OPINION

Fear and loathing in the DA

Politicsweb.co.za |
20 May 2014
The fall-out from Lindiwe Mazibuko's departure for Harvard continues to shake the party

The past week has seen a continuing fall-out from the decision of Lindiwe Mazibuko not to contest the Democratic Alliance parliamentary leadership, and to study abroad at Harvard for a year. It was widely expected that Mazibuko was going to be challenged for the position by DA national spokesperson, Mmusi Maimane, reportedly with the backing of DA leader Helen Zille. The DA's parliamentary caucus, half of whom were made up of new and half of returning MPs, vote for the position.

As noted in a previous report (see here) the long-running underlying tensions between Mazibuko and Zille flared-up into the open following the publication of an article by BDLive columnist and Sunday Times journalist, Gareth van Onselen on the "real reasons" for Mazibuko's departure.

In his column on Monday May 12 Van Onselen ascribed Lindiwe Mazibuko's decision to go to Harvard, rather than stand again for parliamentary leader, to a toxic environment in the party and a breakdown in the relationship between her and DA leader. He wrote that the party, under Zille's leadership, no longer valued robust internal debate and discussion. Instead, "There exists a single, dominant and authoritarian personality at the heart of the party. With that there exists too an organisational culture that has become weak and entirely subservient to the wishes of its leader; as a result, intolerant, paranoid, fearful, vengeful and malicious."

He noted: "A truly poisonous environment is one where people constantly suspect each other and where individuals are no longer engaged with on the merits of the case they present, but with regards to who they represent and whether their views might advance or damage one's prospects if associated with." He wrote that Mazibuko's position was untenable given that "You cannot lead a caucus in Parliament when the leader, outside Parliament, is set against you."

These claims and others triggered an aggressive push back by Zille and her supporters in print and social media. In a letter to BDLive on Tuesday Gavin Davis, DA head of communications and an incoming DA MP, responded on the merits of some of Van Onselen's claims before accusing him of being "an embittered former party hack, obsessed with settling scores with his erstwhile opponents in the party." By contrast, he wrote, "Zille has grown the support of the DA from 12% when she was elected in 2007 to 22% just seven years later. This is testament to her hard work, strategic insight and ability to keep the party united, despite the best efforts of some to sow division."

That same day Die Burger newspaper quoted Zille as saying that the reason Mazibuko had decided to go to Harvard was that "She would have lost the election in that caucus. She knew it - and many people knew it. I am sure it [Harvard] was her Plan B."

On the Friday the DA's Federal Executive met to discuss the issues thrown up by Mazibuko's departure. The DA's Federal Chairperson, Wilmot James, told Craig Dodds of Independent Newspapers ahead of the meeting that "he would be leading the charge in dealing with Davis's response to Van Onselen, which he called ‘completely out of line'. ‘He's a party official, talking about politicians and hanging out the DA's laundry in public,' James said." He added that while he "believed Zille had responded under pressure... he could attest to the fact that Harvard had always been Mazibuko's first choice."

On the Sunday the Sunday Tribune ran an article containing a series of anonymous attacks on Mazibuko sourced, mainly it seems, from KwaZulu-Natal DA politicians. The article, by Nathi Oliphant, stated that "Mazibuko has been described by her colleagues, allies and enemies as a monster who always wanted to have her way." The article quoted a series of DA politicians and leaders as describing Mazibuko as "the DA's Malema in the making", as becoming "large and in charge" after winning the DA's parliamentary leadership election and as "horrible". She was also accused, anonymously, of "abusing the power and the privileges bestowed upon her".

The Sunday Times meanwhile led with a story by Jan-Jan Joubert, a journalist with excellent sources inside the party, on the discussions within the DA's Federal Executive on the Friday. The article was headed "Mazibuko nothing without me - Zille" and claimed, in its introductory paragraph that "DA leader Helen Zille has launched an extraordinary attack on Lindiwe Mazibuko, her party's former parliamentary leader, claiming she "made" her and ‘saved' her many times." In the body of the piece Joubert reported that Zille had told the meeting of the Federal Executive that "she ‘made' Mazibuko and went on to attack her record as parliamentary leader, claiming she ‘saved' her several times. She painted a picture of Mazibuko as incompetent and out of her depth, saying she promoted, defended and protected her and that Mazibuko was nothing without her."

Joubert wrote that "After Zille's attack, federal chairman Wilmot James praised Mazibuko's parliamentary achievements and urged Zille to halt her attacks. He said Mazibuko had campaigned for the DA during the elections and the timing of her announcement, after the election and before the parliamentary leadership election, had caused the least possible harm and disruption to the DA."

The article also suggested that Mmusi Maimane was Zille's preferred candidate for DA parliamentary leader, despite his lack of legislative experience. Joubert reported that "Zille told the meeting that because she knew Maimane was not experienced enough to be parliamentary leader, the executive had to decide on a strong team to support him. She also disclosed that she had asked [Chairperson of the DA's Federal Executive James] Selfe to be the leader for a year and then let Maimane take over, but Selfe had been unwilling."

The newspaper also gave Zille the Mampara of the Week award.

In an article published later that day in her online newsletter, SA Today, Zille accused the Sunday Times of concocting its story "by twisting selective leaks from the DA's Federal Executive meeting, in which, inevitably, Lindiwe's decision to go to Harvard University, and the implications of her decision, were discussed." She stated that "At the meeting, I answered questions dispassionately and accurately.  We also discussed the problem of selective leaks from the Fedex to advance personal agendas in the DA's succession race. Inevitably, these leaks occurred again after this meeting, resulting in an entirely false Sunday Times headline and introductory paragraphs, as well as many additional distortions."

Zille also set out the reasons, which she had presented to the Federal Executive, for the tensions that had arisen between her and Mazibuko. She wrote:

"I said that after she was elected, a ‘Berlin wall' was erected between her office and mine, and my advice was ignored. Major decisions were made without any discussion, resulting in serious mistakes, for which I then stepped forward and took responsibility. This is also common cause, and evidenced by the record. Because of this, resistance to her leadership emerged in the Parliamentary caucus, which became deeply divided. It became clear that many people were determined to vote for a change of leadership after the election. I repeatedly attempted to calm the waters by opening communication channels. This was rejected."

She noted that after Gareth van Onselen had announced on Twitter on Sunday May 11 that he was going to reveal the real reasons for Mazibuko's departure she had spoken to "Lindiwe telephonically and mentioned that it would do serious damage to her credibility if he gave different reasons from those she had given to Fedex and that she should, at all costs seek to avoid a contradiction between the reasons she had given and the ones that Gareth van Onselen gave. I noted that, during the previous week, one of Lindiwe's closest confidantes had been seen briefing Gareth van Onselen."

Zille accused some members of the Federal Executive of "furnishing the media with selective ‘leaks' in order to advance their own succession agendas, both in the Parliamentary caucus and in the party."

She also said it was concerning that "some media platforms are being abused by so-called journalists and columnists [a reference to Gareth van Onselen and Jan-Jan Joubert] who are embedded in a particular faction of the DA. It should be of serious concern to journalists and media practitioners that such individuals are using their media ‘cover' to drive a factional agenda in the DA's succession battle."

She added that: "If those media houses that harbour journalists with factional agendas want to protect their own credibility, they will also look at ways to stop their publications from being abused. I will be requesting meetings with the editors of the Business Day and the Sunday Times to discuss the way forward with them."

In response to this latter comment senior Business Day journalist Carol Paton tweeted:

Zille replied:

To which Paton responded:

Zille again replied:

Earlier that day Van Onselen had tweeted a link to an open letter by Moloto Mothapo of the ANC Chief Whip's office "accusing me of being a DA plant". Zille responded:

On the Monday the Cape Times published a story based on leaked email correspondence between Gavin Davis, DA Eastern Cape leader Athol Trollip and Wilmot James. In an email to Davis Trollip was quoted as saying "one can easily join the dots" to see where the leaks originated, before implicating James.

"In this case it is clear that Wilmot has or had informed the media that he was going to defend Lindiwe's decision in the Fedex and take you on. This is understandable as he was her ‘sponsor'/referee to her Harvard application. Now it seems that maybe he was trying to pave his way to a position that he has clearly coveted since he joined the DA as his name was linked in a similar way in the build up to the 2009 parliamentary leadership contest...May the best man or woman win so that the DA can continue its March to the Union Buildings led by men and women who put the interests of our voters and country far ahead of their own. Remember what inflated egos bequeathed Cope and Agang".

The newspaper also quoted an email from Davis to James criticising him for his comments to Craig Dodds, as mentioned above. Davis reportedly said it "was "disappointing" that James had seen fit to brief a journalist before the Fedex meeting that he would be "leading the charge" against Davis' "rebuttal of Gareth van Onselen": "I see in your comments to the newspaper that you believe I was wrong to hang out the DA's laundry in public. This is deeply ironic considering that you were briefing a journalist on the matter. If you are so concerned about airing laundry in public, then why are you still driving the issue in the media? Since when do we brief the media about confidential matters to be discussed at Fedex?"

The same morning Van Onselen published an article - headed "The evolution of a Helen Zille lie" - tracing the DA's unacknowledged flip-flopping on its target of winning 30% of the vote in the 2014 elections. At the end of the piece he announced: "On that note, I am taking a break. I will be back on BDlive in full force in August. Until then!"

In reply to this last comment Zille tweeted:

Helen Zille meanwhile went on eTV's Justice Factor to explain and defend her newsletter replying to the Sunday Times (see full video below). Zille told Justice Malala that she knew who had leaked the information to the Sunday Times, and why, saying that they were planning on running in the upcoming elections for DA parliamentary leader. Zille proceeded to direct her fire at Van Onselen.

She said Van Onselen had been involved in the losing faction which had unsuccessfully supported Ryan Coetzee (whom she had also backed) over Athol Trollip in the election for parliamentary leader in 2009. Since then this faction "has been running a vendetta against Athol Trollip" trying to destroy his support base within the party, and had also strongly backed Lindiwe Mazibuko's successful challenge to him in October 2011 (which Zille had supported). Zille said that now that Mazibuko had dropped out this faction was continuing to "drive this wedge and wage this vendetta through the Sunday Times where Gareth van Onselen now works."

Malala then asked Zille whether she was really alleging that Van Onselen was part of a faction and was being run from within the DA. She replied: "I am not alleging it. I am stating it as a fact." Zille then accused Van Onselen of running a major vendetta against Trollip while working as DA communications head, in parliament, after the 2009 elections. She claimed that he had had to be moved from the position as a result, but had carried on waging this vendetta against Trollip inside the party, and then after he had left. (Trollip moved back to the Eastern Cape legislature in April 2013, where he currently serves.)

Zille said that the Sunday Times report suggesting an "extremely patronising" attitude on her behalf "was a blatant and total lie and you can see why it was presented in that way by a person [Van Onselen] still running the vendetta in the DA and still trying to ensure that he gets his revenge under the cloak of a so-called objective journalist." Zille then added that Van Onselen was very close to Jan-Jan Joubert (the author of the article in question) whom she described as a "very embedded journalist who also sides with a faction in the DA".

Asked by Malala whether she was really claiming Joubert and Van Onselen "were embedded journalists working for a faction working against you in the DA?" Zille replied: "They are not working against me. They are not working against me at all. They have never done that. I am not claiming to be a victim at all." Asked whether they were working against Mmusi Maimane Zille replied: "That's probably what they're doing absolutely."

In the interview Zille also denied having "dumped" Mazibuko. She repeated the claim that a close confidante of Mazibuko had been seen briefing Van Onselen the week before Mazibuko made her announcement. And also reiterated that Mazibuko had decided to go to Harvard as the DA's parliamentary caucus had turned against her.

The following day former DA strategist Ryan Coetzee, now with the Liberal Democrats in the UK, tweeted:

Since announcing her decision Mazibuko has not commented on the subsequent controversy. When approached for comment by the Sunday Times she stated: "I really think it is best for me and the DA if I stay out of this for now. I won't be doing any more interviews."

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