DA leader Zille responds to claims Lindiwe was ‘a victim’
THE real story is the way the party and its leadership have been treated. Lindiwe Mazibuko is not the victim here.
I never launched any attack against Lindiwe. Athol Trollip asked me a series of questions, and I responded as follows:
I had worked very hard to promote Lindiwe’s career. In fact, I said I had never done as much to promote any person’s career in the DA before. This is an evidence-based fact.
I did not say that I “made” her. And I never said I “saved” her. I did say that I had repeatedly taken responsibility for mistakes made in parliament in an attempt to protect her and the parliamentary team. That is also a fact and there is no one in the know who would dispute it;
I said in response to Athol’s question that, when Lindiwe originally said she wanted to run for parlia- mentary leader at the mid-term, I advised her against it for reasons that I explained to the federal executive. When she was determined to run, I backed her because, in trying to diversify the party, I felt it was important for her to win.
At no stage did I launch any “scathing attack” on Lindiwe. I simply put the facts on the table. I said that after she was elected, a “Berlin wall” came down and my advice was ignored or major decisions were made without any reference to me, resulting in serious mistakes for which I stepped forward and took responsibility;
I said that I had tried to keep communication channels open and support her as best I could, but that I had experienced repeated resistance;
During the course of the recent election, I heard rumours that she intended to go abroad as soon as the election was over;
I did not believe this could be true, but because Lindiwe was on sick leave and because I had been told this information in confidence, I let it pass.
When it turned out to be true and I was told a few hours before it appeared in the newspaper, the full picture fell into place. It was quite clear that she was going to face defeat in the election for parliamentary leader and wanted to avoid this. That is quite understandable, but I would have preferred her to have levelled with me and told me the truth early on. This failure to level with me characterised her approach from the moment she was elected with my assistance.
She gave her reasons for going to Harvard to the federal executive only after the announcement appeared in the media, and we agreed to draw a line under it. I wished her well and spent the day defending her decision;
Gareth van Onselen then announced he was going to give the “real reasons” [in Business Day’s online website]; and
I then spoke to Lindiwe telephonically and mentioned that it would do serious damage to her credibility if he gave different reasons to those she had given to the federal executive and she should at all costs seek to avoid a contradiction.
It is also important to note that the tone of the debate [at Friday’s meeting] was not bad and nor did it deteriorate. It was a full, open, frank discussion of adults seeking to deal with a situation and move forward.
If anyone has reason to feel aggrieved, it is not Lindiwe — or the members of the federal executive who are leaking [information] to you.
In order for you to get a full picture and not rely on selective leaks, please attend our next federal executive meeting, with other journalists, and hear the full debate for yourself.
Zille is the leader of the DA