acts against an errant leader

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, she steadfastly defended herself and her conduct until the issue morphed from being about her into 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 have been held on Friday, only to be postponed until month-end.

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

She apologised 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.

For 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 the DA has been in achieving this will become evident then.

The inescapable truth, though, is that the DA has acted on an errant leader, whether people like it or not.

The ANC, with its president on the receiving end of very damaging court judgments, an excoriating public protector report and unprecedented public outrage at state capture, has done nothing.

People in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.