Zille forced to backtrack on affirmative action

Helen Zille and the white defenders of the apartheid generational advantage in South Africa were soundly beaten by the black caucus of the DA. Zille, when seeing her loss, changed tack and secured her future in the party.

What this really means is the following, which reveals most clearly the role that the Premier plays in politics, which is expedient to the extreme and without principle.

Helen Zille and the DA appears to "kick her traditional white support base into touch" at their policy conference in Cape Town over the weekend. She goes on to say "that those who do not accept that race is important for redress should join other parties". It appears the so called "black caucus" has put Zille firmly in her place.

It will be interesting to see how the "white tribe" will react to this "betrayal" as one must now assume that "affirmative action" with a few frills will now become official DA policy to attract the "black vote". Those who always felt that Zille is an "opportunist" and "someone who cannot be trusted" appear to be vindicated.

This poses an interesting dilemma for politics in the Western Cape and politics in the DA in the run up to the general elections. Zille is playing a high risk game assuming that whites will not go to another party and that blacks are the most important numbers for their party to secure.

Statement issued by Tony Ehrenreich, COSATU W Cape Provincial Secretary, November 26 2013

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