The Congress of the People (COPE) has slammed DA Federal Council Chairperson Helen Zille for saying democratic South Africa has more racist laws than the apartheid regime.
COPE says Zille is showing the true colours of the party that she is leading.
Lol, there are more racist laws today than there were under apartheid. All racist laws are wrong. But permanent victimhood is too highly prized to recognise this.
— Helen Zille (@helenzille) June 21, 2020
COPE Spokesperson Dennis Bloem describes Zille’s comments as an insult to thousands of people who struggled for the same democracy that she is enjoying today.
“We now understand why she was voted back as DA Federal Council Chairperson. It is because of her right-wing stance. How can Helen Zille says there are more racist laws today than there were under apartheid. It is very clear to us that Helen Zille is longing for the old apartheid days. She is the biggest apartheid apologist. Helen must apply for residence in Orania. She can become the Mayor of Orania because they don’t want to mix with other people,” adds Bloem.
The DA’s Federal Legal Commission has meanwhile been tasked with the handling of the matter. Two members of her party, MP Hlanganani Gumbi and DA Gauteng Provincial Legislature member, Khume Ramulifho laid a complaint with the office of the party’s interim leader, John Steenhuisen.
Ramulifho says due process must be followed and the party leadership must hold Zille to account.
“I’ve written to the DA leader and the DA deputy federal chair asking them to investigate the tweets on the basis that I believe that they are in contravention of the DA federal constitution and the DA social media policy. Through the acknowledgment from Thomas Walters, they indicated that they are referring the matter to the FLC. All of us regardless of what position one occupies we have to abide by the DA federal constitution. I feel like whatever she has posted the leadership has to take action. The tweets are demeaning, they undermine and try to rewrite the history in an incorrect way.”
In the video below, Zille under fire for apartheid tweet:
Zille is no stranger to controversy.
In the past, she managed to stir trouble defending colonialism and tweeting about Black privilege.
Although Steenhuisen has refused to be interviewed on the latest controversy surrounding the DA’s veteran, he has in a statement, disagreed with Zille’s sentiments, saying that the country is now more just and humane than it was before its first non-racial elections in 1994.
Zille’s remarks have also drawn the ire of many South Africans.
In 1 tweet Helen Zille reduced anti-apartheid struggle into”the so-called struggle”which means it never occurred instead a white apartheid leader did it all by himself&freed blacks who should be eternally grateful. Mandela,Tambo,Biko, Sobukwe, Winnie were in so-called struggle pic.twitter.com/2b83XUxRKh
— somadodafikeni (@somadodafikeni) June 23, 2020
John Steenhuisen is a coward. Helen Zille seems to be the boss of the DA. #PutSouthAfricanFirst #HelenZilleMustFall https://t.co/uxFKnQ4Mws
— Opinionly (@opinionlyxyz) June 23, 2020
