ANC Western Cape vindicated by the Public Protector's report on Zille Colonial Tweets

ANC in the Western Cape welcomes the Public Protectors report on Premier Helen Zille's colonial tweets. As the ANC we lodged a complaint with the Public Protector against Zille for violating the Executive Ethics Act with her gravely offensive and reckless tweets which polarized our community and drove deeper the racial wedge of our past. As the head of government in the province, Zille's primary responsibility is to build social cohesion and racial harmony in a province that has known too much blood and pain on racial polarization, and this judgment makes this crucial point quite clear.  

As the ANC, we are vindicated by the public protector's remedial action, which now forces the Provincial Legislature, according to its constitutional responsibility, to find appropriate measures to discipline Zille. We initially brought this matter before the legislature and the DA members chose to be loyal to the party and Zille than to the country's constitution and the people of this province. It did not have to take the Public Protector for this Provincial Legislature to do the right thing. We also welcome the time frame of 30 days for the legislature to fulfill its constitutional obligation on this matter.

It is also clear that the Democratic Alliance has finally woken up to the reality that Helen Zille has become a liability both in their party and in their political posture in the Province. The regret expressed by Mmusi Maimane on not acting strongly against Helen Zille is now widely shared and the DA's provincial caucus is also showing signs of Zille fatigue and it is likely that when we bring a vote of no confidence against Zille, and the speaker allows a secret ballot, Helen Zille will go.

If Zille has any dignity left in her, she does not have to wait for that humiliation.

As the ANC we ask Helen Zille to do the right thing and resign as the Premier of the Western Cape.

Statement issued by Khaya Magaxa, Acting Provincial Chairperson, Western Cape, 11 June 2018