DA reviewing Zille’s De Klerk, apartheid tweets

The Democratic Alliance (DA) leader John Steenhuisen says the DA will review federal chairperson Helen Zille’s tweets to determine whether she has breached any rules or regulations of the party for her remarks regarding “racist laws” in the current South African government and former president FW De Klerk.

The DA leader said he expressed his views on Zille’s remarks after he had a conversation with her regarding the matter.

Commenting on Zille’s remarks about South Africa having “more racist laws today than there were under apartheid”, Steenhuisen opposed her opinion saying he could not see any evidence on the matter.

“South Africa is an infinitely better, more just and humane society now than it was under apartheid. Not least because we have a Constitution that guarantees everyone’s place and contribution, and which sees every person as equal before the law,” he said in a statement.

Steenhuisen said the government was increasingly and deliberately driving wedges between its citizen by “trading in racial divisiveness and making some South Africans feel as though they don’t belong”.

“This is totally wrong and law which excludes on the basis of race is inherently wrong. The high court judgment which says it is okay for a government to choose who it helps in a time of crisis on the basis of race, is abhorrent. It must be taken on appeal, and we will do that,” he said.

ALSO READ: Twitter slams Zille over De Klerk, apartheid comments

However, he agreed with Zille after she pointed out that all racist laws were wrong.

“This is true, and is consistent with Helen’s long record of opposing injustice. Helen also made the comment that there are more racist laws now than there were under apartheid. This is not true, and I can’t see any evidence for it.

“I have today had a conversation with her directly and expressed my views on the matter. Helen has referred her tweet to the party structures to determine whether she has breached any rules or regulations of the party,” he added.

Zille found herself in defence of De Klerk after a Twitter user accused the former president of being the centre of interest in the National Prosecuting Authority’s (NPA) delay to lay charges against the people involved in the alleged looting of government resources.

“De Klerk decided to dismantle apartheid. If he hadn’t, the ANC would still be bogged down in the mess of its so-called liberation camps and infighting. They had no viable armed struggle to speak of,” she said.

Another Twitter user went on to accuse Zille of being a racist for her previous remarks on the De Klerk matter.

“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,” she added.

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