• News
  • Sport
  • TV
  • Radio
  • Education
  • TV Licences
  • Contact Us

For all official information and updates regarding COVID-19, visit the South African Department of Health's website at www.sacoronavirus.co.za

No Result
View All Result
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORT
  • AFRICA
  • WORLD
  • SCI-TECH
  • LIFESTYLE
  • FEATURES
  • OPINION
Home Features DA Federal Congress DA Congress Latest News

I did my best: Helen Zille

8 May 2015, 5:38 PM  |
News Publisher News Publisher |  @SABCNews
Hellen Zille was the leader of the Democratic Allaince from 2007.  Picture:SABC

Hellen Zille was the leader of the Democratic Allaince from 2007. Picture:SABC

Hellen Zille was the leader of the Democratic Allaince from 2007. Picture:SABC

n the almost sixteen years that she has been in politics, especially the eight that she has been leader of the Democratic Alliance, Helen Zille has been called many names.

Bully, cockroach, and “power crazy dictator” are just some of those names. She brushes all of them off, calling them strange.
“People often take leadership better from a man than they do from a woman,” says Zille.

She says being a woman has not made her job particularly easier or harder, except for those times when hard decisions had to be made and she had to make them. Those times she says, that’s when she was called by “strange” names.

“When there are strong differences of opinions in the party and you give strong leadership in a particular direction and it’s the decision of the leader. When men do that it is considered strong leadership and when women do it they are often called dictators and other strange names,” says Zille.

Zille was speaking to the SABC in an interview about her time as leader of the DA. She announced last month that she would not be running for re-elections.

The party will this weekend elect a new leader to take over from Zille this weekend. As her last day as their leader approaches Zille says she is often filled with a mix of emotions, including sadness.

She says knowing that she would be unpopular or be called names for some of the decisions she took did not deter the decisions she made, she says she did her best and what she believed was best. “I’ve done what I believe is right in the circumstances,” she says. She says she will miss the job as it gave her, “purpose and meaning. It’s given me a lot of hard work, a lot to think about and a lot of big problems to solve and that’s when I’m happiest, when I’m solving big problems”.

Zille officially joined politics in 1999 and became leader of the opposition party in 2007. She says she has loved “every day” of her journey. However, it was not without its difficulties and disappointments.

When asked about where she feels she might have failed as the leader of the DA, Zille without any hesitation mentions the deal she struck with Agang’s Mamphela Ramphele.

Last year, just a few months before the national election, the DA announced that Ramphele, who was Agang’s top leader at the time, would be their presidential candidate. Only five days after the announcement, Ramphele reneged from the agreement.

“I did in good faith, she came to us, she said she was ready to join with us there were a lot of people encouraging us to get together. They said it made no sense to have two different parties with the same values, contesting the same elections. That made sense to me,” says Zille.

She says she was extremely disappointed and she felt Ramphele threw away a good opportunity.

At the time, Zille was accused of just wanting to use Ramphele to win over black voters. She was accused of “renting a black face”. She has been accused of doing the same thing with her support of Mmusi Maimane, accused of allowing him to occupy senior positions because of his skin tone so as to win black voters.

She rubbishes the claims and says that all she has done was to diversify the party and open up opportunities.

Zille says the people with leadership positions within the party, including the young, black leaders in top positions are there not because of “made them” but because the opportunities were there and they took advantage of them.

“I’ve never made anyone a leader. I’ve never crowed anyone as a leader. I said here is an opportunity, here is the training, when positions come out and stand for them and win them because people have respect for you now,” says Zille.

Despite feeling sadness over having to say good bye to a job she has loved, Zille is aware and appreciative of the fact that she will now be able to do other things, like spending more time with her family.

“I often had to get up very very early in the morning and work all through the weekend somewhere else in the country which was often a big challenge. My family often had to take second place, which is not always a good idea.”

Zille is married to Johann Maree and they have two sons, Paul and Thomas.

“They were very understanding and very good. I think in some way my heavy work load has made us stronger as a family,” says Zille.

She says she decided to not stand for re-election because it may not be best for the party, because in the end it is the party that matters. Because in the end, what she wants is to see the DA growing to become the government, even if she is not leading that government.

– By Mamaponya Motsai

Share article
Previous Post

One’s skin colour not an issue – DA’s Trollip

Next Post

DA aims for metros

Related Posts

Ngola Njinga Mbande ruled over the 17th century Ndongo and Matamba kingdoms of modern-day Angola.

Influential Africans Part 2 | The story of Queen Nzinga of Angola

3 May 2022, 5:13 PM
[File Image] President Cyril Ramaphosa receives the first part of the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture from the Commission’s Chairperson, Acting Chief Justice Raymond Zondo.

Decision to grant State Capture Commission six-week extension a serious concern: Casac

29 April 2022, 9:16 AM
A weekly look at tech innovations and its impact.

FEATURE – TECH IMPACT: Online learning platform for mathematics teachers launched

28 April 2022, 4:33 PM
A weekly look at tech innovations and its impact.

FEATURE – TECH IMPACT: UCT’s goal realisation app now available in 11 official languages

14 April 2022, 5:00 PM
National Director of Public Prosecution Advocate Shamila Batohi briefing media on progress made in the Venda Building Society Mutual Bank investigations.

NPA gunning for those implicated in State Capture and grand corruption: Batohi

12 April 2022, 7:00 AM
A weekly look at tech innovations and its impact.

FEATURE – TECH IMPACT: Basic education introduces robotics and coding in SA schools

30 March 2022, 5:00 PM
Next Post
Marius Roodt says in the 2016 elections the Democratic Alliance will aim to strenghten its position in the metros.  Picture:SABC

DA aims for metros

Most Viewed

  • 24hrs
  • Week
  • Month
  • EMS says fire at Bree Street Taxi Rank in Johannesburg has been extinguished
  • The public has until 18 May to make submissions on Icasa’s regulations for extension of expiry period for data, airtime
  • ANC NEC expected to hold a special meeting on Sunday
  • Eastern Cape flood victims plead for support as access to food, services remains difficult
  • Amathole Regional Secretary elated to have corruption charges against him dropped
  • SA may be home to world’s oldest person
  • Cape Town’s Noise Nuisances by-law back in the spotlight
  • Stellenbosch University suspends white student for urinating on black student’s laptop
  • Former president Jacob Zuma’s corruption case back in court
  • Russia uses new laser weapons in Ukraine, Zelenskyy mocks ‘wonder weapon’
  • SA may be home to world’s oldest person
  • Decrease in petrol price but diesel expected to increase between 70 and 80 cents
  • University of Mpumalanga opens a hotel within its Mbombela Campus
  • Some R350 grant beneficiaries have not yet received April payments
  • Cosatu’s May Day celebrations descended into chaos, proceedings halted

LATEST

  • Politics

LIVE | President Ramaphosa leads the Presidential Imbizo in Mpumalanga


[File Image] President Cyril Ramaphosa leads government at the Presidential Imbizo in Mangaung, Free State - 08 April 2022.
  • Politics

Carolina residents to address President Ramaphosa on service delivery matters


A man looks at 100-metre-tall (328-foot-tall) wind turbines during sunset at the Electric Power Development Co., Ltd's Nunobiki Plateau Wind Farm in Koriyama, north of Tokyo November 8, 2007.
  • Sci-tech

Government is going ahead with plans to procure more nuclear energy: Mantashe


Regina Mhaule
  • South Africa

Education department takes a stand on racism and bullying in schools


[File Photo] Former City of Joburg Mayor Mpho Moerane.
  • Politics

Moerane’s memorial service to be held on Friday


EFF Deputy President  Floyd Shivambu speaks at the Black Business Summit 2022.
  • Politics

Floyd Shivambu questions ANC’s black bourgeoisie creation


Weather

  • About the SABC
  • Contact Us
  • Jobs
  • Advertise
  • Disclaimer
  • Site Map

SABC © 2022

No Result
View All Result
  • SOUTH AFRICA
  • POLITICS
  • BUSINESS
  • SPORT
  • AFRICA
  • WORLD
  • SCI-TECH
  • LIFESTYLE
  • FEATURES
  • OPINION

© 2022

Previous One’s skin colour not an issue – DA’s Trollip
Next DA aims for metros